Remote Distributed Systems Engineer (L4) – Big Data Platform & Cloud Infrastructure Specialist at arenaflex

About arenaflex

At arenaflex, we believe entertainment is a universal language — one that brings people together, sparks imagination, and shapes culture across every continent. We are a global leader in streaming and digital storytelling, delivering world-class content in more than 30 languages to viewers in over 190 countries. With a paid membership base of more than 220 million and a bold vision to grow to 500 million members worldwide, arenaflex is pioneering the next era of digital entertainment, including the rapid expansion of cloud-based gaming experiences.

Behind every magical moment our members enjoy lies a powerful, meticulously engineered data platform. The Data Platform organization at arenaflex empowers every business function — from content acquisition and recommendation to finance, marketing, and member experience — to harness data for smarter, faster, and more responsible decision-making. Our engineers, scientists, and platform specialists handle the heavy lifting so that the rest of the company can work with data efficiently, securely, and at unmatched scale.

We are looking for passionate, curious, and technically exceptional Distributed Systems Engineers (L4) to help us build the future of large-scale data infrastructure. If you thrive on complexity, love solving hard engineering problems, and want your work to directly impact hundreds of millions of members, this role is for you. This is a fully remote opportunity open to candidates across the United States, with preference for those based in Alabama or surrounding regions.

What You'll Do – Core Responsibilities

As a Distributed Systems Engineer on our Big Data Platform team, you will design, build, and operate the foundational systems that process and serve petabytes of data every day. Your work will power machine learning pipelines, business intelligence, real-time analytics, and the recommendation engines that define the arenaflex experience.

• Architect Scalable Systems: Design and develop highly available, fault-tolerant, and horizontally scalable distributed services that handle billions of requests per day across multiple data centers and cloud regions.
• Build Data Processing Pipelines: Engineer large-scale ETL workflows using technologies such as Spark, Flink, and Trino, transforming raw data into structured, queryable assets within our petabyte-scale data warehouse.
• Develop Platform Tooling: Contribute to internal frameworks, control planes, and deployment systems — many built in Python — that accelerate how quickly teams across arenaflex can launch new data products.
• Optimize Performance: Profile, debug, and tune systems to deliver sub-second query latency for interactive analytics workloads, including those powered by Druid and other real-time engines.
• Drive Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with product managers, technical program managers, data scientists, and application engineers to deliver high-impact initiatives that move key business metrics.
• Champion Open Source: Contribute back to the open source community through code, design proposals, and technical talks — arenaflex maintains a strong presence in projects like Iceberg, Spark, Presto, and more.
• Evolve Event-Driven Architecture: Help transition our workflow orchestration platform toward event-driven and self-service models that minimize manual intervention and maximize reliability.
• Uphold Engineering Excellence: Participate in design reviews, mentor junior engineers, and contribute to a culture of constructive feedback, technical rigor, and continuous improvement.

Team Focus Areas at arenaflex

Database Access Platform

This team builds and operates a flexible query gateway that enables data abstractions operating at sub-millisecond latencies. It empowers arenaflex microservices to store, consume, and manage their data with greater efficiency. You will be responsible for business-critical systems that demand both innovation and unwavering reliability.

Data Platform Infrastructure

As the foundation for all internal data platforms, this team builds shared infrastructure and tooling so arenaflex can rapidly deliver cutting-edge data and analytics systems without reinventing the wheel for every new project. Many of our tools are written in Python, making this a great home for polyglot engineers.

Big Data Compute

This cloud-native platform powers distributed data processing across arenaflex. It supports Spark for batch ETL into our petabyte-scale data warehouse, Trino/Presto for ad-hoc analytics, and Druid for sub-second latency queries. Engineers here tackle some of the most fascinating challenges in operating data at internet scale.

Big Data Orchestration

This team provides the self-service platform for designing, scheduling, and executing massive data jobs and workflows. Every ETL and machine learning workload at arenaflex runs on top of these services. We are moving aggressively toward event-driven, intelligent orchestration that requires minimal human input.

What We're Looking For – Essential Qualifications

• Experience: A minimum of 2+ years of professional experience building large-scale distributed systems, data platforms, or high-throughput backend services.
• Education: A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a closely related technical field.
• Programming Mastery: Strong proficiency in Java or another object-oriented programming language, with the ability to write clean, maintainable, and production-grade code.
• API Design: Hands-on experience designing and developing RESTful web services that are consumed by other services or external clients.
• Distributed Systems Fundamentals: Deep understanding of fault tolerance, consistency models, concurrency, partitioning, and replication strategies.
• Concurrency: Comfort working with multi-threading, asynchronous processing, and parallel execution patterns.
• Problem Solving: A demonstrated ability to apply programming and analytical reasoning to real-world business problems at scale.

Preferred Qualifications – Nice to Have

• Hands-on experience with Spark, Flink, Trino/Presto, Druid, or Iceberg.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, or Azure.
• Prior contributions to open source projects, especially in the data or distributed systems ecosystem.
• Experience with workflow orchestration tools like Airflow, Argo, or similar.
• Knowledge of schema evolution, data lake architectures, and modern table formats.
• Strong communication skills and a track record of mentoring or technical leadership.

Skills and Competencies for Success

• Systems-level thinking and a deep curiosity about how things work under the hood.
• A bias toward ownership, accountability, and shipping high-quality work.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, ambiguous, and rapidly evolving environment.
• Collaborative mindset with strong cross-team communication skills.
• Passion for learning, experimenting, and pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

Career Growth and Learning Opportunities

At arenaflex, your growth is our growth. We invest heavily in the professional and personal development of every team member. You will have access to:

• Personalized career coaching and a clear progression path from L4 through senior and principal engineering tracks.
• An annual learning stipend to pursue conferences, certifications, and advanced training.
• Mentorship from some of the world's leading distributed systems engineers.
• Opportunities to publish research, speak at global conferences, and contribute to open source as part of your day job.
• Internal mobility programs that let you explore new teams, technologies, and even international opportunities.

Work Environment and Company Culture

arenaflex is built on a foundation of freedom and responsibility. We hire exceptional people, give them massive context, and trust them to make the best decisions for the business. Our culture is inclusive, diverse, and deeply committed to ensuring every voice is heard and every perspective is valued. We are remote-first across the U.S., with flexible hours that allow you to do your best work on your own schedule. We celebrate curiosity, embrace candor, and believe that great ideas can come from anywhere.

Compensation, Perks, and Benefits

• Hourly Rate: $28/hour with the potential for performance-based increases and annual reviews.
• Employment Type: Full-time, 8-hour workday schedule.
• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your dependents.
• Generous Time Off: Paid vacation, holidays, and unlimited personal days to recharge and spend time with loved ones.
• Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan with company matching to help you build long-term financial security.
• Home Office Stipend: A one-time allowance to set up your ideal remote workspace, plus a monthly internet and utilities reimbursement.
• Wellness Benefits: Access to mental health resources, fitness reimbursements, and family planning support.
• Parental Leave: Industry-leading paid parental leave for new parents.

How to Apply

If you are ready to take on one of the most exciting engineering challenges in the world and help shape the future of entertainment at arenaflex, we want to hear from you. Bring your skills, your curiosity, and your unique perspective — and join a team that is redefining what is possible with data at global scale. Apply today and start your journey with arenaflex.