Lead Java Engineer, Game Tools

Salary: $75,000 - 100,000 per year Requirements:

• We are looking for 5+ years of professional software engineering experience in Java, C#, or a similar object-oriented language.
• We welcome game industry engineers with C++ or C# backgrounds if they can design robust systems.
• We need someone who has built systems that others relied on and continued to maintain.
• We value strong ownership instincts and the ability to take accountability for a system from end to end.
• We expect genuine fluency with AI-assisted development tools such as Claude Code.
• We are looking for practical understanding of Minecraft, including its mechanics, systems, and creator/player behavior.
• We need experience translating non-technical requests into technical plans and working effectively with non-technical stakeholders.
• We are looking for someone who can thrive in a fast-moving entertainment environment, communicate clearly, and adapt quickly to shifting priorities.
• We require the ability to work onsite in Austin, TX.
• We require legal authorization to work in the US without sponsorship.
• Nice-to-have experience includes Minecraft mod development with NeoForge, Forge, or Fabric.
• Nice-to-have experience also includes CommandHelper / MethodScript or other Minecraft server scripting.
• Additional helpful experience includes multiplayer server infrastructure, client-server networking, rendering, or prior work in content production, games, or entertainment.

• We will have you own the technology behind our Aphmau content production Minecraft mod ecosystem.
• We will have you design and build new tools and mods in Java using NeoForge to support creative production concepts.
• We will have you architect shared frameworks and conventions instead of one-off production code.
• We will have you refactor, replace, and retire systems that no longer meet production needs.
• We will have you test and troubleshoot thoroughly before recording days to ensure reliability.
• We will have you maintain codebase health through clear standards, structure, and documentation.
• We will have you keep our AI development practice current, define best practices, and improve team effectiveness with AI tools.
• We will have you review contributions from our Technical Production Assistants and set the technical bar for work touching your systems.
• We will have you mentor others and provide technical direction without direct reporting lines.
• We will have you turn creative requests from production staff into clear technical plans.
• We will have you explain tradeoffs in plain language and partner with production leadership on scope, milestones, and timelines.
• We will have you push back with alternatives when a request is more costly than it first appears.

• AI
• Architect
• C#
• Claude Code
• Fabric
• Support
• Java
• GameDev

More:

We are CatFace, a YouTube entertainment company with a family of channels exceeding 25 million combined subscribers and about 300 million monthly views. Our storytelling is often built inside Minecraft using custom tools and mods developed entirely in-house, and we create multiple unique stories every week for general audiences. This hands-on engineering role is based onsite in Austin, TX and has no direct reports; you will own the technical roadmap for our production tooling, help shape the future of our platform, and work closely with production. We offer excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) contribution, flexible time off, a learning stipend, relocation assistance for candidates moving from outside Austin, lunch/snacks/drinks in the office, and an onsite fitness center with pets in the office once a month. We also offer room to grow into deeper platform ownership or a Team Lead track as our technical organization expands.

last updated 38 week of 2026