Senior Software Engineer, Data Activation & Products - Activision

Activision Blizzard, Inc.•Santa Monica, CA

2d•$102,800 - $190,204•Onsite

About The Position

Activision is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join its Data Activation & Products team. The role focuses on setting engineering standards, building internal applications, and bringing production-grade engineering rigor to data platforms and pipelines. It emphasizes application engineering: dependable internal tools, backend platforms, and service layers that connect game telemetry, cloud infrastructure, event streams, and internal microservices. The engineer will design and operate functional, scalable, high-availability systems that streamline data access, support decision-making, and enable player messaging across Activision titles. The position is based in the Santa Monica (Pen Factory) office and follows an onsite schedule Monday through Thursday. Work arrangements may change at the company’s discretion to meet business needs. The engineer will lead through hands-on development, code reviews, and disciplined technical practices; build internal applications, web tools, and backend services; integrate services and data sources; manage application state and data access across different storage technologies; collaborate across product, design, engineering, analytics, and marketing; and own systems in production, improving their performance, availability, and reliability. The role also involves using modern tools to accelerate development while maintaining accountability for production quality. Activision describes its mission as delivering unrivaled gaming experiences and creating iconic brands in gaming and entertainment. The company values diverse teams and is an equal opportunity employer. Compensation in the U.S. is listed as an annual base pay range of $102,800 to $190,204, with possible incentive compensation that is not guaranteed. The offer may depend on factors including experience, performance, and work location.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
At least 5 years of engineering and product work.
Strong backend programming proficiency, with Python as the primary language.
Proven experience in API design, integration, and performance tuning.
Strong SQL skills and hands-on experience with relational and NoSQL databases.
Practical experience integrating with streaming architecture such as Kafka or Pub/Sub.
Working knowledge of cloud platforms such as GCP or Azure and container workflows such as Docker and Kubernetes.
Solid foundation in software engineering practices, including automated testing, CI/CD, and system monitoring.
Practical experience using AI-assisted development tools, with the technical judgment to evaluate, test, and challenge their outputs.
Curiosity, self-direction, strong analytical problem-solving skills, ability to work independently and learn quickly, and ability to collaborate across teams.

Nice To Haves

Experience building full-stack internal tooling using modern frontend frameworks such as React and TypeScript.
Hands-on experience with Django, FastAPI, or Spring Boot.
Knowledge of Databricks.
Genuine curiosity and a desire to stay abreast of modern technology changes.

Responsibilities

Set engineering standards through hands-on development, thoughtful code reviews, and disciplined technical leadership; promote robust design, automated testing, CI/CD, and clear documentation.
Design and build production-grade internal applications, web tools, and backend services.
Build integration layers and consumers connecting services such as Kafka streams, relational databases, NoSQL stores, cloud storage, and internal platform APIs.
Manage application state and data access across mixed storage technologies, including PostgreSQL, Redis, and Bigtable, with attention to latency and data integrity.
Collaborate with product, design, engineering, analytics, and marketing to turn loosely defined needs into useful software and deliver iteratively as priorities change.
Own software in production, troubleshoot issues, and continuously improve system performance, availability, and reliability.
Use modern tooling to accelerate prototyping, implementation, testing, and debugging while maintaining accountability for production software quality.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
Health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, and dependent care spending accounts.
Life and AD&D insurance and disability insurance.
401(k) with Company match.
Tuition reimbursement and charitable donation matching.
Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, and floating holidays.
Compassion and bereavement leaves and parental leave.
Mental health and wellbeing programs and fitness programs.
Free and discounted games.
Other voluntary benefit programs, including supplemental life and disability coverage, legal service, ID protection, and rental insurance.
Relocation assistance may be available if the Company requires the employee to move geographic locations for the job.
Employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation; it is not guaranteed.