Principal Software Engineer, Automation - Diablo | Irvine, CA or Albany, NY
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Overview
Job Description
Team Name:
DiabloJob Title:
Principal Software Engineer, Automation - Diablo | Irvine, CA or Albany, NYRequisition ID:
R026862Job Description:
We Need You
The minions of hell are growing stronger…
Join us as we continue to shape the Diablo universe! Diablo games are action RPG experiences with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish Dungeons, and legendary loot. Come work with us, and togetherwe’llcreate something amazing. Our team of passionate developers is growing.
We are seeking an experiencedPrincipal Software Engineer,Automationto help build the next generation of ARPG experiences within one of Blizzard’s most iconic franchises, Diablo. In this role, you willoperateas a technical leader, driving the evolution of our automatedbuild andtesting pipelines and shaping automation practices across the project. Your work will directly influence the quality, stability, and long-term health of the Diablo franchise.
The Build & Automation team owns the systems that enable Diablo to ship andoperateatscale. Weare responsible forcontinuous integration, performance, anddevelopment stabilityacross multiple live and in-development game branches,maintainingbuild clusters,validatinggame data integrity, executing stress and performance testing, and producing platform-ready builds for all supported platforms.
This role offers a flexible hybrid work week, with a mix of remote and on-site days.While hybrid is the standard arrangement, you're also welcome to workon-sitefull-time if you prefer. Our primary studio locations are in Albany, NY, and Irvine, CA.
Responsibilities:
Define andevolvethelong-termtechnical direction for automation, CI/CD, and build infrastructure across multiple Diablo projects.
Serve as aprincipal-leveltechnical advisor to engineering, production, and partner teams, guiding decisions around scalability, risk, and sustainability.
Make architecturaltrade-offsthat balance reliability, performance, cost, and developer experience.
Architect and evolve acomprehensive automation ecosystemcovering builds, verification,performance,stress testing, and platform-ready delivery.
Modernize andoperatelarge‑scale hybridcloudinfrastructure, ensuring high availability, scalability, and predictable outcomes for live services.
Improve signal quality, test coverage, and observability through data-driven automation and operational best practices.
Act as aforce multiplierby enabling teams to ship faster and safer through strong platforms, tooling, and standards.
Mentor engineers across levels and teams, raising the bar for system design, code quality, and technical rigor.
Lead cross-team alignment through design reviews, technical guidance, and clear ownership models.
MinimumRequirements
12+ years of professional software engineering experience, including shipped products.
Demonstrated impact as a senior technical leader, influencing architecture and strategy beyond your immediate team.
Deepexpertise C++ or C#, plus strongproficiencyin at least one scripting orinterpretedlanguage (e.g., Python, Groovy, Perl).
Proven experience designing andoperatinglarge‑scale automation, CI/CD, or build systems.
Experience with cloud platforms (Azure, GCP, or equivalent) and hybrid infrastructure models.
Strong system‑level thinking, with the ability to reasonaboutcomplex, distributed environments.
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to align technical and non-technical stakeholders.
A passion for automation, validation, and building durable engineering systems with a service-oriented mindset.
Bonus Points
Ownership or stewardship of production build systems (e.g.,Jenkins) supporting live operations.
Strong working knowledge of Windows and Linux environments.
Experience with SQL databases, telemetry, or data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau).
Version control system integration and large‑repo workflows.
Experience automating workflows for video game consoles.
Your Platform
Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and StarCraft®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard, which wasacquiredby Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment experiences. Blizzard Entertainment has created some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and genre-defining games over the last 30 years, witha track recordthat includes multiple Game of the Year awards. Blizzard Entertainment engages tens of millions of players around the world with titles available on PC via Battle.net®, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.
Our World
Activision Blizzard, Inc., is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media,technologyand entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!
Our ability to build immersive and innovative worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrivein order toconnect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical,emotionaland financial well-being for ‘Every World’ -we’vegot our employees covered!
The video game industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners
We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all the qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.
We are committed to working with and providing reasonableassistanceto individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to accommodationrequests@activisionblizzard.com. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminateon the basis ofrace, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.
Rewards
We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered! Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:
- Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
- 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
- Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
- Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
- If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.
Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company. You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.
In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $146,000.00 - $270,004.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.Automate your job search with Sonara.
Submit 10x as many applications with less effort than one manual application.