Senior Software Engineer (Client) - Demonware - Vancouver, BC
About The Position
The Client Code team builds and maintains the client-side online services SDK used by Call of Duty and other Activision titles. We own the C++ libraries and tooling that provide core network communication for games as well as connect game clients to Demonware’s wide range of online services. As a Senior Software Engineer (Client Code), you will design, implement, and evolve C++ client libraries and tools that power some of the biggest game launches in the world. Partnering closely with game studios and Demonware service teams, you will deliver robust APIs, efficient networking solutions, and reliable build pipelines across console and PC platforms. In this role, you will have the opportunity to raise the bar for build systems, CI processes, and overall developer experience, while owning and evolving core C++ client SDK components used across multiple AAA titles. You will also contribute to improving the reliability and observability of client-to-backend communications at massive scale and play a key role in mentoring engineers in modern C++, networking fundamentals, and build and tooling best practices. This role is based in our Vancouver, BC office and follows an onsite work schedule of four days per week. Work arrangements may change at the company's discretion to meet business needs.
Requirements
- 8+ years of professional software engineering experience with C++ within games, engines, SDKs, or other performance-sensitive systems.
- Strong expertise in modern C++
- Experience with C++ build systems e.g. CMake
- Experience with building effective backwards compatible APIs or libraries.
- Strong understanding of networking fundamentals such as TCP/UDP, HTTP/HTTPS, and REST APIs.
- Proficient with network debugging and observability tools such as Wireshark
- Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, e.g. Jenkins or TeamCity.
- Proven ability to analyze and resolve complex cross-functional problems spanning client applications, backend systems, and infrastructure.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills with experience working directly with stakeholders, customers, and distributed engineering teams.
- Comfortable operating in live-service or service-oriented environments with shared ownership, operational responsibilities, and on-call/support rotations where appropriate.
Nice To Haves
- Experience integrating online services SDKs into games or other client applications.
- Familiarity with console development environments (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, etc.).
- Experience building headless clients, bots, or load-test clients for multiplayer or online features.
- Prior work with: Game or engine-level networking layers.
- Telemetry / logging / metrics systems for a game or local client application.
- Crash reporting, exception handling, or stability tooling.
- Contributions to developer experience: internal tools, documentation, sample projects, or code-generation pipelines.
- Interest in game development and online play – e.g., understanding of matchmaking, parties, lobbies, progression systems, or anti-cheat integration.
Responsibilities
- Own our build pipelines for the Client Code SDK: Maintain and improve Windows and console builds to accelerate developer feedback loops.
- Keep CI fast, reliable, observable, and well-instrumented for all our C++ products.
- Design and implement new features in our C++ client libraries.
- Debug complex production issues that span client, network, and backend services, using logs, packet captures, and focused reproduction harnesses.
- Collaborate with game teams to integrate SDK features, review usage patterns, and promote best practices.
- Write and review technical designs, perform code reviews, and help define coding standards for the team.
- Contribute to internal tooling (build systems, test harnesses, diagnostics tools) that make online features easier to test, validate, and ship.
Benefits
- Extended health plan, including medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance, for employees and their dependents, as well as disability insurance
- RRSP with Company match
- Tuition reimbursement
- Charitable donation matching
- Paid holidays and vacation
- Paid sick time
- Compassion and bereavement leaves
- Parental leave
- Mental health & wellbeing programs
- Fitness programs
- Free and discounted games
- Supplemental life & critical illness
- Legal service
- Relocation assistance
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
