Senior Platform Engineer
About the job
- At least 5 years of experience building, shipping, and operating production software, ideally with meaningful experience in platform, infrastructure, developer experience, or similarly leverage-oriented roles.
- Strong software generalist capabilities and systems knowledge, with comfort working across backend services, automation pipelines, infrastructure, and internal tools.
- Fluency in at least one modern language commonly used for platform work, such as Python or TypeScript, and experience with cloud infrastructure, containers and Kubernetes, infrastructure-as-code, and modern CI/CD systems.
- Experience integrating LLMs or agent-based automation into real engineering workflows and shipping working tools.
- Ability to take ambiguous problem statements, break them down, propose a plan, and execute while adapting as new information emerges.
- A product-minded approach to internal customers, with attention to usability and measuring adoption and outcomes.
- Clear design documents, runbooks, and postmortems, and the ability to build trust with partner teams through consistent delivery.
- Ownership of systems from design through deployment and on-call, with attention to documentation and reliability.
- Design, build, and operate internal platforms used by engineers, including CI/CD pipelines, developer environments, deployment workflows, and shared services, while reducing friction from code completion to delivery.
- Identify repetitive, error-prone, or slow engineering workflows and replace them with automation and self-service tools that generalize beyond a single use case.
- Prototype and productionize AI-assisted capabilities, including LLM-powered code modification, migration automation, and agentic workflows for operational tasks, using evaluation, observability, and guardrails.
- Take loosely defined, high-priority platform challenges from discovery through design, implementation, rollout, and adoption, making build-versus-buy and speed-versus-durability tradeoffs.
- Contribute to cloud and container foundations, including Kubernetes, infrastructure-as-code, networking, and observability, to improve reliability, scalability, and cost-efficiency.
- Instrument platforms, define success metrics, and use telemetry and direct partnership with product teams to guide development priorities.
- Write clear design documents and tradeoff analyses, work with partner teams to understand their pain points, and influence engineering practices across the organization without formal authority.
- Experience with developer portals, service catalogs, or fleet/dependency management systems.
- Experience running large-scale code migration or modernization efforts.
- Familiarity with evaluation and observability practices for AI-powered systems.
About the company
Collectors specializes in authenticating and grading valuable collectibles such as coins, sports cards, and memorabilia. Its grading service assesses condition and authenticity to determine market value, using computer vision and machine learning to automate and improve precision and speed. Revenue comes from service fees for grading and authentication, plus a subscription for access to a data platform with collectible price analytics. The company differentiates itself through its combination of automated, tech-driven grading and a growing data analytics offering, serving individuals, dealers, and investors. Its goal is to provide reliable authentication and accurate valuations to help customers buy, sell, and invest in tangible collectibles with confidence.
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Santa Ana, California
Founded
1986
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- PSA graded more than eight million cards in 2026, up 39% year-over-year.
- Collectors plans 1,000 hires through 2026, signaling sustained demand and operational expansion.
- Collectors opened Canada, Japan, and Germany facilities, reducing shipping friction and tariff exposure.
What critics are saying
- Rasmussen v. Collectors faces a September 11, 2026 hearing over monopoly allegations.
- Collectors’ May 2026 price increases and longer PSA turnaround times fueled boycott momentum.
- If courts force SGC and Beckett divestiture, Collectors loses its scale-driven grading moat.
What makes Collectors unique
- PSA, PCGS, WATA, and Goldin span grading, authentication, and marketplace workflows.
- Collectors’ 2026 $200 million PSA expansion deepens capacity, technology, and global operations.
- eBay vault integration and PSA scanner tools create sticky, data-rich collector switching costs.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
401(K) Company Match
Paid Vacation
Paid Holidays
Employee Discounts
Flexible Work Hours
Fun Working Environment
Company News
Scott Becker: Rising Star at Willow moves Up to Collectors. Becker moves on to Santa Ana-based Collectors as deputy general counsel Nancy Luna October 5, 2026 Over his career, Scott Becker says opportunities for top in-house legal jobs don't come along very often in Orange County. "It's a competitive market," Becker told the Business Journal. "There are a lot of qualified attorneys and not that many companies looking to hire." So, it took him by surprise when a recruiter he had known for several years called about a deputy general counsel position at Santa Ana-based Collectors Holdings Inc., known for authenticating and grading sports cards, Pokémon cards, memorabilia, coins and other collectibles. Collectors began grading coins in 1986. In 2021, an investor group led by entrepreneur and collector Nat Turner took the company private in an $853 million deal. Since then, Collectors has invested heavily in technology, facilities and international expansion. An Opportunity Worth Pursuing Becker, who won a Business Journal General Counsel Award last year in the Rising Star category, wasn't looking to leave Willow Innovations, the Silicon Valley-based wearable breast pump maker where he was serving as general counsel and corporate secretary. But after meeting with Collectors General Counsel Roxana Jamshidi and others at the company, he knew the opportunity was worth pursuing. "Everyone I talked to just made me more and more excited about the company, the opportunity, and his role specifically," said Becker, who started at Collectors as deputy general counsel on Sept. 15. A week later, his instincts proved correct. "After my first week at Collectors, what stands out most is the people - their expertise, their energy and how much they care about the collectors we work for," he said. "I'm thrilled to be a part of this team and looking forward to some really exciting things ahead for Collectors." With Collectors "growing like crazy," Becker said he'll help support the company as it scales. He joins a legal team of about seven as its No. 2 executive, reporting to Jamshidi, who has a litigation background. Becker said he'll focus on "the corporate side of the house," drawing on his experience leading financing and M&A transactions at Willow and quarterbacking Irvine-based Vizio's 2021 initial public offering. He'll also help mentor and expand the legal department. "I think just given the growth in the business," he said, "it's understood that the legal team is going to have to grow pretty significantly to keep pace. Collecting is really having a moment." Wrapping Up at Willow Becker's move comes about a year after the Business Journal honored him for his work at Willow, where he helped engineer the acquisition of assets from U.K.-based rival Elvie. The complicated transaction grew out of a patent infringement dispute and expanded Willow's product portfolio and international reach. "We've got the business fully integrated now, which is great," Becker said, adding that Willow is looking to expand its product pipeline over the next six to nine months. Before he left for Collectors, he helped Willow recently file a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) against companies in the U.S. and abroad who are allegedly infringing patents covering its wearable breast pump technology. "Willow invented the wearable category and invested in the foundational IP in the space," he said. Becker isn't planning to leave his work at Willow entirely behind. He will consult for the company, primarily providing strategic advice related to the ITC cases and helping preserve institutional knowledge as the company transitions to new leadership. At the same time, he's adjusting to another change: commuting to an office.Becker has worked remotely since the pandemic from his home in Costa Mesa. Driving to Collectors' Santa Ana headquarters will be his first regular office commute in several years. He knows the next few months will be busy. "I'm not going to sleep very much," he said. Want more from the best local business newspaper in the country? Sign-up for its FREE Daily eNews update to get the latest Orange County news delivered right to your inbox! One-Year for Only $99 * Weekly in-depth coverage in print and digital formats * Special Features: OC's Wealthiest, Top Priced Home Sales, Giving Guide, OC500, Charity Event Guide, Best Places to Work, Indispensables, Largest Charitable Gifts * The annual Book of Lists: Orange County's top companies across every industry
PSA and parent company sued in class action lawsuit. August 4, 2026 PSA and its parent company Collectors Holdings, Inc. have been sued in a class lawsuit by Baltimore man Nicholas Funk, alleging fraudulent practices and RICO violations. The 188-page lawsuit, filed in Northern Division U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on July 28, 2026, is filed by a plaintiff who submitted cards for grading via an intermediary, which the suit alleges exempts him and similar members of the proposed class from arbitration clauses and class action waivers in the agreements that PSA clients that submit cards for grading directly must sign. The suit alleges that PSA has "undisclosed error rates, inconsistent grades, and distorted population reports," and that PSA's relationships with other Collectors Holdings companies allows them to profit from PSA's activities. This organized activity, the suit alleges, constitutes RICO violations. The plaintiffs are seeking a permanent injunction against PSA continuing to engage in the alleged fraudulent activity and deceptive conduct. They are also seeking restitution, interest, punitive damages, attorneys' fees and other relief. PSA is grading record numbers of cards in the midst of red-hot sports card and TCG markets (see "Grading Submission Backlog").
PSA parent Collectors pushes back on antitrust suit over SGC, Beckett acquisitions. Published: Jun 11 2026 Updated: Jun 12 2026 PSA parent company Collectors Holdings Inc. has asked a California federal court to dismiss a proposed antitrust class action over its acquisitions of SGC and Beckett, or alternatively send the case to arbitration. The lawsuit accuses Collectors of using the acquisitions to illegally maintain a monopoly in the trading card grading market, allegedly allowing the company to raise prices and worsen service by increasing turnaround times. Plaintiff Michael Rasmussen filed the suit in April in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, naming Collectors Holdings, Professional Sports Authenticator, Sportscard Guaranty Corporation, and Beckett Grading Services as defendants. The lawsuit was not the first time Collectors' recent acquisitions drew antitrust scrutiny as Congressman Pat Ryan also wrote to the FTC after the Beckett acquisition was announced, urging regulators to investigate Collectors Holdings over competition concerns in the collectibles grading market. Collectors has now fired back against the proposed class action with two motions filed June 8, seeking dismissal of the complaint and asking the court to compel arbitration and stay the case. The arbitration motion argues Rasmussen waived his right to bring a class action under the terms of the Collectors User Agreement and had an opportunity to opt out of arbitration within 30 days, but did not do so. The company also says an arbitrator, not the court, should decide whether Rasmussen's claims fall within the scope of that agreement. If granted, the proposed class action may be paused or removed from court before the judge considers the broader antitrust allegations. In the motion to dismiss, Collectors argues Rasmussen's lawsuit fails because the complaint does not plausibly connect any alleged price increases or longer turnaround times to the acquisitions themselves. "The Complaint is long on rhetoric but devoid of substance," Collectors' attorneys wrote, characterizing the suit as an attempt to challenge "two small, unremarkable acquisitions" in the trading card authentication and grading business. Collectors says the plaintiff's theory relies too heavily on timing, arguing that the complaint points to price increases and service changes after the acquisitions without showing those changes were caused by reduced competition. Against that backdrop, Plaintiff's entire theory rests on a rudimentary logical fallacy: post hoc ergo propter hoc (after this, therefore because of this). But the antitrust laws and pleading standards under Twombly require more. The company's primary defense is that the grading market has seen explosive demand, creating capacity constraints that naturally affect both price and turnaround times. Collectors points to the complaint's own allegations that the card grading market is "rapidly growing" and that expanding grading operations takes "significant time and resources" because grading must be performed by trained and experienced professionals. In this environment, acquiring smaller companies to increase capacity is a textbook example of a procompetitive response, not an antitrust violation. That framing goes directly to the heart of the case: Rasmussen alleges SGC and Beckett were important independent competitors that helped keep pressure on PSA's pricing and service quality. Collectors says the acquisitions were instead a way to meet rising demand in a market where output has continued to grow. "Equally telling is what does not appear in the Complaint," Collectors argued. Put simply, Collectors is saying Rasmussen has not alleged the kind of facts that would show the acquisitions reduced competition in the real world. The company says the complaint does not allege that Collectors shut down SGC or Beckett, fired graders after the acquisitions, reduced BGS output, controlled CGC's pricing or output, or prevented CGC and other competitors from expanding capacity. Collectors' position is that these are not accidental omissions. Rather, the company argues those facts are missing because they cannot be plausibly alleged. Collectors also points to PSA's previously announced expansion plans, including investments in operations, grader training, technology and hiring, as facts it says undercut Rasmussen's theory that the acquisitions reduced output. The motion also challenges the way Rasmussen defines the relevant market. The complaint focuses on card grading services in the United States, but Collectors says the plaintiff has not adequately explained why competitors outside the U.S. should be excluded, particularly when cards are bought and sold globally through online platforms like eBay. Collectors also questions the market share calculations in the complaint, arguing the figures appear to be based only on four companies: PSA, SGC, Beckett, and non-party Certified Guaranty Company. According to Collectors, that does not establish PSA's share of the entire relevant market. The original complaint alleged PSA controlled roughly 72% of the market before the acquisitions, with SGC at about 5%, Beckett at about 3%, and CGC at about 18%. Collectors responds that the complaint does not actually establish PSA had 72% of the entire relevant market, only that PSA graded 72% of the 26.6 million cards graded by PSA, CGC, SGC and Beckett. Rasmussen claimed Collectors' acquisitions increased its share to roughly 80%, leaving CGC as the only other major grading company identified in the complaint. Collectors takes aim at that argument too, saying the complaint does not explain why CGC could not expand to constrain any alleged anticompetitive conduct. The motion notes the complaint itself describes SGC as having significantly increased output before the acquisition, which Collectors says undercuts the claim that competitors could not expand in response to demand. The company also says Rasmussen has not alleged enough details about his own alleged injury to maintain the case. Plaintiff has not alleged which service level he used, when he did so, what price(s) he paid, or any facts showing that his purchase price(s) or turnaround time(s) were allegedly inflated as a result of the acquisitions. Collectors further argues Rasmussen lacks standing to sue SGC or Beckett because he does not allege he ever submitted cards to either company. For Beckett, Collectors says Rasmussen's account history allegedly shows only one PSA submission in October 2025, which was before Collectors acquired Beckett in December 2025. The motion also attacks Rasmussen's request for extraordinary injunctive relief, including forced divestiture of SGC and Beckett. Collectors says Rasmussen waited too long to challenge the deals, particularly the February 2024 SGC acquisition, and that the companies have already integrated operations in ways that would make unwinding the acquisitions prejudicial. Collectors also argues that the alleged harms of higher prices and longer turnaround times are monetary injuries that can be addressed through damages, rather than irreparable harm justifying divestiture. The court has not yet ruled on either motion. Both motions are currently set to be heard on September 11, 2026, before Judge John W. Holcomb in the Central District of California. The case is Rasmussen v. Collectors Holdings Inc. et al., case number 8:26-cv-00897, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Download Rasmussen's full initial complaint: Collectors' Motion to Compel Arbitration: Collectors' Motion to Dismiss: Liz Morton is a 17 year ecommerce pro turned indie investigative journalist providing ad-free deep dives on eBay, Amazon, Etsy & more, championing sellers & advocating for corporate accountability.
Collectors, a leading provider of grading and marketplace services in the collectibles industry, announced they have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Beckett, one of the most respected companies in collecting.
Collectors Universe has acquired authentication company Beckett, adding to its portfolio of grading and marketplace services. Despite the acquisition announced Monday, Beckett will continue operating independently with its own customer experience and grading standards, alongside Collectors' existing PSA brand. Orders at both PSA and Beckett will be processed normally, with no pricing changes resulting from the acquisition. Beckett will maintain its operations across grading, marketplace, magazines and price guides. "The first card I ever submitted for grading was to Beckett, and I consider Collectors custodians of this important icon in the hobby," said Nat Turner, CEO of Collectors Universe. The company believes strong, independent brands help expand access to the collecting hobby.