Lead Gameplay Programmer, Unreal Engine
What We Do
Unreal-powered projects have been on the bleeding edge of real-time entertainment for over 20 years. Our team of engineering experts are always innovating to improve the tools and technology that empower content developers worldwide.
What You'll Do
We're looking for a Lead Gameplay Engine Programmer to lead a team who will build the systems that Unreal Engine customers build their games on. You and your team will also be improving and supporting existing gameplay systems such as Blueprint, Gameplay Ability System, Enhanced Input, Game Features and Modular Gameplay plugins. You should have experience leading a team of programmers and setting them up for success.
You should have a broad knowledge of modern game engine technology, as well as a good sense of trade-offs between performance, memory usage, and ease-of-implementation. Additionally, you should have experience working closely with developers in all disciplines, not just other programmers. Your team’s goal is to empower Unreal Engine users, including Fortnite, to make world-class experiences using the systems that you create, through close iteration with both our internal game teams and external engine customers.
In this role, you will
- Lead, architect and guide gameplay system development to help Unreal Engine grow to fit the needs of current and future games and applications.
- Scope and prioritize work in close collaboration with the team, making trade-offs when they’re appropriate.
- Maintain long term feature roadmaps that align with Unreal Engine goals.
- Work closely with other teams, leads and production across different projects to align feature work to help everyone succeed.
- Work with artists, animators, and designers to understand their needs when designing and developing engine systems.
- Optimize memory and performance, and fix common problems in systems that have to scale from high-end to mobile systems.
- Be a go-to expert resource for supporting gameplay systems in internal projects such as Fortnite, and answer questions from external Unreal Engine customers.
What we're looking for
- Someone with excellent leadership skills, including mentorship, planning technical roadmaps, making trade-offs, and prioritization.
- Excellent C++ skills, with a familiarity of scripting systems like Blueprint, Lua, Python, etc.
- Experience in a broad range of programming areas on shipping games or real-time visualization systems, with special attention given to low-level code and deep optimization.
- Well-versed in software engineering principles, especially API design.
- Experience in a cross-disciplinary development environment, with excellent cross-discipline communication skills. You should be able to communicate and explain trade-offs to non-programmers.
- Familiarity with an existing game engine with an understanding of game engine and editor concepts.
- Familiarity with development tools and profiling on modern systems, including PC, console, and mobile.
- Experience developing in a large codebase at a fast pace, making trade-offs between usability, performance, and power.
Pay Transparency Information
The expected annual base pay range(s) for this position are detailed below. Each base pay range is relevant only for individuals who are residents of or will be expected to work within the specified locale. Compensation varies based on a variety of factors, which include (but aren’t limited to) things such as skills and competencies, qualifications, knowledge, and experience. In addition to base pay, most employees are eligible to participate in Epic’s generous benefit plans and discretionary incentive programs (subject to the terms of those plans or programs).
EPIC JOB + EPIC BENEFITS = EPIC LIFE
Our intent is to cover all things that are medically necessary and improve the quality of life. We pay 100% of the premiums for both you and your dependents. Our coverage includes Medical, Dental, a Vision HRA, Long Term Disability, Life Insurance & a 401k with competitive match. We also offer a robust mental well-being program through Modern Health, which provides free therapy and coaching for employees & dependents.
Throughout the year we celebrate our employees with events and company-wide paid breaks. We offer unlimited PTO and sick time and recognize individuals for 7 years of employment with a paid sabbatical.
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