Software Engineer I

Varsity Spirit, a Varsity Brands company, is the driving force in spirit across cheer, dance, band, and yearbook. For over 50 years, we have been the leading global source for all things spirit, including cheerleading, dance team, performing arts, and yearbook. Focused on safety, entertainment, and traditional school leadership, our 5,000+ employees are dedicated to celebrating school spirit. A leader in apparel innovation, educational camps, clinics, competitions, and yearbook, Varsity Spirit impacts more than a million athletes each year.

About the role

Varsity Spirit supports a portfolio of modern applications and digital services that power key parts of the spirit experience, from product configuration and ordering to delivery and customer engagement. These applications work together through scalable, API-driven integrations and shared capabilities, enabling faster innovation, improved user experiences, and more efficient business operations.

The Software Engineer I role is an entry-level engineering position responsible for contributing to the development of these various platforms. This high-growth role applies foundational software engineering knowledge and exercises independent judgment in executing assigned work, including selecting appropriate approaches within established guidelines to build, test, and maintain software components.

Responsibilities

• Contributes to delivery of platform features and backend services that power critical business and customer experiences
• Builds foundational capability to support scalable, cloud-based engineering environments
• Establishes a pipeline of engineering talent aligned to Varsity Spirit’s long-term platform strategy
• Writes, tests, and debugs code for applications, backend services, and APIs
• Contributes to development of features and services within established architecture and engineering standards
• Participates in code reviews and incorporates feedback to improve code quality
• Troubleshoots and resolves development and lower-environment issues, applying sound judgment to determine appropriate solutions
• Collaborates with engineering, product, and QA teams to deliver functional and reliable software
• Follows established development workflows, security practices, and engineering standards
• Contributes to documentation and knowledge sharing to support team effectiveness
• Continuously builds understanding of platform architecture, service interactions, and system design principles
• Develops working knowledge of platform services, system interactions, and engineering patterns to support future growth into independent ownership

Key Performance Indicators

• Quality and reliability of code delivered (defect rates, rework)
• Timely completion of assigned work and deliverables
• Ability to troubleshoot and resolve issues with increasing independence
• Adoption and consistent use of engineering standards and development practices
• Demonstrated growth in technical capability and system understanding

Requirements

Technical Knowledge

• Foundational knowledge of software engineering principles, including object-oriented programming and data structures
• Basic understanding of APIs, application architecture, and databases
• Familiarity with modern development environments and tools

Technical Skills

• Ability to write, test, and debug code in at least one programming language (.Net preferred)
• Foundational understanding of:
  • RESTful APIs
  • SQL and data handling
  • Version control systems (Git-based tools)

Cognitive & Problem-Solving Abilities

• Applies logical reasoning to solve defined technical problems
• Exercises independent judgment in selecting approaches within established guidelines
• Identifies issues and escalates appropriately when needed

Collaboration & Communication

• Communicates effectively within team environments
• Actively participates in team collaboration and development processes
• Incorporates feedback to improve performance and output

Learning Agility

• Demonstrates ability to quickly learn new technologies and tools
• Adapts to evolving engineering practices and environments

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical discipline; or equivalent combination of education and experience
• 0-2 years of relevant experience (internships, academic projects, or early career roles)

Benefits

We are committed to putting you and your families first. For benefits-eligible roles, we offer a variety of choices and costs as well as program enhancements that align with our responsibility to elevate the employee experience. Some of our offerings include:

• Comprehensive Health Care Benefits
• HSA Employer Contribution / FSA Opportunities
• Wellbeing Program
• 401(k) plan with company matching
• Company-paid Life, AD&D, and Short-Term Disability
• Generous My Time Off & Paid Holidays
• Varsity Brands Ownership Program
• Employee Resource Groups
• Access to Financial Coaching and member-owned Credit Union
• St. Jude Partnership & Volunteer Opportunities
• Employee Perks including discounts on personal apparel and equipment

Varsity Brands companies are equal opportunity employers. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran’s status, age, or disability.

This position is on-site in Memphis, TN and is not eligible for employer-sponsored work authorization. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis without the need for current or future sponsorship.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.