Software Engineer - C++

figma

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

Posted Jun 2, 2025

Full-time
Engineering

Job description

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.

What you’ll do at Figma:

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

We’d love to hear from you if you have:

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

While it’s not required, it’s an added plus if you also 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

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.

Pay Transparency Disclosure

Job level and actual compensation will be decided based on factors including, but not limited to, individual qualifications objectively assessed during the interview process (including skills and prior relevant experience, potential impact, and scope of role), market demands, and specific work location.

Figma offers equity to employees, as well as 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. Figma provides paid sick leave, holidays, and other leave benefits in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the requirements of the Washington Minimum Wage Act and related regulations. 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. Figma also offers 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.

Annual Base Salary Range:

$153,000—$376,000 USD

At Figma we celebrate and support our differences. We know employing a team rich in diverse thoughts, experiences, and opinions allows our employees, our product and our community to flourish. 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 accommodations-ext@figma.com. These modifications enable an individual with a disability to have an equal opportunity not only to get a job, but successfully perform their job tasks to the same extent as people without disabilities.

Examples of accommodations include but are not limited to:

Holding interviews in an accessible location
Enabling closed captioning on video conferencing
Ensuring all written communication be compatible with screen readers
Changing the mode or format of interviews

To ensure the integrity of our hiring process and facilitate a more personal connection, we require all candidates keep their cameras on during video interviews. Additionally, if hired you will be required to attend in person onboarding.

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.