Senior Java Backend & DevOps Engineer (Gaming, High-Scale Systems)

Join a team where your code doesn’t just ship features - it keeps entire game worlds alive for tens of thousands to millions of players. At Goodgame Studios you’ll work on always-on distributed systems for modern games, where latency, throughput, and uptime are measured in real player impact. This isn’t CRUD; it’s high-scale, mission-critical backend engineering. The role is for a Senior Engineer strong in backend Java and cloud operations on AWS, designing, implementing, deploying, tuning, and operating critical backend systems.

Must Have

• Full lifecycle ownership: architecture → coding → infra → deployment → production → scaling.
• Design and operate high-throughput, low-latency Java services (JDK 17+).
• Build resilient distributed components and optimize memory, concurrency, and GC for production workloads.
• Architect databases and caching layers (MySQL, Redis) for millions of player rows.
• Maintain CI/CD pipelines, AWS infrastructure, and implement robust observability and monitoring.
• Participate in advanced on-call rotations and troubleshoot live production issues.
• 6+ years backend experience with expert-level Java.
• Deep understanding of AWS, distributed systems, concurrency, memory tuning, and SQL optimization.
• Comfort with production ownership and operational decision-making.
• Passion for high-scale systems where performance and reliability matter.

Good to Have

• Gaming backend experience (matchmaking, inventories, leaderboards).
• Event-driven architectures (Kafka, Kinesis, SQS/SNS).
• Real-time telemetry or anti-cheat systems.

Perks & Benefits

• Build systems players interact with every minute.
• Engineering-first culture with high autonomy and impact.
• Tackle genuinely interesting technical problems with a modern, challenging stack: Java, MySQL, Redis, AWS, distributed systems.

Join a team where your code doesn’t just ship features - it keeps entire game worlds alive for tens of thousands to millions of players. At Goodgame Studios you’ll work on always-on distributed systems for modern games, where latency, throughput, and uptime are measured in real player impact. This isn’t CRUD; it’s high-scale, mission-critical backend engineering.

The Role: We’re looking for a Senior Engineer who is equally strong in backend Java and cloud operations on AWS. You will design, implement, deploy, tune, and operate critical backend systems that must withstand unpredictable load patterns and deliver consistent low-latency performance.

Your Mission:

• Full lifecycle ownership: architecture → coding → infra → deployment → production → scaling.
• Design and operate high-throughput, low-latency Java services (JDK 17+).
• Build resilient distributed components and optimize memory, concurrency, and GC for production workloads.
• Architect databases and caching layers (MySQL, Redis) for millions of player rows.
• Maintain CI/CD pipelines, AWS infrastructure, and implement robust observability and monitoring.
• Participate in advanced on-call rotations and troubleshoot live production issues.

What You Bring:

• 6+ years backend experience with expert-level Java.
• Deep understanding of AWS, distributed systems, concurrency, memory tuning, and SQL optimization.
• Comfort with production ownership and operational decision-making.
• Passion for high-scale systems where performance and reliability matter.

Nice to have:

• Gaming backend experience (matchmaking, inventories, leaderboards).
• Event-driven architectures (Kafka, Kinesis, SQS/SNS).
• Real-time telemetry or anti-cheat systems.

Why You’ll Love It:

• Build systems players interact with every minute.
• Engineering-first culture with high autonomy and impact.
• Tackle genuinely interesting technical problems with a modern, challenging stack: Java, MySQL, Redis, AWS, distributed systems.

In this role, you'll join Goodgame Studios. Collaborate closely with our 30+ dedicated professionals, employ your initiative and strong communication skills to seamlessly integrate your ideas into our MMO pioneer games with more than 200 million registered players worldwide and a history of more than 1bn € in revenues. If you're ready to take on this challenge and thrive in a high-target environment, we want you on our team!

Goodgame Studios is known for successful strategy titles and data-driven game development. We self-publish our games in-house and have all relevant professions under one roof. Plus, we are part of Stillfront Group, one of Europe’s leading game publishers with a strong focus on long-term IP growth.

Locations

Hamburg (Borselstraße 20)

Studios

Goodgame Studios

Employment types

Permanent

Employment contracts

Full time