Principal Software Engineer, Snap Inc.
$208-366k
Eligible for equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units
4-5 days a week in office (Santa Monica, CA; Palo Alto, CA)
Social media & camera company
Job no longer available
Social media & camera company
1001+ employees
Job no longer available
$208-366k
Eligible for equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units
4-5 days a week in office (Santa Monica, CA; Palo Alto, CA)
1001+ employees
Company mission
To empower people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together.
Role
Who you are
- Bachelor's degree in technical field such as computer science, mathematics, statistics or equivalent years of experience
- 14+ years of experience in developing mobile applications for the iOS environment
- Proven understanding of Objective-C Runtime and processes which run “under the hood”
- Knowledge of the OS internals, compilers, optimization for low-power and mobile systems
- Proficiency with multithreading and performance optimization techniques for iOS
- Strong CS fundamentals (algorithms and data structures) and problem-solving skills
- Knowledge of software design patterns and iOS best practices
Desirable
- Experience with Objective-C and iOS
- Experience with Swift
- Experience with AVFoundation, VideoToolBox & Core Media Frameworks
- Experience with C/C++
- Experience with OpenGL or Metal
- Experience with video codecs : HEVC, AV1
What the job involves
- Create and refine high performance mobile apps that push the limits of mobile technology
- Build fun, new products that are very stable and run smoothly
- Design, architect and implement well-tested Objective-C software which powers experiences in Snapchat’s camera capture and playback experience
- Conceptualize, develop, and launch new features
- Carefully evaluate the technical tradeoffs of every decision
- Work with the Design team to hone in on the best UI and infrastructure practices
- Carry out code reviews to guarantee code quality
Our take
Snap Inc. is the social-media company behind Snapchat, a mobile app launched in 2011 that prioritises visual and emotive communication over traditional texting. Born from a desire to share real-time moments with authenticity, the app now boasts a massive global reach with daily active users surpassing 460M and monthly active users well beyond 900M.
After rejecting a billion-dollar acquisition offer from MEta Platforms (then Facebook) in 2023, Snapchat entered into a long-term rivalry with Meta's apps (most notably Instagram). Despite the competition, Snap has carved out a distinct place in the social-media landscape by innovating features such as the "Discover" tab, augmented-reality (AR) lenses, in-app gaming, paid subscriptions via Snapchat+, and robust ad-monetisation options.
Snap has yet to post a full-year profit since going public in 2017, but the company is clearly making progress. In Q1 2025 the net loss was narrowed to roughly $140M, down from $305M the year before, and revenue rose 14% to $1.36B. Advertising revenue remains periodic and macro-factors still pose headwinds, yet Snaps enduring popularity and its expanding product mix suggest that further success appears likely.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
-9% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 7 rounds)
May 2016
$1.8bn
SERIES F
Mar 2015
$200m
SERIES E
Total funding: $2.6bn
Company benefits
- Up to 28 weeks of parental leave and return-to-work program
- Adoption, surrogacy, infertility, and fertility preservation benefits
- Backup child care coverage, center-based care support, & caregiver assistance
- Dependent Daycare Flexible Spending Account
- Short-term disability, long-term disability, basic life insurance, and AD&D insurance
- Services to support your path to parenthood & beyond - fertility support & family planning via Carrot, SNOO, Hinge Health
- Lactation rooms (based on office location) and breastmilk shipping coverage
- For Snap, employees taking care of loved ones with complex, chronic, or ongoing care needs (i.e. parent with Dementia, spouse with Cancer, child with Autism), your family can save time, money, & stress with Wellthy
- Comprehensive medical coverage, including PPO, HDHP with HSA, and HMO options
- Dental coverage, including orthodontia benefits
- Vision coverage, including frame and contact allowance and LASIK benefits
- Free membership to One Medical for primary and urgent healthcare services
- Business Travel Insurance
- Gym perks and discounts
- Team fitness classes and races
- Sports leagues
- Cooking and nutritional workshops
- Well-being reimbursement
- Unlimited access to virtual physical therapy with Anthem
- 15 sessions per year of mental health for you + dependents through Lyra
- Generous time off and leave programs. In the US, this includes the following:
- Up to 3 weeks (120 hours) of vacation time and 1 floating holiday for non-exempt team members
- 12 paid holidays per year
- 15 sick and safe days per year
- Meditation and yoga classes
- Speaker series, classes, and subscriptions to educational programs
- Social gatherings, team outings, and volunteering programs
- Snap Inc. provides a 401(k) plan that allows you to save on a pre-tax, Roth, and after-tax basis for your retirement (yes, we even have the Mega backdoor option!) Snap will also match 100% up to 3% of your contribution and then 50% on your 4th and 5th%
- Flexible Spending Accounts for healthcare, daycare and commuter
- Health Savings Account with employer contributions
- Rocket Lawyer memberships
- Financial education programs
- Snap exclusive discounts and perks
- Compensation packages that let you share in Snap’s long-term success!
Company HQ
Sunset Park, Santa Monica, CA
Leadership
Evan Spiegel
(Co-Founder & CEO)Graduated from Stanford with a BS in Product Design.
Salary benchmarks
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