Senior Software Development Engineer Jobs in San Mateo, CA
Senior Software Development Engineer jobs in San Mateo are concentrated among fintech, enterprise SaaS, and healthcare technology employers, with strong demand across the Hillsdale business corridor, downtown San Mateo, and the Bay Meadows mixed-use district. Employers hiring right now include Roblox, Verkada, and Shield. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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Showing 5 of 103+ Senior Software Development Engineer jobs
Every day, tens of millions of people come to Roblox to explore, create, play, learn, and connect with friends in 3D immersive digital experiences– all created by our global community of developers and creators.
At Roblox, we’re building the tools and platform that empower our community to bring any experience that they can imagine to life. Our vision is to reimagine the way people come together, from anywhere in the world, and on any device. We’re on a mission to connect a billion people with optimism and civility, and looking for amazing talent to help us get there.
A career at Roblox means you’ll be working to shape the future of human interaction, solving unique technical challenges at scale, and helping to create safer, more civil shared experiences for everyone.
As a Senior Software Engineer on our Systems team, you will have an immediate impact on the building blocks of Roblox itself. The software you build is a very large application that empowers our global community of 2M+ developers to push the boundaries of interactive gaming. Your work will touch every part of the engine, from threading and memory management to physics and scripting. If you enjoy working on C++ software and have a passion for working on high-performance real-time applications alongside experienced and passionate engineers, you will be right at home on our growing Game Engine team.
You will:
- Develop engine code in C++ for sub-systems critical to the Roblox game engine
- Work on sub-systems that handle data syncing between server and client, game-aware data streaming, and harmonizing resource usage to ensure gameplay works on various devices with varying CPU and memory capabilities
- Work on every application Roblox develops, from mobile phone clients to cloud-based servers
You have:
- 4+ years of experience and you've worked on deep and challenging problems in large and complex C++ codebases.
- System-level pointers, templates, and raw blocks of memory are tools to write code, not your enemies
- Experience working in the guts of game engine or passion for learning it
- Built systems that work and keep on working reliably
- A curiosity to want to learn and stay up-to-date on technology development
For roles that are based at our headquarters in San Mateo, CA: The starting base pay for this position is as shown below. The actual base pay is dependent upon a variety of job-related factors such as professional background, training, work experience, location, business needs and market demand. Therefore, in some circumstances, the actual salary could fall outside of this expected range. This pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. All full-time employees are also eligible for equity compensation and for benefits as described on this page.
Roles that are based in an office are onsite Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with optional presence on Monday and Friday (unless otherwise noted).
Roblox provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Roblox also provides reasonable accommodations to candidates with qualifying disabilities or religious beliefs during the recruiting process.
For US based roles only, please note the Company may not be able to employ candidates for this role who have United States work authorization related to certain U.S. visa categories, or support future H-1B sponsorship at this time.
Every day, tens of millions of people come to Roblox to explore, create, play, learn, and connect with friends in 3D immersive digital experiences– all created by our global community of developers and creators.
At Roblox, we’re building the tools and platform that empower our community to bring any experience that they can imagine to life. Our vision is to reimagine the way people come together, from anywhere in the world, and on any device. We’re on a mission to connect a billion people with optimism and civility, and looking for amazing talent to help us get there.
A career at Roblox means you’ll be working to shape the future of human interaction, solving unique technical challenges at scale, and helping to create safer, more civil shared experiences for everyone.
As a Senior Software Engineer on our Systems team, you will have an immediate impact on the building blocks of Roblox itself. The software you build is a very large application that empowers our global community of 2M+ developers to push the boundaries of interactive gaming. Your work will touch every part of the engine, from threading and memory management to physics and scripting. If you enjoy working on C++ software and have a passion for working on high-performance real-time applications alongside experienced and passionate engineers, you will be right at home on our growing Game Engine team.
You will:
- Develop engine code in C++ for sub-systems critical to the Roblox game engine
- Work on sub-systems that handle data syncing between server and client, game-aware data streaming, and harmonizing resource usage to ensure gameplay works on various devices with varying CPU and memory capabilities
- Work on every application Roblox develops, from mobile phone clients to cloud-based servers
You have:
- 4+ years of experience and you've worked on deep and challenging problems in large and complex C++ codebases.
- System-level pointers, templates, and raw blocks of memory are tools to write code, not your enemies
- Experience working in the guts of game engine or passion for learning it
- Built systems that work and keep on working reliably
- A curiosity to want to learn and stay up-to-date on technology development
For roles that are based at our headquarters in San Mateo, CA: The starting base pay for this position is as shown below. The actual base pay is dependent upon a variety of job-related factors such as professional background, training, work experience, location, business needs and market demand. Therefore, in some circumstances, the actual salary could fall outside of this expected range. This pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. All full-time employees are also eligible for equity compensation and for benefits as described on this page.
Roles that are based in an office are onsite Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with optional presence on Monday and Friday (unless otherwise noted).
Roblox provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Roblox also provides reasonable accommodations to candidates with qualifying disabilities or religious beliefs during the recruiting process.
For US based roles only, please note the Company may not be able to employ candidates for this role who have United States work authorization related to certain U.S. visa categories, or support future H-1B sponsorship at this time.
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Find JobsSenior Software Development Engineer Job Market in San Mateo
Who's Hiring
- Roblox72
- Verkada6
- Shield5
- IXL Learning5
- Skydio4
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software26
- Aerospace & Defense4
- Gaming & Esports3
- Artificial Intelligence1
- Healthcare & Medical Services1
Senior Software Development Engineer Jobs in San Mateo: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a senior software development engineer job in San Mateo?
Targeting San Mateo's dense cluster of fintech platforms, enterprise SaaS companies, and health tech firms gives you the strongest footing. Roles concentrate around the Bay Meadows district and downtown corridor, where mid-size and growth-stage companies often move faster than large tech campuses. Experience with distributed systems, cloud-native architecture, or payments infrastructure stands out here, and a portfolio of shipped product at scale matters more than credentials alone.
Which companies hire senior software development engineers in San Mateo?
Employers hiring senior software development engineers in San Mateo right now include Roblox, Verkada, and Shield, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. San Mateo attracts a mix of established financial technology firms, growth-stage SaaS businesses, and healthcare platform companies, many of which maintain engineering headquarters in the city rather than treating it as a satellite office.
Are there remote senior software development engineer jobs in San Mateo?
Yes, and senior software development engineering is one of the more remote-compatible roles given its desk-based, tool-driven nature. About 68% of senior software development engineer openings tied to San Mateo are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, with fully remote roles most common among SaaS and fintech employers headquartered in the city. On-site requirements tend to appear at companies with hardware integration, compliance-heavy environments, or collaborative sprint cultures.
How can I get a senior software development engineer job in San Mateo with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in San Mateo is joining a growth-stage fintech or SaaS company at the software engineer or mid-level developer tier, where promotion timelines are shorter and senior scope comes faster than at larger employers. Local companies in the Bay Meadows and Hillsdale corridors frequently hire engineers with strong project portfolios and open-source contributions even without five-plus years of tenure. Contract-to-hire roles at San Mateo's payments and enterprise software firms are also a practical ladder into senior positions.
Which industries hire the most senior software development engineers in San Mateo?
San Mateo senior software development engineer roles concentrate in Technology & Software, Aerospace & Defense, and Gaming & Esports, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. San Mateo's position between Silicon Valley and San Francisco has made it a preferred home for financial technology platforms and enterprise software companies that need engineering depth without competing directly for talent against the largest Bay Area tech campuses.
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