Lead Java Engineer, Game Tools (Minecraft)

About CatFace CatFace is a YouTube entertainment company, home to a family of channels with over 25 million combined subscribers and an average of 300 million views per month. We entertain general audiences with fun, light-hearted narratives, producing multiple unique stories every week. Most of that storytelling happens inside Minecraft, powered by custom tools and mods built entirely in-house. When a writer imagines a scene that Minecraft can't do yet, someone here builds the system that makes it possible. Channels: Aphmau Gaming • Aphmau Shuki • Aphmau Fantasy Sites: Aphmau Store • CatFace The Role You will own the technology behind Aphmau content production: the Minecraft mod ecosystem our production team uses every day. Today that ecosystem is roughly assist with daily videos and already has over a dozen added pieces. It works, and it has grown organically. Your job is to turn it into a durable platform: reusable systems that outlast any single video and serve the Aphmau brand for years. This is a hands-on engineering role with no direct reports. You own the systems, not the org chart. You'll spend your days in the code, in conversation with production, and thinking several videos ahead about what the platform needs to support. You will also write Java with AI. AI-assisted development is central to how we build here, and this role is expected to use tools like Claude Code as a core part of daily work. On authority: you own the technical roadmap for production tooling. You set the standards the code is held to, you decide how the work is sequenced, and you have the final call on whether a tool is ready for a recording day. You're accountable for reliability, and you have the authority that comes with it. What You'll Own The platform Architect CatFace's internal mod ecosystem: shared frameworks and conventions instead of one-off code written per production. Design and build new tools and mods in Java (NeoForge) that bring production's creative concepts to life. Refactor and retire what no longer serves production as needs evolve. Test and troubleshoot thoroughly ahead of recording days. Production runs on a schedule and reliability is non-negotiable. Own the health of the codebase: standards, structure, and documentation good enough that the next engineer can pick it up. The practice Own our AI development practice: keep tooling current, establish best practices, and make everyone who touches our tooling measurably more effective with it. Set the technical bar for work that touches your systems, including reviewing contributions from our Technical Production Assistants. You'll mentor and give technical direction without carrying reporting lines. The translation layer Turn creative asks from non-technical production staff into clear technical plans, and explain tradeoffs in plain language. Partner with production leadership on scope, milestones, and timelines, and push back with alternatives when a request is more expensive than it looks. What We're Looking For 5+ years of professional software engineering in Java, C#, or a comparable object-oriented language. Game industry engineers from C++ and C# backgrounds are genuinely welcome here; if you can architect systems, the language is the easy part. Systems you built that other people depended on and maintained after you. We care much more about durable architecture than volume of shipped features. Ownership instinct. You've been the person accountable for a system end to end, setting its direction rather than waiting for tickets. Genuine fluency with AI-assisted development (Claude Code or similar). This is foundational to the role, not a nice-to-have. Real knowledge of Minecraft as a game: mechanics, systems, and what players and creators actually do in it. Proven ability to work with non-technical stakeholders and translate creative requests into technical plans. Comfort in a fast-paced entertainment environment where priorities can shift quickly, and great, timely communication. Everything we do here depends on treating people with respect. Able to work onsite in Austin, TX, and legally authorized to work in the US without sponsorship. You do not need to have shipped a Minecraft mod. If you're a strong engineer and you know Minecraft, we will get you productive in NeoForge quickly, and AI-assisted development makes that ramp much shorter than it used to be. We'd rather hire engineering judgment and teach the stack. Nice to Have Hands-on Minecraft mod development (NeoForge, Forge, or Fabric). CommandHelper / MethodScript or other Minecraft server scripting. Multiplayer server infrastructure, client-server networking, or rendering. Prior work in content production, games, or entertainment. What We Offer Excellent medical, dental, and vision benefits 401(k) contribution Flexible time off Learning stipend Relocation assistance for candidates coming from outside Austin Lunch, snacks, and drinks in the office Onsite fitness center, and pets in the office once a month Room to grow as the technical org does: deeper platform ownership, or the Team Lead track if you decide you want to build and run a team Why This Role You'll shape the technical future of one of the most beloved channels in the Minecraft community, and the systems you build will reach millions of people every month. The platform is early enough that you get to define what it becomes, and the team is small enough that your decisions stick. If you want to own a real platform end to end rather than a slice of someone else's, and you're already building with AI, this is a rare chance to do it on something people genuinely love. Catface