Staff Software Engineer, Core Technology

Role summary

Volley is a unique, fast-growing AI gaming company that is building both games and an underlying proprietary game engine. Our voice-controlled AI games reach millions of customers each month. We are actively working to reach millions more players by launching our games on new platforms such as Roku and Fire TV.

The Core Technology team at Volley is looking for an enthusiastic engineer with deep expertise in building game engines, app platforms, or SDKs. This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to develop a multi-platform game engine for voice-controlled AI games. As a Staff Engineer, you will be responsible for assessing the technical challenges of different TV operating systems and engineering innovative solutions to address them. You will also collaborate closely with game developers to understand their requirements and provide them with the necessary tools and capabilities to increase their velocity when building games.

We’re a small and diverse team that delivers outsized impact through smart technical investments. We’re looking for someone who is curious, empathetic, and a creative problem solver. You will have significant impact and visibility across our organization, collaborating with company leadership and our product teams to understand business goals, driving technical decision-making on the Core Technology team, and setting a standard of excellence for the broader engineering organization.

What you’ll do at Volley

• Develop our multi-platform strategy and build toward our vision of a "write once, run anywhere” game engine
• Develop game engine features, tools, and SDKs for core functionalities such as rendering, voice recognition, and animations, enabling our product engineers to build delightful voice-controlled game experiences for TVs
• Work with company leadership and our product teams to inform a tech strategy that aligns with our overall business strategy
• Support the organizational growth and development of the team through process improvements and mentorship
• Dive into production issues across multiple levels of our stack and use learnings to establish best practices for observability and stability
• Develop and execute on quarterly and annual roadmaps while making effective tradeoffs that weigh business priorities, user experience requirements, and investments in foundational technology
• Collaborate with UX experts, designers, and data analysts to power best-in-class voice-controlled games

Stuff you may have done before

• Worked on SDKs, game engines, or software platforms
• Built games, or consumer-facing mobile or web apps, at scale
• Worked with audio, voice, AI, or other emerging technologies
• Been the primary technical decision-maker for a group of 20+ engineers
• Developed applications on smart TV platforms (e.g. Roku, Fire TV, Google TV, Apple TV)

Must-haves

• 10+ years of experience as a software engineer
• A passion for end-user experiences, code quality, design patterns, and architecture
• Examples of successfully advocating for technical investments that accelerated product development
• Proven track record of learning new technologies and adapting to platform requirements
• A strong background in mentoring junior engineers
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal

Our Stack

• Typescript & Node.js

• React & React Native (Fire TV)

• Brighterscript (Roku)

• DynamoDB,
• PostgreSQL, Redis 
• Kubernetes

The hiring process

• Stage 1 (Preliminary Video Call) with a member of our Recruitment team
• Stage 2 (Behavioral Screen Video Call) with one of our Engineering Managers
• Stage 3 (Technical Screen Video Call) with one of our Senior Engineers
• Stage 4 (Full-day Virtual “On-Site”) with various partners and team members
• Stage 5 (Founder Chat) with our Founders
• Stage 6 (Offer)

What’s in it for you

• Your medical, dental, and vision insurance is 100% covered by Volley, for yourself and all dependents and we match 401k!
• We offer a flexible, hybrid work-from-home and in-office work model.
• We offer 4 weeks of paid time off (enforced 2-week minimum), 16 paid holidays, 40 hours of bereavement leave, and unlimited sick days.
• Our generous parental leave policy includes 24 weeks at 100% pay for birthing parents and 12 weeks at 100% pay for non-birthing parents.
• We offer visa support for eligible candidates, making relocating for the job smoother and more streamlined.
• A full breakdown of our benefits is **here!**

For Pay Transparency: The base salary range for this position is $189,477 - $260,531 annually, based on a local (San Francisco) hire. The final offer amount may depend on experience, education, skills, and location. Base pay is one part of the total package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work.

About Us

Volley is the leading developer of AI-powered games for Amazon Alexa, Roku TVs, and mobile devices. Our games attract millions of users every month. Popular Volley games include Song Quiz, Jeopardy!, and The Price Is Right.

We believe voice interfaces will become the main way people access entertainment in their living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, and cars. We’re building a bundled subscription product similar to Netflix or Spotify for the emerging category of “AI-powered games.”

Volley was founded by Max Child and James Wilsterman in 2016. We're headquartered in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco. We’re a quickly growing team that truly enjoys working together. If you think you would enjoy creating joyful games on top of a rapidly evolving AI technology stack, please get in touch!

Volley believes in an inclusive workplace and is committed to building a team from a variety of backgrounds. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive the other benefits and privileges of employment.

Underrepresented candidates and candidates from nontraditional backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply!