Senior Backend Software Engineer, Zynga
Words With Friends
$98.4-145.6k
Social game developer
Be an early applicant
Social game developer
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
$98.4-145.6k
1001+ employees
Company mission
To connect the world through games.
Role
Who you are
- Zynga is seeking a Backend Engineer in the Austin, San Mateo, or Toronto areas, with a specific focus on candidates who have a level of experience equivalent to that of a Senior Software Engineer
- We are seeking a self-driven and motivated engineer who is a strong communicator, works well as a team player, and performs effectively under pressure from tight deadlines
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field
- 5+ years of experience in Backend development, with expertise in at least one of the server-side languages such as Ruby on Rails, C#.NET, Node.js, Python, or Java
- Solid foundation in data structures, algorithms, and object-oriented software design
- Experience with database systems (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL)
- Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
- Expertise in caching frameworks (e.g., Redis, Memcached)
- Strong understanding of data structures, algorithms, and software design principles
- Proficient with containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes)
- Expertise with CI/CD pipelines
- Experience with performance monitoring tools
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills
- Ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions
- Experience with version control systems (e.g., Git)
- Experience with Agile development methodologies
- Understanding of mobile concepts such as UI, networking, threading, and storage
- Flexibility to adapt to evolving requirements and new technology changes
- Works well in dynamic and agile teams
- Interest in latest mobile trends and passionate about games :)
Desirable
- Experience and strong skills with database technologies like MySQL, and experience working with applications/services running in AWS
- Contributions to open-source projects
- Experience leading small technical projects
What the job involves
- We have a well-rounded and tight-knit team, distributed across various locations, with a healthy mix of engineering skill levels, and we are looking to strengthen our team
- The candidate will have the opportunity to work on user-facing features (including UI/UX), core gameplay functionality, various systems, and generally solve challenging problems for high-profile mobile games
- On the backend, our servers and APIs support the mobile games that tens of millions of users enjoy every day
- We support some of the world's largest mobile games on some of the world's largest infrastructures
- Our servers and APIs help the mobile games that tens of millions of users enjoy every day, including Words With Friends
- As a Backend Engineer, you'll develop and architect critical game components and systems that directly relate to the success of our games
- Our mission is to “Connect the World through Games” by building a truly social experience that makes the world a better place. To be successful in this role, you will have a passion for games, a high level of integrity, great technical depth and skills, and a strong desire to build successful software
- Define, architect, develop & maintain features and gameplay functionality in RoR, C# on the backend
- Support live-ops and deployments on a rotational basis
- Develop robust and scalable APIs and server-side logic using languages such as C# or Ruby on Rails
- Design and implement database schemas and manage data storage solutions (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL)
- Deploy and maintain applications on cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
- Write unit and integration tests to ensure code quality and perform thorough debugging
- Participate in code reviews to ensure code quality and share knowledge with other team members
- Proactively optimize code & memory for high-performance simulations with tight constraints
- Develop & integrate new technologies and tools (working with content teams)
- Work closely with product managers, designers, and other engineers to understand requirements and deliver solutions
- Create and maintain clear and concise technical documentation
- Identify and address performance bottlenecks in both front-end and back-end systems
- Mentor junior engineers and guide best practices and technical solutions
- Participate in technical design discussions and contribute to architectural decisions
- Identify opportunities to improve the team's development processes and workflows
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
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