Principal Software Engineer, Zynga
Mobile Game Technology
Social game developer
Be an early applicant
Social game developer
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
1001+ employees
Company mission
To connect the world through games.
Role
Who you are
- We’re looking for outstanding engineers with a passion for technology and the desire to work in a team with dynamic strengths
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent experience
- 6+ years of experience in developing cloud-based software, with a strong track record of delivering high-quality, scalable systems
- Proficient in programming RESTful services using GoLang (preferred), Java, Python, or PHP
- Strong experience with AWS and/or other cloud platforms (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)
- Hands-on experience with containers and Kubernetes/EKS, following industry-standard CI/CD practices
- Experience with database systems (SQL, NoSQL)
- Deep understanding of object-oriented programming, algorithms, design patterns, debugging, and performance optimization
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage confidently with senior leadership
- Familiarity with web development frameworks such as JavaScript, Angular, and React is a plus
What the job involves
- Come join our team at Zynga making an impact across all of the company’s games - Mobile Game Tech (MGT)!
- Lead the team by setting technical direction, crafting and implementing backend services for our games
- The Principal Software Engineer will play a key role as part of the MGT Organization, focusing on advanced technology developments for building scalable end-to-end products which can be integrated into the various games
- Architect and develop large-scale, critically important backend platforms running on AWS, ensuring high availability, scalability, security, data integrity, observability, and cost efficiency
- Drive end-to-end delivery of complex initiatives, from technical design and implementation to production rollout, monitoring, and ongoing operational ownership
- Offer technical leadership by reviewing and guiding detailed compositions, ensuring alignment with Zynga’s long-term technical vision and standard methodologies
- Collaborate multi-functionally with product, engineering, and operations teams to translate product and customer requirements into robust technical solutions
- Establish and monitor engineering processes, quality metrics, and operational benchmarks to improve software delivery and system reliability
- Guide incident response and postmortems, ensuring root-cause analysis and structural fixes rather than one-off patches
- Mentor and coach engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence, continuous learning, and knowledge sharing
Our take
Zynga is a games developer that rode Facebook's platform to success back in the late noughties and early 2010's. It is now one of the biggest casual game producers globally, with a presence across 175 countries and regions and over 80 million monthly active users.
Though the company hit a number of roadblocks after its initial success - such as falling stock prices, and numerous calls it was copying other games - its subsequent resurgence is proof of its staying power. It continues to use social media as a distribution channel, and boasts titles such as FarmVille, Merge Dragons! and Words With Friends.
Future success will lie in the company's continued investment in building viral games that people love. It will also need to attune to the social media waves and keep track of where users can be found, as the landscape has become more mobile. Notable recent activity includes a collaboration with BBC Earth ahead of 2024's Earth day, and grant to develop actionable push notifications that enable gameplay without entering the application.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
7% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 7 rounds)
Mar 2011
$490m
SERIES C
Oct 2010
$6.3m
EARLY VC
Total funding: $865.5m
Company benefits
- COMPENSATION - Performance bonuses, opportunities for equity participation & retirement/pension savings support
- HEALTH - Medical, dental & vision covered for employees, with participation for employees eligible dependents, plus disability and life insurance program
- FAMILY - Generous parental leave for birth parents, partners and adoptive families, plus Infertility support, emergency child care and flexible time-off policies
- WELLNESS - Gym benefits, wellness programs, employee assistance programs and generous time-off policies
- FOOD - Food and snacks made in-house or delivered, healthy snack kitchens with drinks and treats, coffee bars, regular social gatherings and happy hours
- WORK & LIFE - Flexible time-off policies (DTO), office rest areas, gaming spaces, employee discounts and more
- TRANSIT BENEFITS - Shuttle service in select locations, commuter/parking benefits, secure bicycle storage, business travel assistance
- RESOURCE GROUPS - Women at Zynga (WAZ), zCares charitable giving, zParents, zEndurance adventure club, BZU, zPride LGBTQ+ inclusion and belonging
Company HQ
SoMa, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Mark Pincus
(Chairman)Previously founder and CEO of Freeloader, Supportsoft and Tribe.net, an early social network
Michael Luxton
(Co-founder)Previously an engineer at NetApp
Salary benchmarks
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