Manager of Database Reliability Engineering at PrizePicks

Job description

At PrizePicks, we are the fastest-growing sports company in North America, as recognized by Inc. 5000. As the leading platform for Daily Fantasy Sports, we cover a diverse range of sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, and Esports titles like League of Legends and Counter-Strike. Our team of over 550 employees thrives in an inclusive culture that values individuals from diverse backgrounds, regardless of their level of sports fandom. Ready to reimagine the DFS industry together? About the Role Our Infrastructure and Database Reliability functions have grown together under one manager, and grown fast. As the team scales to support live, high-traffic events year-round, we're splitting that org into two focused disciplines so each can go deeper: Infrastructure Engineering, and Database Reliability Engineering- this role. You'll own database infrastructure, data lifecycle and management strategy, and live-event operational readiness. You'll partner closely with the Infrastructure Manager on shared systems and help develop the database team's next generation of technical leaders — we are looking for someone focused on supporting and growing the team around them. What You'll Do Own cloud database infrastructure - AlloyDB, Redis, Kafka and others, capacity planning, and database vendor management, including commitment/CUD strategy and spend accountability. Support our identity and access modernization - an inclusive, workflow-aware migration to a modern identity platform, with appropriate limits on high-risk access and a break-glass mechanism for emergencies. Own data lifecycle and strategy - build a set of data services that enables data aging, archiving, and retention over a multi-year cycle. Contribute to creating a database observability framework; logging, metrics, and alerting that produces clear, actionable signals instead of noise, and that doesn't depend on any one person knowing which dashboard to check. Lead high-availability operations for our biggest live moments: on-call design, war-room readiness, staffing plans, and vendor escalation coordination for season kickoffs, the Super Bowl, and other peak-traffic events. Own the data side of our business continuity and disaster recovery planning and execution. Partner closely with the Infrastructure team on shared infrastructure surfaces, caching, messaging/queues, and the boundary between application and data infrastructure, so the seam between the two teams is invisible to the rest of engineering. Maintain database security and compliance: vulnerability remediation, edge security, access controls, and support for compliance and audit processes. Manage vendor relationships and contracts across the database portfolio, including budget ownership and negotiation. Build and grow the team; identify and develop technical leads, delegate real ownership, and build a bench so critical work never depends on a single person. Represent DBRE in cross-functional planning (feature launches, load testing, migrations) Balance KTLO (Keeping the Lights On) work against forward-looking productivity investments; scope and prioritize a multi-quarter infra roadmap What You Have 5+ years managing database, DevOps, or SRE teams, ideally for a consumer product with real-time, high-concurrency, or seasonal/event-driven traffic patterns. Deep hands-on background in cloud infrastructure (GCP strongly preferred; AWS or similar also relevant), relational and non-relational databases (AlloyDB, PostgreSQL, Redis, MongoDB), and infrastructure-as-code (Crossplane, Cuelang, Terraform, Ansible, or similar). Experience running identity/access management programs and modern observability/monitoring stacks, and building incident management practices that hold up under real pressure. A track record of managing cloud cost and vendor relationships, committed-use/reserved capacity strategy, contract negotiation, budget ownership. Solid grounding in security best practices and compliance requirements relevant to a fast-moving consumer platform. A demonstrated ability to mentor technical leads and delegate effectively; you view management as a way to support and empower your team. Excellent communication skills and the judgment to flag risk early rather than let it surface as a surprise Experience in a technology startup environment is a strong plus. Relevant DevOps, Cloud, or SRE certifications are a plus. How We Work A few things that are true of how this team operates, so you know what you're signing up for: We default to no surprises. If something's at risk, we want the heads-up early, not a clean status update that turns out to be wrong. We show up prepared. Meetings are for decisions and alignment, not for finding the agenda in real time. Ownership means owning a problem until it's actually solved or handed off, not until you've stopped thinking about it. Our best managers focus on enabling others rather than doing all the hands-on work themselves. We invest deliberately in growing tech leads and delegating real ownership. We move fast without single points of failure. Anything that matters has at least two people who can carry it. We'd rather fix the systemic problem than patch the symptom, even when the patch is faster. Where you’ll live: While we prefer candidates based in Atlanta, we are open to qualified applicants from anywhere in the U.S. and are willing to consider remote candidates. #LI-Remote Working at PrizePicks: The typical salary range for this position is $200,000 to $220,000. At PrizePicks, we consider your role, level, and where you'll be working when determining our salary ranges. The compensation info you see on our job postings gives you an idea of the starting pay range for the position. Your actual pay within that range will depend on your specific work location, as well as your skills, experience, and education. Your recruiter will be happy to chat more about the specific pay range for your location and how we arrived at it during the hiring process. This application period will remain open for 30 days. We’re committed to finding the best candidate, so this date may be adjusted, and any changes will be reflected in this posting. Date Posted: 10/07/26 Benefits you’ll receive: In addition to your great compensation package, full-time employees will be eligible for the following perks: Company-subsidized medical, dental, & vision plans 401(k) plan with company match Annual bonus Flexible PTO to encourage a healthy work/life balance (2 weeks STRONGLY encouraged!) Generous paid leave programs, including 16-week paid parental leave and disability benefits Workplace flexibility and modern work schedules focused on getting the job done, not hours clocked Company-wide in-person events and team outings Lifestyle enhancement program Company equipment provided (Windows & Mac options) Annual performance reviews with opportunities for growth and career development You must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time. PrizePicks is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

Requirements

Must-haves

Own cloud database infrastructure - AlloyDB, Redis, Kafka and others, capacity planning, and database vendor management, including commitment/CUD strategy and spend accountability.
Support our identity and access modernization - an inclusive, workflow-aware migration to a modern identity platform, with appropriate limits on high-risk access and a break-glass mechanism for emergencies.
Own data lifecycle and strategy - build a set of data services that enables data aging, archiving, and retention over a multi-year cycle.
Lead high-availability operations for our biggest live moments: on-call design, war-room readiness, staffing plans, and vendor escalation coordination for season kickoffs, the Super Bowl, and other peak-traffic events.
Own the data side of our business continuity and disaster recovery planning and execution.
Maintain database security and compliance: vulnerability remediation, edge security, access controls, and support for compliance and audit processes.
Manage vendor relationships and contracts across the database portfolio, including budget ownership and negotiation.
Build and grow the team; identify and develop technical leads, delegate real ownership, and build a bench so critical work never depends on a single person.
Represent DBRE in cross-functional planning (feature launches, load testing, migrations)
Balance KTLO (Keeping the Lights On) work against forward-looking productivity investments; scope and prioritize a multi-quarter infra roadmap
What You Have
5+ years managing database, DevOps, or SRE teams, ideally for a consumer product with real-time, high-concurrency, or seasonal/event-driven traffic patterns.
Experience running identity/access management programs and modern observability/monitoring stacks, and building incident management practices that hold up under real pressure.
A track record of managing cloud cost and vendor relationships, committed-use/reserved capacity strategy, contract negotiation, budget ownership.
Solid grounding in security best practices and compliance requirements relevant to a fast-moving consumer platform.
A demonstrated ability to mentor technical leads and delegate effectively; you view management as a way to support and empower your team.
Excellent communication skills and the judgment to flag risk early rather than let it surface as a surprise
A few things that are true of how this team operates, so you know what you're signing up for:
We default to no surprises. If something's at risk, we want the heads-up early, not a clean status update that turns out to be wrong.
We show up prepared. Meetings are for decisions and alignment, not for finding the agenda in real time.
Ownership means owning a problem until it's actually solved or handed off, not until you've stopped thinking about it.
Our best managers focus on enabling others rather than doing all the hands-on work themselves. We invest deliberately in growing tech leads and delegating real ownership.

Nice-to-haves

Experience in a technology startup environment is a strong plus. Relevant DevOps, Cloud, or SRE certifications are a plus.
Annual bonus

Application prep

Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.

Keywords to mirror

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Platform: greenhouse
Effort: quick

Benefits

Benefits detected in the listing.

Dental

Vision

401(K)

Pto

Parental Leave