Principal Software Engineer (backend) - Payments

Level Up Your Career with Zynga!

At Zynga, we bring people together through the power of play. As a global leader in interactive entertainment and a proud label of Take-Two Interactive, our games have been downloaded over 6 billion times—connecting players in 175+ countries through fun, strategy, and a little friendly competition.

From thrilling casino spins to epic strategy battles, mind-bending puzzles, and social word challenges, our diverse game portfolio has something for everyone. Fan-favorites and latest hits include FarmVille™, Words With Friends™, Zynga Poker™, Game of Thrones Slots Casino™, Wizard of Oz Slots™, Hit it Rich! Slots™, Wonka Slots™, Top Eleven™, Toon Blast™, Empires & Puzzles™, Merge Dragons!™, CSR Racing™, Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells™, Match Factory™, and Color Block Jam™—plus many more!

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in California, our teams span North America, Europe, and Asia, working together to craft unforgettable gaming experiences. Whether you're spinning, strategizing, matching, or competing, Zynga is where fun meets innovation—and where you can take your career to the next level.

Join us and be part of the play!

Position Overview:

Come join the team at Zynga making an impact across all of the company’s games - Central Technology! We focus on shared client & server tech that drives the core gameplay experience under the hood. We’re looking for outstanding engineers with a passion for technology and the desire to work in a team with dynamic strengths. The Principal Software Engineer will be working with a complementary team of software engineers to craft and maintain Zynga’s core Payments platform, which enables flawless integration with app stores, consoles, and payments processing providers. They will play a key role in helping architect, build and improve the next-gen framework for our games.

What You'll Do:

• Design and architect new backend applications/services running in AWS


• Optimize and refactor existing services to improve reliability, scalability and to lower cost


• Document and build plans for architecture and system designs


• Take a hands-on approach in architecting, writing and reviewing code


• Review detailed tech plans from others, aligning with the team and Zynga-wide technical vision


• Proactively identify and recommend improvements to address systemic problems and tech debt


• Follow engineering standard methodologies to ensure code quality, performance and reliability


• Work collaboratively across teams to understand product/customer requirements and propose technical solutions


• Provide production and integration support for shared technology across Zynga games

What You Bring:

• Degree in a technical field (e.g., Computer Science, Computer Engineering) or equivalent experience


• 6+ years of hands-on software development experience


• Experience in programming RESTful services using Java


• Solid understanding of backend server applications and web services


• Strong familiarity and experience using AWS and/or other cloud computing platforms (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)


• Strong familiarity and experience with database systems (SQL, NoSQL)


• Experience with C#/C++ and mobile client development is a strong plus


• Familiarity with containers and Kubernetes


• Familiarity with web development using JavaScript, Angular, and/or React


• Deep understanding of algorithms, design patterns, debugging and performance optimization


• Experience in object-oriented design of applications/systems


• Experience with agile development methodologies and tools


• Excellent interpersonal skills - particularly the ability to discuss timelines, design concerns, work with distributed teams, and provide effective feedback to team members


• Experience working with AI tools

What We Offer You :

Zynga offers a world-class benefits package that helps support and balance the needs of our teams. To find out more about our benefits, visit the Zynga Benefits site

The pay range for this position in Toronto at the start of employment is expected to be between $114,300 and $164,300 per Year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations. Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards and eligibility to participate in our 401(K) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program. Regular, full-time employees are also eligible for a range of benefits at the Company, including: medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage; 14 paid holidays per calendar year; paid vacation time per calendar year (ranging from 15 to 25 days) or eligibility to participate in the Company’s discretionary time off program; up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year; paid parental and compassionate leave; wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support; family planning support through Maven; commuter benefits; and reimbursements for fitness-related expenses. The use of Artificial Intelligence is not being used to screen candidates. The position is for an existing vacancy.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, which means we are committed to creating and celebrating diverse thoughts, cultures, and backgrounds throughout our organization. Employment with us is based on substantive ability, objective qualifications, and work ethic – not an individual’s race, creed, color, religion, sex or gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, alienage or citizenship status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, status as a victim of domestic violence or sex offenses, reproductive health decision, or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to providing the necessary support and accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities, health conditions, or impairments (subject to any local qualifying requirements) to ensure their full participation in the job application or interview process. Please contact us at View email address on jobs.jobcopilot.com to request any accommodations or for support related to your application for an open position.

Please be aware that Zynga does not conduct job interviews or make job offers over third-party messaging apps such as Telegram, WhatsApp, or others. Zynga also does not engage in any financial exchanges during the recruitment or onboarding process, and will never ask a candidate for their personal or financial information over an app or other unofficial chat channel. Any attempt to do so may be the result of a scamp or phishing attack, and you should not engage. Zynga’s in-house recruitment team will only contact individuals through their official Company email addresses (i.e., via a zynga.com, take2games.com, naturalmotion.com, smallgiantgames.com, themavens.com, gram.gs email domain).