Principal Software Engineer, Foundational AI

Roblox; San Mateo (CA); On-site; USD 295,000 - 345,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity compensation

Benefits

Job summary

Roblox in San Mateo, CA is seeking a Senior/Principal Software Engineer on the Build Surfaces team to shape how creators build on Roblox across Studio and the Roblox App. You will contribute to end-to-end features, mentor engineers, own projects from spec to launch, and work with React, Luau, and C++.

The role emphasizes rapid iteration, performance, and collaboration. Requirements include 8+ years of hands-on experience, a BS in Computer Science, and proficiency in C++, Luau, JavaScript, and

Qualifications

• 8+ years of hands-on software development experience including large-scale products.
• Proficiency in C++ and modern C++ practices.
• Experience with Lua-based Luau and JavaScript/TypeScript in production apps.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to development across Build and Studio Assistant surfaces.
• Ship end-to-end features spanning AI-assisted iteration, direct editing, monetization, analytics, and onboarding.
• Mentor engineers on the team through formal mentoring and leadership by example.
• Own projects from technical specification, execution and launch.
• Collaborate with product, design and cross-team collaborators to uphold execution quality and velocity.

Skills

8+ years experience

C++

Luau

JavaScript

TypeScript

Education

BS degree in Computer Science

Job description

Every day, tens of millions of people come to Roblox to explore, create, play, learn, and connect with friends in 3D immersive digital experiences– all created by our global community of developers and creators.

At Roblox, we’re building the tools and platform that empower our community to bring any experience that they can imagine to life. Our vision is to reimagine the way people come together, from anywhere in the world, and on any device.We’re on a mission to connect a billion people with optimism and civility, and looking for amazing talent to help us get there.

A career at Roblox means you’ll be working to shape the future of human interaction, solving unique technical challenges at scale, and helping to create safer, more civil shared experiences for everyone.

As a Senior/Principal Software Engineer on the Build Surfaces team, you will lead projects that shape how everyone builds on Roblox, across both Studio and the Roblox App. Our team owns the AI-powered workflows that meet Players and Creators directly in their environment of choice.

We are building tools that span the full creation lifecycle, helping creators build, grow, and monetize. Today, Build lets you do all of this through text: generate a playable game from a sentence, iterate on gameplay and visual design, playtest the changes, publish, and discover insights to help your game grow. From here, we are making the iteration cycle faster, gamifying the act of building, and helping get creators' work in front of players. These efforts lower the barrier to creation and make Roblox a place where anyone can turn an idea into a game people play.

Your work will have a direct impact on millions of Creators by making creation more powerful, accessible, and seamless. We primarily work with React, Luau, and occasionally C++, but adaptability to evolving technology is key. TypeScript and Web expertise are a helpful proxy for this stack.

You Will:

• Contribute to development across Build and Studio Assistant surfaces.
• Ship end-to-end features spanning AI-assisted iteration, direct editing, monetization, analytics, and onboarding.
• Mentor engineers on the team through formal mentoring and leadership by example.
• Own projects from technical specification, execution and launch.
• Collaborate with product, design and cross-team collaborators to uphold execution quality and velocity.

You Have:

• 8+ years of hands-on working experience with a BS degree (or equivalent professional experience) in Computer Science, or a similar technical field.
• Experience in programming languages such as C++, Luau, Javascript, or Typescript.
• Experience with managing/navigating complex codebases and system architecture/design.
• Driven cross-functional projects to build consumer facing products.

You Are:

• Passionate about building great user facing products through continuous improvements and rapid iterations with feedback
• Curious about new technology and product experiences
• Experience building agentic tools (Bonus)
• Familiarity with A/B testing (Bonus)

For roles that are based at our headquarters in San Mateo, CA: The starting base pay for this position is as shown below. The actual base pay is dependent upon a variety of job-related factors such as professional background, training, work experience, location, business needs and market demand. Therefore, in some circumstances, the actual salary could fall outside of this expected range. This pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. All full-time employees are also eligible for equity compensation and for benefits as described on this page.

Annual Salary Range$295,250—$345,040 USD

Roles that are based in an office are onsite Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with optional presence on Monday and Friday (unless otherwise noted).

Roblox provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Roblox also provides reasonable accommodations to candidates with qualifying disabilities or religious beliefs during the recruiting process.

For US based roles only, please note the Company may not be able to employ candidates for this role who have United States work authorization related to certain U.S. visa categories, or support future H-1B sponsorship at this time.