Software Engineer - Poker

Socket.dev; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Paid holidays

Vacation days

Sick days

Parental leave

Wellbeing program

Commuter benefits

Stock purchase program

401(k)

Job summary

Zynga in Austin is seeking a server-side engineer to build high-performance game services in Go. You will develop features, APIs, and scalable systems for live titles, collaborating with engineers across teams.

Requirements include a CS degree, 2+ years in game or mobile app development, and hands-on experience with Go, REST, gRPC, and API design. Bonus for Unity, Docker, databases like PostgreSQL/MySQL, and cloud tools.

Qualifications

• B.Sc. in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent education / work experience.
• 2+ years game industry / mobile app experience as a software developer.
• Prior game development experience (on shipped titles or live games).
• Strong working knowledge in Golang, C#, and HTML.
• Experience implementing APIs and services (gRPC and REST).
• Solid foundation in data structures, algorithms and software methodologies.
• Understanding of SDLC, coding standards, source control, builds, testing, and operations.
• Excellent communication and collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Develop features and gameplay functionality in Go.
• Develop & integrate new technologies and tools.
• Dive into core systems to extend them as needed.
• Develop and integrate new technologies & SDKs.
• Collaborate with engineers on multi-week or multi-month efforts.
• Identify and improve team processes and inefficiencies.
• Demonstrate strong coding practices and code reviews.
• Ensure secure coding practices and protect user data.
• Assess scalability risks and future technical opportunities.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align with product goals.

Skills

Go

C#

HTML

REST

gRPC

APIs & services

Communication

Education

B.Sc. in Computer Science or engineering

Tools

Git

Jenkins

Docker

PostgreSQL

MySQL

Kafka

Redis

AWS

gRPC

Protobuf

Job description

Level Up Your Career with Zynga!

At Zynga, we bring people together through the power of play. As a global leader in interactive entertainment and a proud label of Take‑Two Interactive, our games have been downloaded over 6 billion times—the connecting players in 175+ countries through fun, strategy, and a little friendly competition.

From thrilling casino spins to epic strategy battles, mind-bending puzzles, and social word challenges, our diverse game portfolio has something for everyone. Fan-favorites and latest hits include FarmVille™, Words With Friends™, Zynga Poker™, Game of Thrones Slots Casino™, Wizard of Oz Slots™, Hit it Rich! Slots™, Wonka Slots™, Top Eleven™, Toon Blast™, Empires & Puzzles™, Merge Dragons!™, CSR Racing™, Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells™, Match Factory™, and Color Block Jam™—plus many more!

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in California, our teams span North America, Europe, and Asia, working together to craft unforgettable gaming experiences. Whether you're spinning, strategizing, matching, or competing, Zynga is where fun meets innovation—and where you can take your career to the next level.

Join us and be part of the play!

Position Overview:

Zynga is looking for a server‑side engineer in the Austin or San Mateo areas, and more specifically, someone whose level of experience should be equivalent to a Software Engineer.

We have a well‑rounded and tight‑knit, distributed team with a healthy mix of engineering skill levels, and are looking to strengthen it with the right candidate. We need a self‑driven and motivated engineer who is a strong communicator, works well as a team player, and performs well under the pressure of tight deadlines.

You will have the opportunity to work on high‑performance, large‑scale applications, contribute to systems architecture, and focus on solving challenging problems for high profile titles. The ideal candidate is fluent in Go, experienced in building APIs and services using REST, and will have at least 2 years of experience working on teams in the game industry.

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.

What You'll Do:

• Develop features and gameplay functionality in Go
• Develop & integrate new technologies and tools
• Dive into the internals of core systems to extend them as‑needed
• Develop and integrate new technologies & SDKs
• Work closely with other engineers participate in multi‑week or months‑long efforts
• Work to identify and help to improve team and process inefficiencies
• Demonstrate good coding and development skills, including critical review and improvements to software developed by other specialists
• Ensure features follow secure coding practices, protect user data, and identify and mitigate security risks during design and implementation
• Be aware of the industry; identify future technical risks, scalability concerns, and strategic opportunities
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams and stakeholders to align technical solutions with product and design goals

What You Bring:

• B.Sc. in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent education / work experience
• 2+ Years game industry / mobile app experience as a software developer
• Prior game development experience (on shipped titles or live games experience)
• Good working knowledge in Golang, C#, and HTML
• Strong working experience in implementing APIs and services (gRPC and REST)
• Solid foundation in data structures, algorithms and software methodologies
• Have solid working knowledge of the full software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and operations
• Excellent communication skills and comfortable working in a collaborative environment

Bonus Points:

• Experience with Unity
• Experience with versioning and build systems: Git and Jenkins
• Experience with performance profiling and optimization
• Knowledge of Docker, Database (PostgreSQL, MySQL), Kafka, Redis, AWS, gRPC, and Protobuf
• Experience with monitoring tools: Bugsnag, Splunk/ELK, and Datadog
• Experience with Multiplayer / Realtime Systems

What we offer:

Zynga offers a world‑class benefits package that helps support and balance the needs of our teams. To find out more about our benefits, visit the Zynga Benefits site

The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $85,700 to $126,860 per Year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job‑related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations.

Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards and eligibility to participate in our 401(K) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program.

Regular, full‑time employees are also eligible for a range of benefits at the Company, including: medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage; 14 paid holidays per calendar year; paid vacation time per calendar year (ranging from 15 to 25 days) or eligibility to participate in the Company’s discretionary time off program; up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year; paid parental and compassionate leave; wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support; family planning support through Maven; commuter benefits; and reimbursements for fitness‑related expenses.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, which means we are committed to creating and celebrating diverse thoughts, cultures, and backgrounds throughout our organization. Employment with us is based on substantive ability, objective qualifications, and work ethic – not an individual’s race, creed, color, religion, sex or gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, alienage or citizenship status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, status as a victim of domestic violence or sex offenses, reproductive health decision, or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to providing the necessary support and accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities, health conditions, or impairments (subject to any local qualifying requirements) to ensure their full participation in the job application or interview process. Please contact us at [e-mail] to request any accommodations or for support related to your application for an open position.

Please be aware that Zynga does not conduct job interviews or make job offers over third‑party messaging apps such as Telegram, WhatsApp, or others. Zynga also does not engage in any financial exchanges during the recruitment or onboarding process, and will never ask a candidate for their personal or financial information over an app or other unofficial chat channel. Any attempt to do so may be the result of a scamp or phishing attack, and you should not engage. Zynga’s in-house recruitment team will only contact individuals through their official Company email addresses (i.e., via a zynga.com, take2games.com, naturalmotion.com, smallgiantgames.com, themavens.com, gram.gs email domain).