Principal Software Engineer - Game IDE & 3D Tools

Every day, tens of millions of people come to Roblox to explore, create, play, learn, and connect in 3D immersive digital experiences—all built by our global community of creators. Roblox Studio is the collaborative, desktop-class IDE that powers game development for hundreds of thousands of active creators worldwide.

As a Principal Engineer on the Builder Tools team, you will architect interactive, high-performance developer-facing tools and reusable tooling frameworks for Roblox Studio. Your team owns Roblox Studio’s primary content creation surfaces—ranging from 3D draggers, world-building terrain utilities, and character animation tools to in-game UI authoring suites. In this high-visibility leadership role, you will define the long-term technical architecture for Studio applications, write low-level C++ frameworks, partner with UX Designers and Product Managers to build ergonomic creator tools, and mentor senior engineers across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Architecture & Strategy: Design and execute the multi-quarter technical vision and system architecture powering Roblox Studio’s core 3D and UI authoring applications.
• Reusable Tooling Frameworks: Architect and implement extensible, reusable C++ tooling frameworks that enable engineering teams to build performant, stable creator tools faster.
• Creator Tooling Development: Build interactive 3D tools, animation authoring suites, terrain creation frameworks, and UI editors used by game developers globally.
• Cross-Functional Ergonomics: Partner closely with UX Designers, Product Managers, and Client Engineers to translate complex game development workflows into intuitive, high-performance user experiences.
• Technical Mentorship & Standards: Establish technological practices, architectural patterns, and engineering standards across the platform; mentor senior engineers to elevate team technical capabilities.

Requirements

Application & Systems Engineering Depth

• 8+ years of experience developing, architecting, and deploying complex, desktop-class user-facing applications.
• 3+ years of direct experience with low-level systems programming in C++ (or similar performance-critical languages).
• Demonstrated track record taking complex software architectural projects from initial design and planning through cross-functional execution and launch.
• Strong passion for end-user product experience, developer ergonomics, and interactive tool usability.

Education & Work Logistics

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline (or equivalent practical industry experience).
• Ability to work onsite at least 3 days per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) at Roblox headquarters in San Mateo, CA.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven experience building developer-, engineer-, or artist-facing tools (e.g., game engines like Unity/Unreal, CAD software, 3D modeling tools like Maya/Blender, or digital content creation suites).
• Experience with modern component-driven UI frameworks and application shells (React, Cocoa, WPF, Qt, or custom UI engines).
• Background in 3D graphics, spatial math, transform gizmos, animation pipelines, or real-time simulation tools.

Total Rewards & Benefits

• Compensation & Equity: Base salary of $345,040 – $399,420 USD + competitive equity grants.
• Comprehensive Healthcare: Premium medical, dental, and vision insurance options for employees and eligible dependents.
• Workplace Perks: Onsite collaboration at San Mateo HQ with flexible hybrid arrangements on Mondays and Fridays, plus dedicated learning and development budgets.