Staff Software Engineer - Desktop Platform

1 Month ago • 8 Years + • Devops • $248,000 PA - $279,000 PA

Job Summary

Job Description

As a Staff Software Engineer on the Desktop Platform team at Discord, you will lead the technical vision for the client experience across Windows, macOS, and Linux. Your responsibilities include building and maintaining foundational components, focusing on Discord's In-Game Overlay, and directly interfacing with Windows operating system APIs. You will also drive engineering quality for desktop client performance, troubleshoot complex issues, and support internal developers with build environments and tooling. Discord's goal is to create functional, reliable, usable, and delightful products.
Must have:
  • 8+ years of experience in cross-platform desktop applications
  • Expertise in Windows applications with DWM interaction
  • Strong technical depth with C++ and/or Rust
  • Exceptional problem-solving abilities for performance issues
  • Understanding of observability and monitoring
Good to have:
  • Active in the Electron community
  • Experience with Objective-C++, JavaScript/TypeScript, or Python
  • Excels in undefined environments and complex challenges
  • Comfortable reading and writing code in existing codebases
Perks:
  • Equity
  • Benefits

Job Details

Discord is used by over 200 million people every month for many different reasons, but there’s one thing that nearly everyone does on our platform: play video games. Over 90% of our users play games, spending a combined 1.5 billion hours playing thousands of unique titles on Discord each month. Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We are focused on making it easier and more fun for people to talk and hang out before, during, and after playing games.

We're looking for a Staff Engineer to join our Desktop Platform team to help lead the technical vision for Discord's client experience across Windows, macOS, and Linux.

You will report to our Engineering Manager, Desktop Platform, and play a critical role in shaping the technical foundation that powers Discord's user experience for millions of people worldwide. Our goal is to build products that our customers absolutely love - products that are functional, reliable, usable, and delightful, with performance as a core feature and an iterative approach to solving complex problems.

What you'll do:

  • Build and maintain foundational components for Discord’s desktop clients, focusing on Discord’s In-Game Overlay.
  • Interface directly with Windows operating system APIs to leverage platform-specific capabilities.
  • Help drive engineering quality for desktop client performance, developing systems and processes to ensure quality can be optimized and sustainably maintained.
  • Troubleshoot complex issues using advanced debugging tools and techniques.
  • Support internal developers with desktop build environment and tooling.

What you have:

  • 8+ years experience as a software engineer working on large, cross-platform desktop applications.
  • You have experience with desktop performance and are excited by the challenge of delivering an incredible product to 200 million users.
  • Expertise in Windows applications that interact with Windows Desktop Window Manager (DWM) and/or low-level graphics rendering.
  • Strong technical depth with C++ and/or Rust.
  • Exceptional problem-solving abilities, with a track record of diagnosing and resolving complex performance issues.
  • You understand observability and monitoring and leverages this to solve system issues.

Bonus Points:

  • Active in the Electron community, with contributions to open source or technical talks at conferences.
  • Experience with Objective-C++, JavaScript/TypeScript and/or Python.
  • You excel in undefined environments and get excited about finding solutions to complex technical challenges
  • Comfortable reading and writing code in large existing codebases

Things that may interest you:



The US base salary range for this full-time position is $248,000 to $279,000 + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include equity, or benefits.

Why Discord? 

Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We're a multiplatform, multigenerational and multiplayer platform that helps people deepen their friendships around games and shared interests. We believe games give us a way to have fun with our favorite people, whether listening to music together or grinding in competitive matches for diamond rank. Join us in our mission! Your future is just a click away!

Please see our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Policy for details regarding Discord’s collection and usage of personal information relating to the application and recruitment process by clicking HERE.

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About The Company

Discord is a voice, video and text platform that helps friends come together to hang out, play games and have fun. When Jason Citron and Stanislav Vishnevskiy founded Discord in 2015 they had a hunch that multiplayer gaming would be the future of entertainment and that people would need a communications platform designed for them to talk with their gaming friends. Today, gaming has become the largest form of entertainment in the world, bigger than movies and music combined. It’s the fastest-growing as well. Discord makes it feel like you’re playing in the same room with friends.

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