Senior / Staff Backend Engineer (API) – Economy

📋 Description

• • VRChat is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior / Staff Backend Engineer (API) to join our dedicated Economy team. In this pivotal role, you will be instrumental in architecting, developing, and evolving the core backend systems that underpin the entire VRChat economy. This encompasses the intricate mechanisms through which creators earn revenue and users engage in transactions across our expansive global platform.
• • Your primary focus will be on constructing robust, high-integrity backend infrastructure. This infrastructure is critical for supporting a wide array of essential functions, including subscription services, the management of digital ownership, sophisticated creator monetization tools, secure and efficient payment processing, and comprehensive economic analytics, all designed to operate at a massive global scale. The systems you build will be the bedrock of trust and functionality for millions of users and creators.
• • You will be working predominantly with Node.js and TypeScript, leveraging these powerful technologies to design and implement systems where absolute correctness, meticulous auditability, unwavering reliability, and strict compliance are not just desirable, but absolutely non-negotiable. This requires a deep understanding of distributed systems, database design, and secure coding practices.
• • This is an exceptional opportunity for engineers who are passionate about building financial-grade systems. You will be contributing to a vibrant and rapidly growing global creator ecosystem, empowering individuals to build businesses and communities within VRChat. If you thrive on solving complex technical challenges with significant real-world impact, this role offers a unique and rewarding career path.
• • The Economy team at VRChat is at the forefront of innovation, responsible for designing, building, and operating the sophisticated systems that drive creator monetization and all platform-wide transactions. Our mission is to ensure that creators can reliably and sustainably earn income from their work, while simultaneously maintaining the stability, long-term growth, and integrity of the VRChat platform.
• • We operate with a philosophy that balances high velocity and high impact with a strong emphasis on work-life integration. Our team culture is built on a foundation of technical excellence, fostering an environment of mutual respect, collaborative problem-solving, and continuous learning. We believe that the best solutions emerge when talented individuals work together, supporting each other to overcome complex challenges.
• • As a Senior / Staff Backend Engineer, you will be responsible for the end-to-end lifecycle of the services you build. This includes initial design and architecture, through development and testing, to deployment, monitoring, and ongoing maintenance and iteration. You will collaborate closely with product managers, designers, and other engineering teams to translate business requirements into scalable and performant technical solutions.
• • Key responsibilities will include designing and implementing robust APIs for various economic functions, such as managing user wallets, processing in-app purchases, handling creator payouts, and integrating with third-party payment providers. You will also be involved in developing and maintaining the data pipelines and analytics infrastructure necessary for understanding economic trends and user behavior.
• • You will play a crucial role in ensuring the security and compliance of our financial systems, adhering to industry best practices and relevant regulations. This involves implementing strong authentication and authorization mechanisms, performing security reviews, and working with legal and finance teams to ensure adherence to compliance standards.
• • Furthermore, you will contribute to the architectural roadmap for the VRChat economy, identifying opportunities for improvement, scalability, and innovation. This may involve evaluating new technologies, refactoring existing systems, and mentoring junior engineers on best practices.
• • The ideal candidate will possess a strong understanding of distributed systems, microservices architecture, and database technologies (both SQL and NoSQL). Experience with event-driven architectures, message queues, and caching strategies will be highly valued.
• • You will be expected to write clean, well-documented, and thoroughly tested code. A commitment to continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) practices is essential for maintaining our high standards of quality and velocity.
• • This role offers the chance to make a tangible impact on a platform used by millions worldwide, directly influencing the livelihoods of creators and the user experience of our community. You will be a key player in shaping the future of digital economies within virtual worlds.