Principal Software Engineer (Backend)

TL;DR

Principal Software Engineer (Backend): Leading the platform-wide strategy for content capture, sharing, and discovery within a massive consumer-facing 3D immersive ecosystem with an accent on distributed systems and high-throughput services. Focus on designing scalable APIs, driving multi-year technical visions, and improving shared infrastructure for millions of users.

Location: Must be based in San Mateo, CA (Hybrid: onsite Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday)

Company

Roblox is a global platform that empowers a community of developers to create and share 3D immersive digital experiences.

What you will do

• Drive long-term technical strategy and execution for content creation and sharing initiatives.
• Architect foundational systems and shared infrastructure to increase development velocity across the organization.
• Lead high-severity incident responses and implement durable systemic solutions to improve reliability.
• Mentor senior engineers and define engineering standards and quality initiatives.
• Align multiple teams on phased roadmaps and detailed design documentation to balance short and long-term goals.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience building large-scale backend systems in C++, C#, Java, or similar languages.
• Deep expertise in designing distributed systems, scalable APIs, and high-throughput backend services.
• Proven track record of leading large, multi-team initiatives at consumer scale with millions of users.
• Experience acting as an escalation point for complex production or infrastructure incidents.
• Must be based in or able to work from the San Mateo, CA office (Hybrid schedule).
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience.

Culture & Benefits

• Hybrid work model with optional presence on Mondays and Fridays.
• Comprehensive benefits package including equity compensation.
• Opportunity to work on unique technical challenges at an immense scale.
• Collaborative environment focused on optimism, civility, and inclusive communication.