Principal Software Engineer, Minecraft Core Engine

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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 Engineer to help our team grow and maintain the core engine that drives the world's best-selling video game on over a dozen platforms. You will join a team of on-site engineers in Redmond, WA who are responsible for our platform implementations of foundational systems such as: memory, threading, file I/O, audio, and input. Your expertise, ranging from high-level C++ architecture to low-level CPU (Central Processing Unit) features, will be used to design and build new features in the Minecraft engine and help us efficiently ship Minecraft to new 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!

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 equivalent experience.
• Experience driving cross-organization and cross-discipline communications.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, or Java OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 12+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, or C# OR equivalent experience.

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

• Knowledge of the architecture and development of modern game engines.

• Extensive troubleshooting and debugging skills.

• Previous shipped video game titles as a software developer.

Software Engineering IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $139,900 - $274,800 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 $188,000 - $304,200 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 September 22, 2025.

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• Extend, maintain, and refactor the Minecraft engine with an eye for quality and performance.

• Mentor other engineers and lead by example by producing simple, extensible, and maintainable code.

• Design, plan, and execute product timelines to deliver quality features.

• Engage with teams across the studio on project planning, technical design, knowledge-sharing, and code reviews.

• Debug and resolve complex problems by investigating and addressing root causes for systemic issues.
• Embody our Culture & Values