SVP, Engineering
At Underdog, we make sports more fun.
Our thesis is simple : build the best products and we'll build the biggest company in the space, because there's so much more to be built for sports fans. We're just over five years in, and we're one of the fastest-growing sports companies ever, most recently valued at $1.3B. And it's still the early days.
We've built and scaled multiple games and products across fantasy sports, sports betting, and prediction markets, all united in one seamless, simple, easy to use, intuitive and fun app.
Underdog isn't for everyone. One of our core values is give a sh
- t. The people who win here are the ones who care, push, and perform. If that's you, come join us.
Winning as an Underdog is more fun.
As SVP of Engineering, you will lead and scale a multi-disciplinary engineering organization spanning product engineering, data engineering, security, infrastructure, technical compliance, and IT. You'll be the technical and operational backbone ensuring stability, velocity, and excellence while partnering tightly with Product, Design, and the rest of the exec team to set and deliver on the roadmap.
About The Role
Set the vision, strategy, and execution plan for all engineering domains (product engineering, data engineering, ML, security, infrastructure, IT), aligned with business goalsBuild, mentor, and grow high-performing engineering leaders and teams (managers, tech leads, ICs) across ~150+ engineersDrive performance management : ensure consistent feedback, coaching, goal setting, and development plansEstablish clear metrics and accountability for engineering health (e.g. uptime, latency, MTTR, deployment frequency, error budgets)Oversee the technical architecture, platform roadmap, and infrastructure investments to scale the product and data stackMaintain strong collaboration with Product and Design : co-own planning, prioritization, tradeoffs, and deliveryOwn security, compliance, governance, and data privacy at the enterprise levelElevate operational excellence by helping strengthen CI / CD, observability, incident response, and technical debt reduction to improve productivity and reliabilityManage budgets, resource allocations, vendor & tooling decisionsModernize engineering practices by driving adoption of AI-assisted development, automation, and continuous improvement in delivery pipelinesChampion cultural and organizational shifts needed to scale engineering velocity and qualityRepresent engineering externally in engagements with regulators, industry groups, and key strategic partnersAct as a culture carrier : embed Underdog values (ambition, urgency, ownership, teamwork) in how engineering operatesWho You Are
15+ years of experience in leadership roles within high-impact engineering organizations, ideally in fast-paced, consumer or data-intensive environmentsProven track record scaling engineering teams through multiple phases of growthDeep expertise in technical domains including data infrastructure tooling, cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP), security, and large-scale distributed systemsExperience in both strategic and hands-on contexts : able to dive into architecture, code reviews, design when neededA strong performance management mindset : coaching, career paths, accountability, metrics-drivenExceptional at cross-functional partner relationships, especially with Product, Design, and business stakeholdersExcellent communication skillsable to distill complexity for executives, and inspire engineersBias for action, ownership, urgency, and continuous improvementEven Better If You Have
Experience in gaming, consumer platforms, or real-time systemsExperience with regulated environments (e.g. compliance, audits)The anticipated salary range for this role is between $300,000 and $400,000 per year plus pre-IPO equity. Actual compensation may vary depending on skills, experience, qualifications, geographic location, and internal equity considerations.
What We Can Offer You :
Unlimited PTO (we're extremely flexible with the exception of the first few weeks before & into the NFL season)16 weeks of fully paid parental leaveHome office stipendA connected virtual first culture with a highly engaged distributed workforce5% 401k match, FSA, company paid health, dental, vision plan options for employees and dependentsThis position may require sports betting licensure based on certain state regulations.
Underdog is an equal opportunity employer and doesn't discriminate on the basis of creed, race, sexual orientation, gender, age, disability status, or any other defining characteristic.