About the Position

Software Engineer - C++

San Francisco, CA • New York, NY • United States

Figma is growing our team of passionate creatives and builders on a mission to make design accessible to all. Figma’s platform helps teams bring ideas to life-whether you're brainstorming, creating a prototype, translating designs into code, or iterating with AI. From idea to product, Figma empowers teams to streamline workflows, move faster, and work together in real time from anywhere in the world. If you're excited to shape the future of design and collaboration, join us!

As a Software Engineer, you'll work on some of the most technically challenging and impactful parts of our product. You will be developing high-performance client-side systems in C++/WebAssembly, extending the multiplayer protocols that make collaborative design possible, and building out the communications layer between C++ and Javascript. Your contributions will help push the boundaries of what's possible in the browser. You'll also help shape our user experience by building features that are fast, accessible, and intuitive-even in the face of complex data models and intermittent connectivity.

This is a highly collaborative role: you'll partner closely with designers, product managers, and other engineers to plan, build, and iterate on features that serve millions of users around the world. Whether you're optimizing our core engine, building authoring tools, or crafting new platform abstractions, your work will be key to advancing the future of design.

This is a full-time role that can be held from one of our US hubs or remotely in the United States.

Responsibilities

Build core features and frontend infrastructure in a real-time, multiplayer system with a complex in-memory data model (SceneGraph)
Optimize performance and memory usage to deliver a fast, reliable UX in the browser using C++/WebAssembly and TypeScript
Extend our core C++ engine and multiplayer protocols to support scalable design systems, branching/merging flows, and advanced collaboration modes
Design and build APIs and tooling to allow product teams to build against our platform with ease and confidence
Contribute to accessibility strategy and implementation, ensuring our tools are usable by all
Collaborate regularly with cross-functional partners across product, design, and engineering to plan and execute high-impact projects
Write clear, maintainable code and documentation, and contribute to architectural decisions
Mentor and support other engineers through pairing, code review, and feedback
Help drive recruitment and shape our inclusive, high-performance engineering culture

Requirements

4+ years of professional Software Engineering experience shipping user-facing features or products
Strong programming skills in one or more languages relevant to our frontend such as TypeScript, C++, React, Go, Rust, or Python
Experience working with web-based applications, browser performance, or real-time collaborative systems
A track record of working collaboratively across teams and disciplines to deliver complex technical projects

Nice to Have

2+ years of experience in a technical lead role, especially across multiple teams
Experience with game engines, rendering systems, or other performance-critical applications
Background in developer platforms or API design
Familiarity with WebAssembly, browser internals, or C++ in a frontend context
Passion for crafting collaborative tools and creative workflows
A strong product mindset and attention to user experience
A commitment to continuous learning, inclusion, and helping others grow

We Offer

Competitive salary range: $153,000-$376,000 USD
Equity and a competitive package of additional benefits, including health, dental, and vision coverage; retirement benefits with company contributions; parental leave and reproductive or family planning support; mental health and wellness benefits; and paid time off.
Paid sick leave, holidays, and other leave benefits in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.
Exempt employees are eligible for employer-provided paid flexible PTO in addition to flexible paid sick leave. PTO is subject to manager approval.
Additional benefits may include company recharge days, cell phone and home internet reimbursements, and a number of lifestyle spending accounts.
Sales incentive compensation for most sales roles and an annual bonus plan for eligible non-sales roles.
All compensation and benefits are subject to applicable plan terms and may be modified by Figma at any time, consistent with applicable law.

About the Company

At Figma, one of our values is Grow as you go. We believe in hiring smart, curious people who are excited to learn and develop their skills. If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with the points outlined in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Figma is an equal opportunity workplace - we are dedicated to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity/expression, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

We will work to ensure individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to apply for a role, participate in the interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. If you require accommodation, please reach out to [email protected].

By applying for this job, the candidate acknowledges and agrees that any personal data contained in their application or supporting materials will be processed in accordance with Figma's Candidate Privacy Notice.

Application limits: To help candidates focus on the opportunities most relevant to their skills and experience, Figma limits the number and frequency of applications. These limits apply to all roles:

Candidates may submit up to 5 applications during any rolling 30-day period.
Candidates may not reapply to the same role while an application is active or within 90 days of receiving a rejection.

Once the applicable days have passed, candidates are welcome to apply again.

Software Engineer - C++

Job description