Principal Backend Engineer, Communications Platform

Roblox; San Mateo (CA); On-site; USD 295,250 - 345,040; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity compensation

Benefits described on page

Job summary

Roblox is seeking a Principal Software Engineer on the Communications Platform to set the technical direction for systems powering chat, direct messaging, forums, and more for millions of users worldwide.

You will design high-throughput, low-latency infrastructure, ship scalable APIs, mentor senior engineers, and collaborate with product and design to align roadmaps while maintaining safety and reliability at scale.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of backend or full-stack software engineering with ownership of large-scale production systems.
• Strong fundamentals in designing and operating services under real load and at global scale.
• Proficient in at least one server-side language (C#, Java, Go, C++) and comfortable navigating large codebases.
• You write sharp technical specs, reason about trade-offs, and make durable decisions.
• You drive projects end-to-end from requirements through production with cross-functional coordination.
• You proactively shape the roadmap and outcomes, not just execute plans.
• You are kind, generous, and help others succeed.
• You push AI-assisted development boundaries for your team.
• You take pride in your craft and hold high standards.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the technical vision for Communications Platform and translate direction into roadmaps.
• Architect high-throughput, low-latency infrastructure for tens of millions of daily users.
• Lead complex, cross-cutting technical initiatives across multiple teams.
• Own API and platform design philosophy with safety as a constraint.
• Identify systemic risks and drive investments to address them.
• Elevate technical quality through reviews, architecture feedback, and best practices.
• Develop senior engineers through mentorship and meaningful ownership.
• Partner with Engineering leadership, Product, and Design to influence roadmap Prioritization.
• Own production reliability at a platform level and ensure tooling for sustainment.

Skills

5+ years backend/full-stack experience

Distributed systems

Server-side languages

Clear communicator

End-to-end ownership

Product-driven

AI advocate

Continuous growth

Job description

Roblox is seeking a Principal Software Engineer on the Communications Platform to set the technical direction for systems powering chat, direct messaging, forums, and more for millions of users worldwide.

You will design high-throughput, low-latency infrastructure, ship scalable APIs, mentor senior engineers, and collaborate with product and design to align roadmaps while maintaining safety and reliability at scale.