Lead Backend Engineer

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.
The Crown Is Yours
As a Lead Software Engineer on the Performance Engineering Team, you'll set the strategic and technical direction that ensures our systems are resilient, performant, and ready for the most high-stakes moments in sports and gaming. Part of the Systems Governance and Architecture organization, this team is responsible for system-wide performance and chaos engineering at scale. You'll lead efforts to simulate real-world load patterns, introduce ML-powered analysis, and proactively surface risks before they impact our users.
This is a high-impact, cross-functional engineering leadership role.
What You'll Do

• Lead the design and execution of performance and chaos testing strategies for distributed, event-driven systems.
• Own the development of scalable testing frameworks and internal tools for automated KPI validation and telemetry correlation.
• Lead by example, writing high-performance, well-tested code that meets our rigorous standards for reliability and scalability.
• Lead observability and telemetry initiatives, ensuring insights are actionable and performance-focused.
• Design and implement predictive load models to prepare for high-traffic events tied to product, infrastructure, or marketing milestones.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Product, Design, and Engineering teams to align technical solutions with strategic business goals.
• Act as a technical mentor and coach, providing guidance and feedback that helps engineers grow and deliver their best work.
• Play a critical role in shaping the team's roadmap and technical direction while fostering a strong engineering culture grounded in ownership and continuous learning.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or any suitable combination of education, experience, and training.
• At least 5 years of experience in object-oriented backend development using languages such as C# or Java, with interest and openness to transition into Python or GO.
• Familiarity with performance/load testing tools like Locust, k6, Gatling, or JMeter.
• Deep experience developing and maintaining comprehensive automated test suites, including unit, integration, and performance tests, to ensure system resilience and scalability.
• A strong track record of mentoring engineers, leading code and design reviews, and driving high-impact technical decisions across cross-functional teams.
• A proactive mindset with a focus on continuous improvement, code quality, and driving engineering best practices across teams.

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.