Principal Software Engineer, Computer Graphics

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.

We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer with deep expertise in computer graphics to lead the design and delivery of large-scale, production systems. This is a high-impact, technical leadership role for someone who thrives on leading from the front. You will not just set the strategy; you will be a primary individual contributor, writing critical-path code and driving implementation for our most complex geometry-driven systems.

You Will:

• Architect & Execute: Design and ship complex computer graphics systems, owning the technical roadmap and end-to-end delivery of large, cross-functional initiatives.

• Lead through Code: Act as a hands-on technical leader, dedicating a significant portion of your time to contributing high-quality code to core systems.

• Drive Technical Strategy: Influence architectural decisions across multiple teams by proving out concepts through direct implementation and rigorous design reviews.

• Collaborate & Translate: Partner with Product, Design, and Research to transform ambiguous requirements into performant, scalable, and maintainable technical solutions.

• Raise the Bar: Ensure all systems meet elite standards for reliability and performance, identifying technical risks early and leading the implementation of mitigations.

• Mentor: Foster a culture of engineering excellence by leveling up senior engineers through hands-on code reviews and technical guidance.

You Have:

• Extensive Industry Experience: 10+ years of experience building and shipping complex, production-grade software systems.

• Domain Expertise: A proven track record of implementing computer graphics or visual computing systems at scale.

• Technical Rigor: Mastery of software engineering fundamentals, including system design, software architecture, and performance optimization.

• Proven Leadership: A history of leading by example through direct, hands-on contribution rather than purely through management.

• Agility: Experience operating effectively in ambiguous, fast-moving environments where requirements evolve rapidly.

You Are:

• Mathematically Minded: Deeply comfortable with the foundations of geometry, linear algebra, and related mathematical domains.

• Technically Versatile: Experienced with modern graphics APIs or frameworks and building performance-critical or platform-level infrastructure.

• A Multiplier: A leader who takes pride in elevating the entire engineering organization through direct technical engagement and mentorship.

• Results-Oriented: Driven by the challenge of shipping robust, production-ready code that solves real-world visual computing problems.

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
$293,800—$343,340 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.