DraftKings

Lead Software Engineer

Canada

Not SpecifiedCompensation
Expert & Leadership (9+ years)Experience Level
Full TimeJob Type
UnknownVisa
Sports Betting, Online Gaming, BiotechnologyIndustries

About DraftKings and AI

At DraftKings, AI is becoming an integral part of both our present and future, powering how work gets done today, guiding smarter decisions, and sparking bold ideas. It’s transforming how we enhance customer experiences, streamline operations, and unlock new possibilities. Our teams are energized by innovation and readily embrace emerging technology. We’re not waiting for the future to arrive. We’re shaping it, one bold step at a time. To those who see AI as a driver of progress, come build the future together.

About the Role: Lead Software Engineer, Sportsbook Merchandising

The Crown Is Yours

As a Lead Software Engineer on the Sportsbook Merchandising team at DraftKings, you’ll play a key role in powering real-time features that enhance our Sportsbook experience. This is a high-impact role for a backend-leaning engineer based in Canada, ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of technical leadership and emerging people management. You’ll help shape a high-performing team while influencing systems, processes, and culture at scale.

In this role, you'll lead engineering strategy and execution across major systems and services while developing your coaching, stakeholder alignment, and delivery planning capabilities. If you're looking to move toward formal people leadership, this role offers the foundation to get there — with autonomy, support, and impact.

What you’ll do as a Lead Software Engineer

  • Own the technical roadmap and execution across your team’s services — from architecture and planning through delivery, operations, and scaling
  • Lead technical discussions across teams, represent your services in architectural forums, and drive cross-functional decision-making
  • Balance hands-on contribution with team enablement — writing code where needed while coaching others and growing their technical ownership
  • Drive engineering excellence through robust testing, high-quality code reviews, rollback readiness, observability, and documentation
  • Collaborate with Product Managers and stakeholders to align technical efforts with customer value and business outcomes
  • Guide backlog planning, identify key workstreams, and ensure alignment between engineering capacity and roadmap goals
  • Integrate AI and developer tooling to improve development velocity, testing rigor, and team productivity
  • Foster a culture of accountability, feedback, and continuous improvement — across code, systems, and processes

What you’ll bring

  • Proven track record leading backend engineering initiatives across architecture, development, and operations
  • Strong experience in C# or Java, with a solid foundation in distributed systems and backend architecture
  • Familiarity with full-stack technologies including .NET, React, Redux, and Node.js
  • Expertise in messaging and data systems like Kafka, SQL/NoSQL, MongoDB, RabbitMQ, and S3
  • Experience working with cloud-native infrastructure in AWS and GCP
  • Hands-on proficiency with containerization technologies like Kubernetes and Docker
  • Strong testing, debugging, and incident response capabilities across the stack
  • Effective communication skills with the ability to align teams, simplify complexity, and represent technical decisions to diverse stakeholders
  • Demonstrated passion for mentorship, team growth, and emerging people leadership
  • Experience working on real-time, high-scale consumer systems

Join Our Team

We’re a publicly traded (NASDAQ: DKNG) technology company headquartered in Boston. As a regulated gaming company, you may be required to obtain a gaming license issued by the appropriate state agency as a condition of employment. Don’t worry, we’ll guide you through the process if this is relevant to your role.

Skills

Software Engineering
Backend Development
Technical Leadership
People Management
Architecture
System Design
Testing
Code Reviews
Observability
Documentation

DraftKings

Online platform for fantasy sports and betting

About DraftKings

DraftKings operates in the online gaming and entertainment industry, focusing on daily fantasy sports, sports betting, and online casino games. Users can engage in daily fantasy sports contests for cash prizes, place bets on various sports events, and play casino games like slots, blackjack, roulette, and poker. The platform also includes a marketplace for digital collectibles, allowing users to buy, sell, and trade NFTs of celebrities. DraftKings ensures compliance with gaming regulations, providing a secure environment for its users. Unlike many competitors, DraftKings offers a diverse range of gaming options and revenue streams, attracting a wide audience of sports fans, gamblers, and digital collectors. The company's goal is to create a comprehensive and safe platform for users to enjoy various gaming activities and digital asset trading.

Boston, MassachusettsHeadquarters
2012Year Founded
$911.4MTotal Funding
IPOCompany Stage
Crypto & Web3, GamingIndustries
1,001-5,000Employees

Benefits

Performance Bonus
Company Equity

Risks

Class action lawsuit for alleged unlawful account termination could damage reputation.
Accusations of collusion with FanDuel may lead to antitrust investigations.
Sportsbook+ in New York may face regulatory scrutiny over its subscription model.

Differentiation

DraftKings offers a unique combination of fantasy sports, sports betting, and online casino games.
The company has ventured into the NFT market, expanding its digital collectibles offerings.
DraftKings ensures a secure gaming environment through compliance with gaming authorities.

Upsides

Partnership with Delta Air Lines could open new revenue streams through in-flight gaming.
Launch of Sportsbook+ in New York offers enhanced odds, attracting more subscribers.
Entry into the NFT market taps into the growing digital collectibles trend.

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