Senior Software Engineer

2K
Austin, TX
On-site

Who this role is best for

Geared toward backend engineers comfortable with microservices and distributed systems design, with a focus on AAA gaming and US-based full-time roles.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with 3–8 years of backend engineering experience in Go or Java and a track record in distributed systems.
    — “3–8+ years of experience designing and building backend systems and microservices using Go (Golang) or Java.”
  • Individuals who have worked on online service platforms for AAA games and can demonstrate ownership of technical debt reduction.
    — “Experience developing online service platforms or backend systems for AAA games.”
  • Professionals who can bridge technical and product domains with clear communication and collaboration skills.
    — “Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, and game teams to translate complex requirements into clear technical deliverables and milestones.”

Things to consider

  • No visa sponsorship is available, requiring candidates to be legally authorized to work in the United States.
    — “Please note that 2K Publishing is unable to provide visa sponsorship or assistance for this position.”
  • The role emphasizes long-term technical strategy and maintenance of key service domains.
    — “Own the maintenance and evolution of key service domains — ensuring reliability, performance, and alignment with long-term technical strategy.”

How to stand out

  • Emphasize experience with Go or Java microservices and their impact on system performance.
    — “Design and develop robust, scalable, and highly performant backend microservices and APIs.”
  • Highlight expertise in CI/CD pipelines and automation tools like GitHub Actions or Jenkins.
    — “Practical experience with CI/CD pipelines and automation tools (e.g., GitHub Actions, Jenkins, ArgoCD).”
  • Showcase contributions to reducing technical debt and modernizing legacy systems.
    — “Continuously reduce technical debt by driving refactoring efforts, automating workflows, and modernizing legacy systems.”
  • Demonstrate knowledge of secure coding practices and compliance frameworks such as GDPR or SOC 2.
    — “Understanding of secure coding best practices and compliance frameworks (e.g., GDPR, SOC 2).”
  • Include projects involving authentication standards like OpenID Connect or OAuth 2.0.
    — “Knowledge of authentication and authorization standards (OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, JWT)”
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · MediumAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

Skills & requirements

Required

JavaAWS

Stack & domain

GoJavaHTTPGrpcAPI DesignRelational DatabasesNosql DatabasesSchema DesignQuery OptimizationCi/cd PipelinesAutomation ToolsDistributed SystemsMicroservice Design PatternsMonitoringLoggingObservabilityAuthenticationAuthorizationSecure CodingCompliance FrameworksCollaborationCommunicationOwnershipProduct-oriented ApproachProblem SolvingBackend SystemsMicroservicesApisInfrastructureRuntime CostsTechnical DebtRefactoringAutomationLegacy SystemsPlayer ExperienceOperational Efficiency

About the role

Original posting from 2K via Greenhouse

Who We Are

2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). Founded in 2005, 2K Games is a global video game company, publishing titles developed by some of the most influential game development studios in the world. Our studios responsible for developing 2K’s portfolio of world-class games across multiple platforms, include Visual Concepts, Firaxis, Hangar 13, CatDaddy, Cloud Chamber, 31st Union, HB Studios, and 2K SportsLab. Our portfolio of titles is expanding due to our global strategic plan, building and acquiring exciting studios whose content continues to inspire all of us! 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including sports, shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, casual, and family entertainment.

Our team of engineers, marketers, artists, writers, data scientists, producers, thinkers and doers, are the professional publishing stewards of 2K’s portfolio currently includes several AAA, sports and entertainment brands, including global powerhouse NBA®️ 2K,  renowned BioShock®️, Borderlands®️, Mafia, Sid Meier’s Civilization®️ and XCOM®️ brands; popular WWE®️ 2K and WWE®️ SuperCard franchises, TopSpin 2K25, as well as the critically and commercially acclaimed PGA TOUR®️ 2K

At 2K, we pride ourselves on creating an inclusive work environment, which means encouraging our teams to Come as You Are and do your best work! We encourage ALL applicants to explore our global positions, even if they don’t meet every requirement for the role.  If you're interested in the job and think you have what it takes to work at 2K, we encourage you to apply!

What You Will Do

●      Design and develop robust, scalable, and highly performant backend microservices and APIs.

●      Own the maintenance and evolution of key service domains — ensuring reliability, performance, and alignment with long-term technical strategy.

●      Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, and game teams to translate complex requirements into clear technical deliverables and milestones.

●      Optimize infrastructure and runtime costs to deliver a seamless player experience while maintaining operational efficiency.

●      Continuously reduce technical debt by driving refactoring efforts, automating workflows, and modernizing legacy systems.

What You Bring

●      3–8+ years of experience designing and building backend systems and microservices using Go (Golang) or Java.

●      Strong understanding of transport protocols (HTTP, gRPC) and API design best practices.

●      Proficiency with both relational (RDBMS) and NoSQL databases, including schema design and query optimization.

●      Practical experience with CI/CD pipelines and automation tools (e.g., GitHub Actions, Jenkins, ArgoCD).

●      Solid grasp of distributed systems concepts and microservice design patterns.

●      Familiarity with monitoring, logging, and observability frameworks.

●      Knowledge of authentication and authorization standards (OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, JWT)

●      Understanding of secure coding best practices and compliance frameworks (e.g., GDPR, SOC 2).

●      Demonstrated ownership mindset and product-oriented approach to problem solving, including communication and collaboration

●      Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience

Bonus Items

●      Passion for gaming and building technology that powers player experiences.

●      Hands-on experience with containerization and orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes or Amazon ECS.

●      Experience developing online service platforms or backend systems for AAA games.

●      Bonus points for hands-on experience building microservices with Go (Golang).

●      Experience with public cloud platforms such as AWS or GCP.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to ensuring that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform their essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us if you need reasonable accommodation.

Please note that 2K Games and its studios never uses instant messaging apps or personal email accounts to contact prospective employees or conduct interviews and when emailing, only use 2K.com accounts.

Please note that 2K Publishing is unable to provide visa sponsorship or assistance for this position. All candidates must be legally authorized to work in United States without requiring current or future employer sponsorship.

#LI-Hybrid

Source: 2K careers (Greenhouse)

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