Staff Software Engineer, Data Platform

Discord; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 248,000 - 279,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading communication platform in San Francisco is seeking a Staff Engineer to drive the technical direction of their Data Platform. This role involves owning initiatives from inception to production, mentoring team members, and contributing to quality code. The ideal candidate has over 7 years of software engineering experience and a passion for gaming. The position offers competitive salary and benefits, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and accommodation for candidates.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of software engineering experience with a track record of driving large, ambiguous technical initiatives end-to-end.
• Expertise in distributed systems and data infrastructure at scale.
• Demonstrated ability to multiply a team's impact through architectural thought leadership.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical direction of major Data Platform initiatives from problem to production.
• Build reusable primitives and unblock teammates.
• Write real production code while helping others reach the same bar.

Skills

Software engineering

Distributed systems

Data infrastructure

Cross-functional influence

Technical judgment

Job description

Discord is used by over 200 million people every month for many different reasons, but there’s one thing that nearly everyone does on our platform: play video games. Over 90% of our users play games, spending a combined 1.5 billion hours playing thousands of unique titles on Discord each month. Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We are focused on making it easier and more fun for people to talk and hang out before, during, and after playing games.

We're looking for someone who gets excited about building data infrastructure at massive scale and cares deeply about the gaming communities we serve. Someone with passion for building lovable products for Discord users and Discord engineers. We're building the next generation Data Platform that powers decisions for one of the most vibrant platforms in the world.

If you're the kind of Staff Engineer who sees ambiguity as an invitation — who builds systems that make whole teams faster, shapes technical strategy across the org, and wants your decisions to directly impact millions of gamers worldwide — we want to talk to you.

To learn more about Discord's Data Platform, read our engineering blog, including how we built our modern data stack leveraging open-source tools!

This position is based in our San Francisco office.

What You'll Be Doing

• Own the technical direction of major Data Platform initiatives like GRC, scaling, or stream processing, from problem to production system and post-launch health
• Be a force multiplier: build reusable primitives, unblock teammates, and raise the quality bar across the team
• Stay a top code contributor. You write real production code while helping others reach the same bar
• Partner with XFN stakeholders to translate business problems into clear technical strategy
• Champion debate, decide, and commit and 80/20 thinking to drive robust technical solutions supporting multiple team

What you should have

• 7+ years of software engineering experience with a track record of driving large, ambiguous technical initiatives end-to-end
• Expertise in distributed systems and data infrastructure at scale. You've anticipated hard problems before they became incidents
• Demonstrated ability to multiply a team's impact through architectural thought leadership, design reviews, reusable abstractions, and well‑timed mentorship
• Strong technical judgment: when to go fast vs. slow, when to build vs. integrate, and how to bring stakeholders along
• Cross‑functional influence: you've driven alignment across engineering, product, and business without relying on authority

Bonus Points

• Passion for Discord and gaming
• Experience with data governance, privacy compliance, real‑time analytics infrastructure, or cost optimization in large‑scale data environments

Candidates must reside in or be willing to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties). Relocation assistance may be available.

The US base salary range for this full‑time position is $248,000 to $279,000 + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job‑related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include equity, or benefits.

Why Discord?

Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We're a multiplatform, multigenerational and multiplayer platform that helps people deepen their friendships around games and shared interests. We believe games give us a way to have fun with our favorite people, whether listening to music together or grinding in competitive matches for diamond rank. Join us in our mission! Your future is just a click away!

Discord is committed to inclusion and providing reasonable accommodations during the interview process. We want you to feel set up for success, so if you are in need of reasonable accommodations, please let your recruiter know.

Please see our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Policy for details regarding Discord’s collection and usage of personal information relating to the application and recruitment process.