Senior Gameplay Programmer

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Duolingo is hiring a Senior Gameplay Programmer with Unity to join the Music team in London, building a music course in the Duolingo app. You will turn prototypes into robust code, integrate Unity within the app architecture, and collaborate with designers to deliver a polished gamified learner experience. The ideal candidate has strong Unity mobile (iOS/Android) experience, plus a portfolio with game feel and UX and a proven ability to work across teams. Exceptional candidates may have UaaL embedding, music programming, localization, or mobile game mechanics experience. To apply, tailor your portfolio to these requirements, highlight collaboration and prototyping, and show your mission alignment; onsite in London. If accommodations needed, contact [email protected].

Our mission at Duolingo is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. It’s a big mission, and that’s where you come in!

At Duolingo, you’ll join a team that cares about finding innovative solutions to complex technical problems, running countless experiments (300+ at a time!) with our massive user base to make data-driven decisions, and educating our users and employees alike. You’ll have limitless learning opportunities, mentorship and collaboration with world-class minds, and a variety of projects with large scopes — while doing work that’s both fun and meaningful. 

Join our life-changing mission to develop education for our half a billion (and growing!) learners around the world.

About the role

Come join our Music team and help us build the future of music education. We are looking for a Senior gameplay programmer with Unity background to help us implement our new music course. You will help build the best possible user experience for our learners through high-quality interactive lessons.

:brain:  You will...

• Implement the new music course within the Duolingo app using embedded Unity.
• Productionize the existing prototype, turning it into robust, release-ready code.
• Work embedded within the Duolingo app architecture to ensure seamless integration of Unity.
• Collaborate with designers and product partners to refine the look and feel, ensuring a high-quality, gamified user experience.
• Proactively identify issues and opportunities to improve the learner experience.
• Engage in rapid prototyping to test new music mechanics and interaction models.
• Ensure technical mistakes or inconsistencies are fixed as quickly as possible.

:check:  You have...

• Strong experience with Unity development (C#), specifically for mobile platforms (iOS/Android).
• Background in the gaming industry with a portfolio demonstrating high-quality game feel and polish.
• Sharp UX instincts and experience implementing complex UI/UX designs.
• Strong business sense, with proven experience working effectively with multi-functional team members (e.g. engineers, product, and design).
• Thrives in a fast-paced, data-driven, team-oriented environment.
• Strong interest in Duolingo and our mission.

:star:  Exceptional candidates will have...

• Experience embedding Unity as a library (UaaL) into native mobile applications.
• Background in music, music theory, or audio programming.
• Experience in web/mobile localization workflows and tools.
• Familiarity with mobile gaming, with an understanding of game mechanics.

Take a peek at how we care for our employees' holistic well-being with our benefits here.

We will do everything we can within reason to make sure that your interview takes place in an environment that fairly and accurately assesses your skills. If you need assistance or accommodation, please contact [email protected].

Duolingo is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

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