Senior Backend Engineer (Gamedev)

TL;DR

Senior Backend Engineer (Gamedev): Designing and developing cloud-based backend services that scale to millions of players with an accent on code quality, reliability, and maintainability. Focus on optimizing performance and reliability through observability, automation, and continuous improvement.

Location: Hybrid working (within Flexmodes)

Salary: $177,300—$265,900 USD

Company

At PlayStation, we’re on a mission to craft seamless, scalable, and immersive experiences that connect millions of players around the world.

What you will do

• Design, implement, and maintain distributed, cloud-based backend services that scale to millions of players.
• Champion code quality, reliability, and maintainability through clean design and strong testing practices.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define and deliver high-impact player features and system improvements.
• Optimize performance and reliability through observability, automation, and continuous improvement.
• Mentor other engineers, encouraging knowledge sharing, experimentation, and technical excellence.

Requirements

• 7+ years of professional backend development experience with scalable, production-grade systems
• Proficiency in Java and Spring Boot, with strong understanding of object-oriented design principles
• Experience developing high-performance, distributed web services using container-based architectures
• Expertise with MySQL or similar relational databases, plus exposure to NoSQL technologies like Cassandra or Redis
• Experience with AWS services and observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana, CloudWatch, OpenTelemetry)
• Familiarity with event-driven systems (Kafka, SNS/SQS, or similar)
• Strong communication skills, Agile team experience, and a sense of ownership for your work
• A proactive approach that values scalability, maintainability, and user experience

Nice to have

• A passion for gaming, creator ecosystems, and player-driven innovation
• Experience with load testing, profiling, and performance tuning backend systems
• Familiarity with feature flagging, A/B testing, or experimentation frameworks
• Curiosity about Generative AI (GenAI) tools to enhance developer productivity and creativity

Culture & Benefits

• Inclusion and diversity are supported.
• Hybrid Working (within Flexmodes).
• Enjoy benefits such as private medical insurance, dental scheme, an on-site gym, and subsidised cafe.
• 25 days holiday per year.
• Access to cycle garage and showers.