Lead Data Engineer – Cloud Data Platform & Streaming Infrastructure Development

About arenaflex

Welcome to arenaflex, where innovation meets imagination. At arenaflex Entertainment & ESPN Technology, we're not just building software—we're crafting the future of digital entertainment and sports broadcasting for millions of viewers worldwide. Every single day, our team reimagines what's possible to create magical viewing experiences that become the world's most cherished memories, while simultaneously transforming how media companies operate in the digital age.

Whether we're evolving our streaming and virtual products in groundbreaking new ways, powering global marketing and distribution to maximize flexibility and efficiency, or delivering unparalleled entertainment and sports content, each day presents an opportunity to make a meaningful difference to our partners and to hundreds of millions of people across the globe. Join us and become part of a team that's redefining the entertainment landscape.

Why You'll Love Working at arenaflex Entertainment & ESPN Technology

Building the Future of Media: Our technologists are designing and constructing the infrastructure that will power arenaflex's media, marketing, and distribution businesses for years to come. You'll be working on systems that touch every aspect of how entertainment reaches audiences worldwide.

Unmatched Reach and Scale: The products and platforms our team builds and operates delight millions of customers every minute of every day—from streaming services to news platforms, sports networks, and entertainment content. Your work will be seen by hundreds of millions of people globally.

Innovation at Its Core: We develop and execute groundbreaking products and strategies that shape industry norms and enhance how audiences experience sports, entertainment, and news. You'll be at the forefront of technological innovation in the media industry.

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced and passionate Lead Data Engineer to join our growing data platform team. In this critical role, you will be embedded within the Orchestration team that manages workflow scheduling packages and data ingestion infrastructure. This team powers the analytics, operations, and data science behind our flagship streaming platforms that entertain hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide.

You'll have the unique opportunity to understand the challenges of facilitating high-quality, seamless media streaming experiences across mobile devices, connected TVs, and web platforms—all while leveraging cutting-edge technologies from AWS and beyond. If you're interested in working in a highly collaborative team environment where innovation thrives, we want to hear from you!

Responsibilities and Duties

As a Lead Data Engineer at arenaflex, you will play a pivotal role in building and maintaining our enterprise-wide data infrastructure. Your responsibilities will include:

• Lead Cross-Functional Engineering Teams: Spearhead initiatives within cross-functional teams of engineers to build software for large-scale data processing environments that support both real-time and batch data, underpinning all analytic and operational data flows across the organization.


• Platform Development: Build tools and services to support data discovery, lineage, resiliency, and privacy compliance across the entire data platform, ensuring data governance standards are met while maximizing accessibility for authorized users.


• CICD Excellence: Design and implement CI/CD methods for infrastructure components that ensure high availability, rapid deployment cycles, and agility in responding to business needs.


• Architecture Leadership: Drive software engineering and architecture best practices and standards within the team and across the broader organization, fostering a culture of quality, innovation, and experimentation.


• Mentorship and Guidance: Provide mentorship and technical guidance for team members; evangelize the platform, promote best practices, and advocate for data-driven decision-making throughout the organization.


• Innovation Driving: Identify new use cases and capabilities, driving adoption of innovative solutions that enhance our data infrastructure and deliver business value.


• Technical Deep Dive: Dive deep into technical challenges while maintaining the ability to understand and drive the overall systems architecture, balancing immediate needs with long-term scalability.

Required Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• Professional Experience: Minimum of 3+ years of relevant professional experience in data engineering, software engineering, or a related technical field.


• Programming Expertise: Fluent proficiency in Python and Scala, with demonstrated ability to write clean, efficient, and maintainable code.


• Cloud Infrastructure: Deep experience deploying and operating cloud-based data solutions, preferably on AWS, with hands-on experience using infrastructure-as-code frameworks such as Terraform.


• Systems Thinking: Ability to dive deep into any technical issue while also understanding and driving the overall systems architecture.


• Quality Focus: You care deeply about craftsmanship in your software and can work backwards from the customer experience to design solutions that truly meet user needs.


• Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related technical field, OR equivalent professional experience that demonstrates strong technical capabilities.

Preferred Qualifications

While not required, the following qualifications will strongly enhance your candidacy:

• Advanced degree (Master's) in Computer Science or a related technical area


• Experience maintaining real-time data infrastructure including streaming technologies such as Kinesis or Kafka


• Expertise with workflow scheduler tools such as Apache Airflow


• Strong proficiency in Scala, Python, Terraform, and AWS services


• Experience with large-scale distributed systems and data processing frameworks


• Knowledge of data privacy regulations and compliance frameworks

Skills and Competencies

To succeed in this role, you'll need to demonstrate:

• Technical Excellence: Strong foundation in data engineering principles, distributed systems, and cloud architecture patterns.


• Problem-Solving: Analytical mindset with the ability to approach complex challenges systematically and develop innovative solutions.


• Collaboration: Ability to work effectively across teams, influence stakeholders, and build positive working relationships.


• Adaptability: Comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment with changing requirements and priorities.


• Leadership: Capability to mentor junior engineers and drive technical initiatives forward.


• Customer Focus: Deep commitment to understanding user needs and delivering solutions that provide real value.

Career Growth Opportunities

At arenaflex, we believe in investing in our people and providing pathways for professional development. As a Lead Data Engineer, you'll have access to:

• Technical Leadership Paths: Advance into principal engineer, staff engineer, or distinguished engineer roles with increased technical leadership responsibilities.


• Management Track: If you prefer people leadership, opportunities exist to transition into engineering management positions, leading larger teams and driving organizational strategy.


• Specialization Opportunities: Deepen expertise in areas such as real-time streaming, machine learning infrastructure, or data governance and compliance.


• Cross-Functional Exposure: Work on projects spanning multiple business units, gaining breadth across the entertainment and technology landscape.


• Learning & Development: Access to comprehensive training programs, conferences, certifications, and internal learning resources through arenaflex Aspire and other educational initiatives.


• Innovation Labs: Opportunities to participate in hackathons, proof-of-concept projects, and innovation initiatives that shape the future of our products.

Work Environment & Culture

arenaflex offers a dynamic, inclusive work environment that values diversity of thought and encourages innovation. Our culture is built on collaboration, respect, and a shared commitment to excellence. You'll find:

• Flexible Work Arrangements: Our Flexibility @ arenaflex program is designed to fit your professional and personal needs. How you work can be on-site, remote, or a combination—whichever enables you to thrive in your career and life.


• Inclusive Culture: We believe in creating an environment where every team member feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique perspective.


• Collaborative Spaces: Modern office spaces designed for teamwork, innovation, and creativity.


• Community Engagement: Opportunities to give back through arenaflex VoluntEARS, our volunteer program that supports communities worldwide.

Compensation & Benefits

We offer a competitive total rewards package that includes:

• Hourly Rate: The hiring range for this role is $35 to $45 per hour, based on internal equity and candidate qualifications. Pay may vary depending on geographic location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.


• Bonus Potential: Annual bonus and/or long-term incentive opportunities as part of the compensation package.


• Health Benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage options for full-time positions.


• Financial Security: Retirement plans available for full-time and part-time positions.


• Time Off: Vacation and sick leave for full-time positions, with accrual based on length of service, role, and hours worked.


• Educational Support: arenaflex Aspire pays 100% of tuition upfront at community colleges for full-time and part-time hourly employees, plus educational reimbursement for approved programs.


• Exclusive Perks: Complimentary theme park admission after weeks of employment, discounts at select hotels, dining, products, and entertainment locations.


• Commuter Benefits: The arenaflex Commuter Assistance program helps employees find commuter resources, options, and incentives.


• Child Care: On-site, low-cost and back-up child care options available at select locations.


• Wellness Programs: On-site and online health instruction and wellness programs designed to support your physical and mental well-being.


• Weekly Pay: Employees are paid weekly with direct deposit options available.

About arenaflex Direct to Consumer

arenaflex's Direct to Consumer team oversees our streaming businesses, helping to bring the company's best-in-class storytelling to fans and families everywhere. You'll be contributing to platforms that entertain millions of viewers globally, from beloved classics to cutting-edge original content.

About arenaflex

The arenaflex Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified global family entertainment and media organization. From humble beginnings to its preeminent position in the entertainment industry today, arenaflex proudly maintains its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. arenaflex's stories, characters, and experiences reach consumers and visitors from every corner of the globe, with operations in more than forty countries.

Join Our Team

If you're passionate about data engineering, excited by the challenges of building world-class streaming infrastructure, and want to be part of a team that's shaping the future of entertainment, we want to hear from you! Apply today and take the first step toward an incredible career at arenaflex.

arenaflex is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and experiences to apply.