Basketball Software Engineer (Full-Stack) — Equity Only Full Time NEW

Company Description

Wisely Optimize is a basketball analytics company with 10 clients across the country. We turn complex data into simple, actionable workflows for coaches and decision-makers—especially around roster construction and the transfer portal window.

You’ll be buildling alongside:

• Founder & CEO, Alex Beene: experience with 5 pro basketball teams across coaching and front office
• Basketball Software Engineer David Simmerman: decade-plus engineering (ex-Director of Frontend, XGen AI) and lifelong basketball fanatic who builds analytics tools for the love of the game

This is an equity-only opportunity for someone who wants to build long-term with a growing company, make a real impact on the basketball world, and develop durable Basketball Ops instincts through shipping product.

Role Description

We’re looking for someone to take over and lead our backend and database engineering—the systems that move data from raw source to the workflows coaches actually use. You’ll own this domain (David and Alex currently own it) and partner closely on architecture and execution. Over time, you’ll broaden into full-stack work and grow as an engineer across the whole product.

In short: come in elite at the data/backend layer, lead it, and develop into a stronger full-stack engineer along the way.

What you’ll own (and lead)

• Database engineering: design, optimize, and maintain our data layer (AWS + Postgres feeding our Django app)—schema design, query performance, reliability, and scale
• Data pipelines: ingest data from external APIs and move it cleanly through to presentation in Django—transformations, validation, automation, and reporting workflows
• Orchestration & monitoring: own pipeline orchestration (Prefect), observability (Datadog), and deployment
• Reliability, consistency & performance: keep things fast and dependable through high-usage periods (portal cycle, preseason, conference play)
• Communicates and shows up: comfortable in a daily standup rhythm, clear about progress and blockers

What you’ll develop (full-stack)

• Django backend work beyond data: endpoints, business logic, permissions, admin tooling
• Front-end features and UX improvements within our current stack
• Turning “coach needs” into clean, simple, dependable workflows end to end

What we’re looking for

• Proven, elite database engineering. This is the one area we need you strong in from day one—it’s not learn-on-the-job. You’re excellent with relational databases (Postgres), data modeling, and query/performance optimization.
• Solid Python and SQL; experience building and maintaining data pipelines (API → database → app)
• Comfort with AWS and a deployment/monitoring mindset (Prefect, Datadog, or similar a strong plus)
• High motor + ownership: you communicate clearly, ship consistently, and follow through
• Hunger to grow into a full-stack engineer over time
• You love basketball and want to grow toward Basketball Operations long-term
• a full-stack engineer over time
• You love basketball and want to grow toward Basketball Operations long-term

What we’re looking for

• Prefect, Datadog, or comparable orchestration/observability tooling
• Django experience
• B2B SaaS or analytics product experience
• Experience in fast-moving, small-team environments

Why this role

• Real users, real stakes: your work impacts roster decisions and workflows that staffs use
• Lead from the start: own a core domain and shape how it’s built
• Close mentorship: grow into full-stack under a CTO with top-tier engineering experience
• Long-term upside: equity-only with a vesting structure designed for builders
• Flexible + remote: outcomes matter more than hours

How to apply

Apply on LinkedIn, then email alex@wiselyoptimize.com with a short message with:

1. Your background (1–2 paragraphs)
2. Links that show your database/backend work (GitHub, projects, anything that proves it)
3. Why you want to build tools that create real Basketball Ops impact long-term