Staff Software Engineer, Mobile Architecture

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 Software Engineer to join our Mobile Architecture team to help lead the technical vision for Discord's mobile experience across iOS and Android.

You'll work on performance-critical systems using React Native, focusing on delivering an exceptional mobile experience that feels instantaneous. As a Staff Engineer, you'll drive technical direction, mentor other engineers, and tackle the most complex challenges facing our mobile platforms. 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.

What you'll be doing

• Lead technical direction and architecture decisions for Discord's mobile platform, particularly around React Native optimization and performance
• Build and optimize foundational mobile libraries and infrastructure that power Discord's mobile apps on iOS and Android
• Drive solutions to challenging performance problems including Time-to-Interactive (TTI), memory optimization, crash reduction, and jank elimination
• Lead React Native infrastructure initiatives and upgrades, helping maintain Discord's position at the forefront of RN adoption
• Architect scalable mobile solutions using React Native, TypeScript/JavaScript, with native development in Swift/Kotlin when needed for performance-critical paths
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and influence technical decisions across the organization
• Mentor engineers on the team and help elevate the technical capabilities of the mobile organization
• Set best practices and engineering standards for mobile development at Discord

What you should have

• 8+ years experience as a software engineer working on large, cross-platform software projects.
• 1+ years experience as a software engineer working on a production React Native application at scale, and/or React Native foundational libraries.
• Experience writing clean, maintainable code and establishing engineering best practices
• Problem-solving mindset with ability to debug complex issues across the stack
• Passion for creating excellent user experiences and attention to performance details
• Excellent communication skills with ability to influence technical decisions and build consensus
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and guide other engineers

Bonus Points

• Native mobile development experience (iOS with Swift/Objective-C or Android with Kotlin/Java)
• Experience with mobile performance optimization and profiling tools
• Background in build and release processes for mobile apps
• Active participation in the React or React Native communities
• Experience optimizing applications for varying network conditions or international markets

Candidates must reside in or be willing to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties). Relocation assistance may be available.

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!

Discord is committed to inclusion and providing reasonable accommodations during the interview process. We want you to feel set up for success, so if you are in need of reasonable accommodations, please let your recruiter know.

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