Senior Software Engineer

Senior Software Engineer – Logging, Diagnostics & Post-Release Incident Analysis

Overview

The PlayStation Portal Platform team is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to lead the design, development, and operation of Logging and Diagnostics infrastructure that enables rapid detection, investigation, and resolution of Performance, Stability, and Platform Quality issues occurring after products are released to customers.

In this role, you will be responsible for building scalable Logging Architecture, Crash Diagnostics, and Incident Analysis Frameworks that empower engineering teams to perform efficient root cause analysis of field issues. You will collaborate closely with Engineering, Quality Engineering (QE), Customer Support, Security, and Product teams to reduce the time from issue detection to root cause identification and drive continuous improvements in product quality and reliability.

We are looking for engineers who are passionate about quality, thrive on solving complex system-level problems, and take strong ownership in delivering exceptional user experiences through continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Logging Architecture

• Define and drive the overall platform logging strategy.
• Design and implement logging frameworks for AOSP-based systems.
• Establish log collection, storage, retention, and archival strategies.
• Define structured logging standards and best practices.
• Design logging mechanisms optimized for field debugging and post-release analysis.
• Improve platform observability and telemetry quality.

Diagnostics & Debuggability

• Build infrastructure for Crash, ANR, Native Crash, and Kernel Panic analysis.
• Define strategies for collecting and analyzing Tombstones, DropBox entries, Bugreports, and diagnostic artifacts.
• Develop diagnostic frameworks for system failure analysis and troubleshooting.
• Create tools that support issue reproduction and root cause analysis.
• Drive initiatives that improve platform debuggability and diagnosability.
• Partner with development teams to ensure diagnostic capabilities are built into the platform.

Post-Release Incident Analysis

• Investigate and analyze production issues occurring in customer environments.
• Identify, classify, and track recurring failure patterns.
• Lead incident reviews, postmortems, and corrective action initiatives.
• Drive improvements in Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) and Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR).
• Provide actionable recommendations to engineering teams for quality improvements.

Monitoring & Alerting

• Design and implement log-based monitoring systems.
• Develop anomaly detection mechanisms for platform health and stability.
• Build automated alerting and escalation frameworks.
• Create dashboards and reporting tools for field quality monitoring.
• Define and track reliability metrics and operational KPIs.

Security & Compliance

• Design and implement secure logging and diagnostics infrastructure.
• Ensure protection of PII and sensitive customer information.
• Support security incident investigations and forensic analysis.
• Define log retention policies and ensure compliance with company and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with Security teams to implement secure-by-design principles.

Required Qualifications

• A genuine passion for delivering high-quality software and exceptional user experiences, with a strong sense of ownership and accountability for product quality.
• Experience working in Agile development environments and driving continuous quality improvements through iterative development, data-driven decision making, and customer feedback.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of experience in Android native development with strong expertise in Java/Kotlin and Android Studio.
• Experience developing Android/AOSP system software.
• Experience designing and implementing Logging, Diagnostics, or Observability systems.
• Strong experience with crash analysis, production debugging, and root cause investigation.
• Experience debugging Linux Kernel or low-level system software issues.
• Strong programming skills in C/C++, Java, and/or Kotlin.
• Experience analyzing large-scale production incidents and system failures.
• Proven track record of conducting Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and driving corrective actions.
• Strong understanding of software architecture, operating systems, and system software fundamentals.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing Android Framework components.
• Experience with Kernel Logging, Tracing, and low-level diagnostics.
• Hands-on experience with Perfetto, Systrace, ftrace, or similar profiling and tracing tools.
• Experience building or operating Crash Analytics platforms.
• Experience with Security Incident Response and forensic investigations.
• Experience developing Consumer Electronics products.
• Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) experience.
• Experience with modern JavaScript frameworks such as React, React Native, Angular, or similar technologies for building responsive user interfaces and dynamic applications.
• Experience designing telemetry, observability, monitoring, or analytics platforms.
• Familiarity with cloud-native logging and analytics solutions.
• Experience developing developer tools, debugging tools, or operational dashboards.

What We're Looking For

• Passion for quality, reliability, and operational excellence.
• Strong ownership and accountability for outcomes.
• Customer-focused mindset with a commitment to exceptional user experiences.
• Ability to investigate complex system-level issues and identify root causes.
• Strong collaboration skills across cross-functional teams.
• Continuous improvement mindset and commitment to engineering excellence.

Impact

Your work will directly influence the quality, reliability, and supportability of PlayStation Portal products used by millions of players worldwide.

By building world-class logging, diagnostics, monitoring, and incident analysis capabilities, you will enable engineering teams to detect issues faster, resolve them more efficiently, and continuously improve the customer experience.

At SIE, we consider several factors when setting each role’s base pay range, including the competitive benchmarking data for the market and geographic location.

Please note that the base pay range may vary in line with our hybrid working policy and individual base pay will be determined based on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location.

In addition, this role is eligible for SIE’s top-tier benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, matching 401(k), paid time off, wellness program and coveted employee discounts for Sony products. This role also may be eligible for a bonus package. Click here to learn more.

The estimated base pay range for this role is listed below.