Staff Software Engineer, Slack Desktop Client

About the role

Slack is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to join the Desktop team within the Architecture & Systems organization. This role focuses on building the Desktop Framework, which underpins the Slack desktop client across all platforms. The ideal candidate should have deep expertise in Google's Chromium project and a passion for improving Slack's security, performance, and stability.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional initiatives across Electron and at Slack associated with increasing developer productivity, OS level stability, performance, or security alongside desktop and frontend stakeholders.
• Contribute to key architectural decisions to adapt our existing frontend and desktop infrastructure to support new product features.
• Navigate ambiguity, often identifying and offering solutions to problems like framework migrations or rendering bottlenecks that are not yet evident to the leaders who presented them.
• Maintain and improve the core systems that power the Slack desktop client and Electron framework, including Slack and Electron-based infrastructure and tooling.
• Mentor and develop engineers across the organization, fostering a safe space for learning and serving as a skilled mentor.
• Collaborate with teammates across engineering to identify, define, and solve strategically important initiatives, acting as a leader in communication to de-escalate conflicts and drive consensus.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience writing client-side code (React + TypeScript) for modern web applications at scale.
• Deep Chromium experience, or experience contributing to large scale open source projects.
• Experience working in a large-scale, shared codebase with hundreds of contributors, establishing patterns that allow other teams to contribute effectively without friction.
• Expertise in building complex systems and tooling, with the ability to lead technical design that guides the best decisions across the team.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to tie technical infrastructure to company goals like performance, reliability, and developer velocity. Routinely facilitates dialogue between junior and senior members to surface blockers.
• Experience writing understandable, testable code with an eye towards maintainability and scalability.
• Self-awareness, a commitment to proactively offering regular, constructive feedback and gracefully receiving it to improve yourself and the team culture.
• Eagerness to learn, but also excitement to teach. Understanding that the perfect solution is informed by the people who will be building on your work, rather than being purely dependent on technical merits.
• Bonus points for experience contributing to the engineering reputation externally (e.g., blog posts, speaking at conferences, open source contributions).
• Experience developing on Windows and maintaining build infrastructure for Windows desktop applications.
• Experience in fast-paced and dynamic product development environments.

Qualifications

• Experience with performance profiling and debugging tools for web-based desktop applications.
• Familiarity with desktop development, along with the ability to understand and explain technical trade-offs and complexities.

Skills

• Strong problem-solving and strategic thinking skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Passion for innovation and continuous improvement.

Benefits

Slack offers a comprehensive benefits package including:

• Time off programs
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid parental leave
• Life and disability insurance
• 401(k)
• Employee stock purchasing program

Pay

Salary range for this position is $180,000 - $250,000 annually, commensurate with experience.

Schedule

This role is full-time and remote-friendly.