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Minecraft Software Engineer Jobs in Seattle, WA (NOW HIRING)

Minecraft Software Engineer information

See Seattle, WA salary details

$72.3K

$167.9K

$233.9K

How much do minecraft software engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 11, 2026, the average yearly pay for minecraft software engineer in Seattle, WA is $167,883.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $136,600.00 and $196,900.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Minecraft Software Engineer vs Game Developer?

AspectMinecraft Software EngineerGame Developer
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Computer Science, programming skills, experience with game enginesBachelor's in Computer Science, programming skills, experience with game engines
Work EnvironmentGame development studios, tech companies, or in-house teams for MinecraftGame development studios, tech companies, or independent projects
Industry UsagePrimarily within Mojang, Microsoft, or companies developing Minecraft modsAcross various gaming companies and independent developers
Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding roles related to Minecraft-specific developmentBroader game development roles including Minecraft

The Minecraft Software Engineer focuses on developing and maintaining features specifically for Minecraft, often within Mojang or Microsoft. In contrast, a Game Developer has a broader scope, working on various types of games across different platforms. Both roles require similar technical skills and credentials, but their projects and industry focus differ.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Minecraft Software Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Minecraft Software Engineer, you need strong programming skills (especially in Java), experience with game development, and a relevant degree in computer science or similar. Familiarity with Minecraft's codebase, version control systems like Git, and tools such as IntelliJ IDEA or Visual Studio Code are typically required. Creativity, problem-solving ability, and effective teamwork are crucial soft skills that help engineers design engaging features and resolve complex issues. These skills and qualities are essential for delivering a seamless gaming experience, maintaining code quality, and collaborating within a dynamic development environment.

How does a Minecraft Software Engineer typically collaborate with artists and game designers during the development process?

As a Minecraft Software Engineer, you'll work closely with artists and game designers to translate creative concepts into functional gameplay features. Collaboration often involves regular meetings to discuss design requirements, prototyping new mechanics, and providing technical feedback on feasibility. You'll be responsible for implementing and iterating on features, ensuring they align with the game's vision while maintaining performance and code quality. Effective communication and a strong understanding of both technical and creative perspectives are key to success in this role.

What does a Minecraft Software Engineer do?

A Minecraft Software Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining features and systems within the Minecraft game. They work with programming languages like Java and C++ to create new gameplay mechanics, optimize performance, and fix bugs. These engineers also collaborate with designers, artists, and other developers to ensure new updates and features run smoothly and are enjoyable for players. Their work helps shape the ongoing evolution of Minecraft and its many versions.
What job categories do people searching Minecraft Software Engineer jobs in Seattle, WA look for? The top searched job categories for Minecraft Software Engineer jobs in Seattle, WA are:
What cities near Seattle, WA are hiring for Minecraft Software Engineer jobs? Cities near Seattle, WA with the most Minecraft Software Engineer job openings:
Infographic showing various Minecraft Software Engineer job openings in Seattle, WA as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 89% Full Time, 7% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 86% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $167,883 per year, or $80.7 per hour.
Principal AI Product Manager, Minecraft

Principal AI Product Manager, Minecraft

Microsoft

Redmond, WA • On-site

Full-time

Posted 3 days ago

New


Microsoft rating

8.6

Company rating: 8.6 out of 10

Based on 130 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

57th of 209 rated software companies


Job description

Overview
At Mojang Studios, the creators of Minecraft, we are on a mission to build a better world through the power of play.
Why play? Well, play is at the heart of everything we do. It's the blocky backbone of our games, the core of our development philosophy, and even the origin of our name. From the relentless experimentation of our endlessly inspiring community to the classrooms where Minecraft has become an essential teaching tool, play is the bedrock of our existence.
We enable millions to create and play together, connect people across the globe, and foster a community that is among the most active and passionate in the world. Our community is global and incredibly diverse. When we are developing anything within our franchise, we keep this in mind. We want everyone to not only feel included in Minecraft, but also to see themselves in what we make. Our goal is for the Mojang Studios team to be as diverse as our community.
The Principal AI Product Manager at Mojang Studios will help drive the studio's incubation efforts, internal tooling, and adoption of emerging AI technologies. This role partners across product, engineering, research, GitHub, GitHub Copilot, and studio leadership to translate fast-moving AI capabilities into practical, trusted, and high-impact solutions for Minecraft and Mojang.
The ideal candidate combines technical depth, hands-on AI product experience, executive communication, stakeholder leadership, and a passion for educating teams through technology change. This is a key role in helping Mojang move faster, work smarter, and responsibly explore how AI can improve both studio operations and creator-led innovation.
The ideal candidate will have:
  • Experience working in a fast and innovative environment.
  • A proven technical background, with prior engineering experience preferred.
  • Deep understanding of AI tools, models, systems, and current state-of-the-art capabilities.
  • Hands-on experience building, launching, or scaling AI-powered products or internal tools.
  • A proven track record of stakeholder management across leadership, technical teams, and cross-functional partners.
  • Executive level communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical concepts, tradeoffs, risks, and opportunities clearly.
  • Experience driving change management for adoption of new technologies, tools, or workflows.
  • A track record of education and enablement, teaching new technologies to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Experience working in innovation, incubation, emerging technology, or ambiguous product spaces.
  • Transparent communication, high-trust collaboration, and high-autonomy ownership.

Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees, we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.
Responsibilities
  • Lead product execution for AI innovation initiatives across Mojang Studios.
  • Own executive-level communication for AI projects, incubation work, opportunities, risks, and progress.
  • Partner closely with GitHub, GitHub Copilot, Microsoft AI teams, engineering, product, and studio stakeholders to bring relevant AI capabilities into Mojang workflows.
  • Drive stakeholder alignment across technical and non-technical teams, ensuring AI initiatives are clearly framed, responsibly scoped, and connected to measurable studio outcomes.
  • Help define, prioritize, and deliver internal AI tooling that improves studio efficiency, creativity, and operational effectiveness.
  • Support AI education and training programs for both technical and non-technical employees.
  • Lead change management efforts that help teams adopt new AI tools, workflows, and practices with confidence.
  • Own or coordinate the technical setup, access, and management of AI hardware and incubation environments.
  • Stay current on AI industry trends, emerging models, tooling, developer workflows, and enterprise adoption patterns.
  • Operate with high autonomy in ambiguous spaces, turning emerging technology opportunities into practical plans, prototypes, and shipped outcomes.

Qualifications
  • Bachelor's Degree AND 8+ years experience in product/service/program management or software development
    • OR equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Bachelor's Degree AND 12+ years experience in product/service/program management or software development
    • OR equivalent experience.
  • 6+ years experience improving product, adoption, usage, efficiency, or business metrics for a product, feature, platform or internal tool.
  • 6+ years experience disrupting, transforming, or modernizing a product area, workflow, market, or internal operating model through new technology.
  • 4+ years experience taking a product, feature, or experience to market, including internal tools, platforms, frameworks, or incubation products.
  • 3+ years experience working with AI, ML, developer tooling, platform products, emerging technologies, or technically complex product areas.
  • 3+ years experience driving cross-functional stakeholder alignment, executive communication, or change management for new technology adoption.
  • Proven technical fluency in AI tools, models, systems, AI-assisted development workflows, and current industry trends.
  • Ability to translate complex technical AI concepts into business value for executives, engineering teams, and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Experience partnering with engineering, data science, research, product, and external partner teams to define, prototype, launch, and scale AI-powered solutions.
  • Stakeholder management skills across leadership, technical teams, and cross-functional partners.
  • Demonstrated ability to educate and enable both technical and non-technical audiences on new technologies.
  • Experience operating in ambiguous, fast-moving, innovation-oriented environments.
  • Experience in a prior technical role, such as software engineering, data science, applied AI, technical program management, or technical product management.
  • Hands-on experience building, launching, or scaling AI-powered products, internal tools, prototypes, or incubation efforts.
  • Experience with GitHub Copilot, AI-assisted development, agentic workflows, model evaluation, developer productivity, or internal AI platforms.
  • Experience managing technical incubation environments, AI hardware, compute access, model access, or experimentation infrastructure.
  • Executive storytelling, written communication, and product strategy skills.
  • High-trust, high-autonomy ownership style with transparent communication and bias for action.

In the end, it's the people of Mojang Studios that make this place truly special. When you join, you'll find yourself in the company of incredibly bright, warm, and creative individuals - all united and working toward a single goal. Come help us reach it!
#mojangjobs #gamingjobs
Product Management IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800 - $274,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $188,000 - $304,200 per year.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.

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About Microsoft

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Our infrastructure is comprised of a large global portfolio of more than 100 datacenters and 1 million servers. Our foundation is built upon and managed by a team of subject matter experts working to support services for more than 1 billion customers and 20 million businesses in over 90 countries worldwide. With environmental sustainability and optimization at the forefront of our datacenter design and operations, we continue to grow and evolve as we meet the ever-changing business demands that hold Microsoft as a world-class cloud provider.

Industry

Computer and computer peripheral equipment and software wholesalers

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Redmond, WA, US

Year founded

1975

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