Senior Backend Engineer – PlayStation

At PlayStation, we’re on a mission to craft seamless, scalable, and immersive experiences that connect millions of players around the world. We design and build the powerful backend systems that enable real-time interactions, personalized content, and dynamic gameplay features—defining how players experience play on our platforms.

As a Senior Backend Engineer, you’ll take a lead role in designing and developing cloud-native, high-performance systems that power the next generation of PlayStation experiences. You’ll work closely with designers, client engineers, and product managers to deliver robust, reliable, and joyful services at global scale.

We thrive on innovation, teamwork, and excellence—and we can’t wait for you to help us push the boundaries of what’s possible in gaming!

What You’ll Do

We take pride in building experiences that are fast, scalable, and fun. In this role, you will:

• Design, implement, and maintain distributed, cloud-based backend services that scale to millions of players.
• Champion code quality, reliability, and maintainability through clean design and strong testing practices.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define and deliver high-impact player features and system improvements.
• Optimize performance and reliability through observability, automation, and continuous improvement.
• Mentor other engineers, encouraging knowledge sharing, experimentation, and technical excellence.

What We’re Looking For

We’re seeking an experienced backend engineer who brings deep technical knowledge, creative problem-solving, and a collaborative mindset. You’ll succeed here if you have:

• 7+ years of professional backend development experience with scalable, production-grade systems
• Proficiency in Java and Spring Boot, with strong understanding of object-oriented design principles
• Experience developing high-performance, distributed web services using container-based architectures
• Expertise with MySQL or similar relational databases, plus exposure to NoSQL technologies like Cassandra or Redis
• Experience with AWS services and observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana, CloudWatch, OpenTelemetry)
• Familiarity with event-driven systems (Kafka, SNS/SQS, or similar)
• Strong communication skills, Agile team experience, and a sense of ownership for your work
• A proactive approach that values scalability, maintainability, and user experience

Bonus Skills

We’re especially excited if you bring:

• A passion for gaming, creator ecosystems, and player-driven innovation
• Experience with load testing, profiling, and performance tuning backend systems
• Familiarity with feature flagging, A/B testing, or experimentation frameworks
• Curiosity about Generative AI (GenAI) tools to enhance developer productivity and creativity

Team Culture & Impact

At PlayStation, we believe that great teams build great experiences. Our engineering culture is grounded in collaboration, craftsmanship, and continuous learning. We celebrate creativity and empower each other to take ownership—because the best ideas often come from unexpected places.

You’ll join a team that values inclusivity, empathy, and open communication, where feedback is seen as a tool for growth. We balance technical excellence with a genuine care for player experience, ensuring that every line of code contributes to something meaningful.

The systems you build will directly shape how millions of players connect, compete, and create together across the world. Your impact will be felt in every joyful moment of play that our players share.

Our Commitment

At PlayStation, we believe diversity fuels innovation. We’re committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone—regardless of background, identity, or ability—can thrive and grow. Together, we’re building the technology and experiences that make play possible for everyone, everywhere.

Join us—and help shape the future of play for millions around the world.

Benefits:

• Discretionary bonus opportunity
• Hybrid Working (within Flexmodes)
• Private Medical Insurance
• Dental Scheme
• 25 days holiday per year
• On Site Gym
• Subsidised Café
• Free soft drinks
• On site bar
• Access to cycle garage and showers