ABOUT THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Founded in 1917, the National Hockey League (NHL®) is the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada.
With more than 1500 employees across the US and Canada, the NHL is a global sports and entertainment organization committed to building healthy and vibrant communities using the sport of hockey.
At the NHL, we are looking for dynamic, energetic and impactful individuals who are committed to doing the same by sharing in our philosophy that Hockey is for Everyone – and inclusion belongs on the ice, in the locker rooms, boardrooms and stands.
WHAT WE EXPECT OF YOU
SUMMARY
We are seeking an experienced Director of Software Engineering with strong expertise in API design and relational database modeling to join our team. You will be responsible for designing and implementing high-performance backend services and RESTful APIs that power our consumer-facing and internal applications. This role requires both technical excellence and leadership skills to mentor team members and drive architectural decisions.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Backend Development
- Develop high-performance, scalable backend services using Java
- Write clean, maintainable, and well-documented code
- Design and implement caching strategies for optimal performance
- Build robust error handling and logging mechanisms
- Ensure proficiency in unit and integration testing
- Deep understanding of native mobile and web multi-tiered, distributed applications.
API Design & Development
- Design and implement RESTful APIs following industry best practices and standards
- Create comprehensive API specifications using OpenAPI/Swagger
- Ensure API consistency, versioning strategies, and backward compatibility
- Implement and integrate OAuth 2.0 and SAML-based authentication
- Establish and maintain API design guidelines and patterns for the engineering team
- Understanding how to leverage CDNs for API scale/optimization (e.g., Cloudflare)
- Carefully craft API inputs/outputs to maximize CDN cache hit ratios
- Utilize API testing frameworks to ensure reliability and performance
- Experience with API performance monitoring and optimization
Leadership
- Mentor junior developers on API design principles and data modeling best practices
- Participate in code reviews and provide constructive feedback
- Lead technical design discussions and architectural decisions
- Contribute to technical documentation and knowledge sharing
- Collaborate with operational counterparts on observability metrics
QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge Areas/Experience
Required
- 8+ years of backend development experience with at least 3 years focused on API design
- Strong understanding of RESTful principles, HTTP protocols, and web standards
- Proven track record of designing scalable, maintainable APIs
Preferred
- Experience with Apache Cayenne ORM framework (https://cayenne.apache.org/)
- Experience with Agrest REST API framework (https://agrest.io/)
- Knowledge of API gateway patterns and service mesh concepts
- Experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Bamboo, Kubernetes)
- Experience with data processing and analysis frameworks like Apache Spark Data Frame API, DFLib
- Familiarity with event-driven architectures
- Contributions to open-source projects
- Experience programming/scripting with Python
- Experience with cloud platforms (AWS), S3, Kinesis, Dynamo
- Apache Flink
Education/Certifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent practical experience
Required Technical Skills
- Java: Strong proficiency in Java development with experience building enterprise-grade applications
- MySQL: Hands-on experience with MySQL (v. 8.0 and above), including performance optimization and query tuning
- Data Modeling: Proven experience with relational database design and data modeling best practices
- Git: Proficiency with Git version control, including branching strategies, merge conflict resolution, and collaborative workflows
- Maven: Strong experience with Maven for build automation, dependency management, and project lifecycle management
- Bamboo: Experience with Atlassian Bamboo for continuous integration and deployment pipelines
- JAX-RS: Expertise in building RESTful web services using JAX-RS
- Jackson API: Proficiency with Jackson for JSON processing and serialization
- POJO: Experience working with Plain Old Java Objects and understanding of object-oriented design principles
Additional Skills
- Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail
- Strong communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively in a team environment
CORE COMPETENCIES
These core competencies reflect the underlying values that are necessary to represent the National Hockey League:
- Accountability
- Adaptability
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Inclusion
- Professionalism
- Teamwork & Collaboration
The NHL offers U.S. regular, full-time employees:
Time to Recharge: Utilize our generous Paid Time Off (PTO) to focus on your well-being and ensure a healthy work/life balance. PTO includes paid holidays, vacation, personal and sick days, plus an extra day off for your birthday.
Ability to Focus on your Health: Along with competitive salaries, the NHL offers comprehensive health benefits to employees and their eligible dependents effective on their first day with us – there is no waiting period. The NHL subsidizes a large portion of the health benefits costs, therefore your cost for medical, dental and vision coverage is minimal.
We also offer our employees and members of their household access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support mental, physical, and financial health. In addition, employees have access to a digital wellness resource designed to improve health and happiness through courses in sleep, movement, and focus. These services are confidential and at no-cost to our employees.
Childcare Leave: Because your family is the NHL family, employees are offered comprehensive Childcare Leave to welcome your new addition. The primary caregiver to the child is entitled to up to 12 weeks of paid Childcare Leave, at full pay, following the birth, adoption, or placement of a child.
Employees that are not the primary caregiver to the child are entitled to up to 6 weeks of paid Childcare Leave, at full pay, which must be taken within the first 6 months following the birth, adoption, or placement of a child.
Confidence in your Retirement Goals: Participate in the NHL’s Savings Plan which includes a 401K (pre-tax and Roth options) plus non-elective (employer) contributions to keep your retirement goals on track.
A Hybrid Work Schedule: The NHL recognizes the value of flexibility in work locations/schedules to help our employees balance work/life priorities. Hybrid work schedules are available for a majority of our roles.
Our New Headquarters: Our new, state of the art, offices are located at One Manhattan West in Hudson Yards. When you’re in the office, you can conduct meetings in one of our high-tech conference rooms, have lunch with a view or play in the game room. Employees can also enjoy New York’s newest neighborhood that is home to more than 100 shops, culinary experiences, and public artwork.
A Savings for Commuting: Participate in the NHL’s pre-tax commuter benefit plan which helps offset the financial cost of traveling to and from our office.
NHL Partner Rates: Unlock exclusive pricing from our Partners that include savings on travel, consumer goods and services, plus the NHL Store.
Life at the NHL: In your first few days, you meet with your new teammates and the HR Team. You have the opportunity to learn more about the NHL and our workplace culture. Employees are invited to play hockey during our Tuesday Night Skate at Chelsea Piers, join our Employee Resource Groups and more. You are a part of our team and we encourage you to be your authentic self, adding to our dynamic workplace culture.
SALARY RANGE:
$160-180K
Actual base pay for a successful candidate will be determined based on a variety of job-related factors, including but not limited to: experience/training, market demands, and geographic location.
When applying, please be sure to include a cover letter with your salary expectations for this role. We thank all applicants for their interest in this opportunity, however only qualified candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. NO EMAILS OR PHONE CALLS PLEASE.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.
