Lead Gameplay Software Engineer (United States)

We are a bold, people-first, recently established AAA game studio, looking for an experienced Lead Gameplay Software Engineer who is not afraid to rethink the status quo. This is a rare opportunity to work on a brand new IP with a small team of dreamers, achievers and pioneers. In this role you will provide technical leadership of unique gameplay experiences. This is ideal for someone who has contributed to a wide set of gameplay features and is driven to innovate. A strong candidate will have experience leading cross-functional development of features from concept to ship involving core mechanics, navigation, camera, player and character controls. They are crafty and content in figuring out the quickest route to unblock themselves and their teammates. We're looking for a dynamic, innovative individual who can seamlessly transition between code and design, engaging in productive dialogue and is adept at collaborating with a cross-functional team. If you have a passion for creating a narrative-driven, AAA game that our audience will love, a keen eye for excellence, and the technical expertise to pop open the hood and get the best out of Unreal Engine 5, we would love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain high quality, efficient gameplay code in UE5 using C++.
• Facilitate effective cross-functional collaboration to implement, refine, and deliver unique gameplay features.
• Shape new processes and drive initiatives that improves the state of gameplay technology at the studio
• Drives technical initiatives that innovate in the design and implementation of gameplay mechanics, traversal, character, camera, AI, player navigation and controls.
• Help debug, optimize, and ensure stability of the game.
• Manage up to five gameplay engineers, provide technical leadership and help mentor less experienced team members.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• At least 10 years of experience in gameplay programming and at least two shipped AAA games.
• At least 3 years of management experience including hiring, reviews, career development, coaching and mentoring
• Strong knowledge of C++ and object-oriented programming.
• Comfortable setting up and maintaining a development environment.
• Proven experience in at least two of the following: core gameplay mechanics, navigation, game AI, camera, player or character controls.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and excels at collaborating with team members.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with Unreal Engine, with prior UE4+ experience highly desirable.
• Strong game design sensibilities and experience working closely with game designers on either gameplay mechanics or character, camera and controls
• Demonstrated understanding working on modern console hardware architecture including multi-threaded job systems, memory management and performance targets.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work in a self-directed manner.
• Portfolio of previous projects showing a range of experience

Compensation Range: $131,000- $230,000