At Mojang Studios, the creators of Minecraft, we are on a mission to build a better world through the power of play.

Why play? Well, play is at the heart of everything we do. It’s the blocky backbone of our games, the core of our development philosophy, and even the origin of our name. From the relentless experimentation of our endlessly inspiring community to the classrooms where Minecraft has become an essential teaching tool, play is the bedrock of our existence.

We enable millions to create and play together, connect people across the globe, and foster a community that is among the most active and passionate in the world. Our community is global and incredibly diverse. When we are developing anything within our franchise, we keep this in mind. We want everyone to not only feel included in Minecraft, but also to see themselves in what we make. Our goal is for the Mojang Studios team to be as diverse as our community.

We are looking for a Principal Software Engineering Lead to lead the team creating the core systems driving the C++ version of the Minecraft engine. You will lead a team of on-site engineers in Redmond responsible for critical low-level technologies including resource versioning/packaging/loading, data reflection, and core ECS systems.  You will combine C++ expertise (from complex metaprogramming to low-level memory and CPU optimizations), with people management and cross-team collaboration to deliver critical business impact. By partnering with other teams across Minecraft and leveraging a team of talented developers, you will ensure that our engine is modern, efficient, and above all easy to use, allowing us to continue delighting millions of customers across dozens of platforms.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

In the end, it’s the people of Mojang Studios that make this place truly special. When you join, you’ll find yourself in the company of incredibly bright, warm, and creative individuals – all united and working toward a single goal. Come help us reach it!

Responsibilities

Model best-practices of software engineering to your team, coach them in their own career development, and care about their well-being and aspirations.

Be a reliable expert in the development of video game engine features for the rest of your team, contributing to architecture and implementation as necessary.

Collaborate with the product manager to develop objectives and key results for your team, prioritizing feature-work and bugs according to the team's capacity.

Drive clarity on expectations and requirements for your team, providing timely, positive, and constructive feedback.

Foster a growth mindset on your team by role-modeling respect, integrity and accountability.

Embody our Culture Values

Qualifications

Required Qualifications :

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, or JavaScript

OR equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

Prior experience as a people manager of software developers. 

5+ years of experience developing in C++, preferably cross-platform. 

Knowledge of the architecture and development of modern game engines. 

Troubleshooting and debugging skills. 

Communication skills. 

Previous shipped video game titles as a software developer or people manager.

Software Engineering M5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $137,600 - $267,000 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $180,400 - $294,000 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until November 22, 2024

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Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations .