VARSITY SPIRIT, A VARSITY BRANDS COMPANY - THE DRIVING FORCE IN SPIRIT ACROSS CHEER, DANCE, BAND AND YEARBOOK

For over 50 years, Varsity Spirit has been the leading global source for all things spirit, including cheerleading, dance team, performing arts and yearbook. Focused on safety, entertainment and traditional school leadership, Varsity Spirit’s 5,000+ employees are dedicated to celebrating school spirit. A leader in apparel innovation, educational camps, clinics, competitions, and yearbook, Varsity Spirit impacts more than a million athletes each year.

OUR COMMITMENT TO SAFETY

At Varsity Spirit, the safety and wellbeing of the young people we serve is of the utmost importance. Since our inception 50 years ago, we have been – and remain – steadfastly committed to doing our part to create a safe and positive environment for our participants’ physical, emotional, and social development, and promoting an environment free from abuse and misconduct. Varsity has a zero tolerance for abuse in its programs, events, and associated business activities. Varsity is committed to reporting all suspicions, allegations, and incidents of abuse in full accordance with local laws and reporting requirements. Learn more at Our Commitment to Safety - Varsity.com.

WORK TYPE: Remote 

LOCATION DETAILS: Remote in these cities only: Dallas, TX, Indianapolis, IN, Kansas City, MO, Memphis, TN

Please note: This position does not offer relocation assistance to meet the location requirement. Candidates must be able to work from the designated location without company-sponsored relocation

WORK HOURS:  Monday – Friday 8am-5pm (Central Time Preferred)

This position is not eligible for employer-sponsored work authorization. The company does not sponsor H-1B visas and will not provide sponsorship now or at any time in the future for this role.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis without the need for current or future sponsorship.

HOW YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT

SR. Backend Developer will power the backend systems that support yearbook design, order processing, and high-volume manufacturing for school customers nationwide. Your work will ensure reliable, scalable services that keep production workflows, customization tools, and fulfillment operations running smoothly — especially during peak seasonal cycles.

By building resilient APIs and optimizing performance across AWS infrastructure, you will help reduce downtime, improve data accuracy, and ensure schools receive their yearbooks on time, every time.

WHAT YOU WILL DO
· Designs, develops, and maintains backend services using Java and related frameworks (Spring Boot, Hibernate, etc.)
· Builds and optimizes RESTful APIs and microservices architectures
· Works with AWS services including Lambda, EC2, S3, RDS, and SNS/SQS
· Implements containerization solutions using Docker and Kubernetes on AWS ECS/EKS
· Designs and optimizes database schemas and query performance
· Collaborates with frontend engineers to integrate user-facing elements with server-side logic
· Implements robust error handling, monitoring, and logging systems
· Participates in code reviews and mentor junior engineers
· Troubleshoots production issues and implement fixes
· Continuously improves our development processes and infrastructure
 

QUALIFICATIONS

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES
· Minimum of 8 years of professional software development experience
· Strong proficiency in Java and related frameworks (Spring Boot, Spring Cloud)
· Deep understanding of RESTful API design principles
· Extensive experience with AWS services (Lambda, EC2, S3, DynamoDB, RDS)
· Experience with infrastructure as code using CloudFormation, Terraform, or CDK
· Knowledge of containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes)
· Experience with CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, AWS CodePipeline)
· Strong understanding of database design and SQL/NoSQL technologies
· Familiarity with serverless architecture
· Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail
· Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team
· Experience with Agile/Scrum development methodologies
· Contribution to open-source projects (preferred)
· Experience with performance tuning and optimization (preferred)
· Experience with front-end development technologies, including Angular (preferred)
 

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience)
 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

#LI-SD1

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee for this job.

JOIN THE BEST TEAM IN SPORT & SPIRIT

At Varsity Brands, we believe every student deserves the opportunity to succeed and every educator wants to make a difference. It takes a team to make a real impact, and through our two divisions – BSN SPORTS and Varsity Spirit – and our network of 6,000+ employees and independent representatives, we are proud to partner with a wide range of educational institutions and club and professional sports to transform the student journey in SPORT and SPIRIT.

OUR VALUES

Service - We lead with heart. We champion community.

Passion - We love what we do. It fuels our purpose.

Integrity - We do what we promise. We own our actions and decisions.

Respect - We earn it by giving it. Because everyone deserves it.

Innovation - We never stop striving to be better. For ourselves and our community.

Transparency - We are committed to openness and honesty in everything we do.

OUR BENEFITS

We are committed to putting you and your families first. For benefits eligible roles, we offer a variety of choices and costs as well as program enhancements that align with our responsibility to elevate the employee experience. Some of our offerings include:

• Comprehensive Health Care Benefits
• HSA Employer Contribution/ FSA Opportunities
• Wellbeing Program
• 401(k) plan with company matching
• Company paid Life, AD&D, and Short-Term Disability
• Generous My Time Off & Paid Holidays
• Varsity Brands Ownership Program
• Employee Resource Groups
• St. Jude Partnership & Volunteer Opportunities
• Employee Perks including discounts on personal apparel and equipment!

Varsity Brands companies are equal opportunity employers. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran’s status, age or disability.