Lead Game Engineer (Unreal Engine)

TL;DR

Lead Game Engineer (Unreal Engine): Leading the engineering team in developing a next-generation immersive sim focused on non-lethal exploration and systemic player agency with an accent on technical architecture and cross-discipline collaboration. Focus on transforming creative visions into performant shippable systems and mentoring a distributed team of engineers.

Location: Fully remote within the United States

Salary: $150,000 - $210,000

Company

hirify.global is an independent game studio dedicated to creating deeply immersive, player-authored games that evolve the tradition of classics like System Shock and Deus Ex.

What you will do

• Own the game's technical direction, defining architecture and implementation approaches.
• Lead, manage, and mentor the engineering team, providing coaching, feedback, and career support.
• Stay hands-on with coding, reviewing, debugging, and troubleshooting key systems.
• Collaborate with design, art, and production to turn ambitious creative ideas into stable, performant features.
• Identify technical risks, staffing gaps, and tech debt early to prevent production bottlenecks.
• Partner with production leads to define tasks, estimate effort, and build realistic development schedules.

Requirements

• 8+ years of programming experience in the games industry, with at least one commercially successful shipped PC or console title.
• 4+ years of experience as a programming lead with proven technical and managerial skills.
• Expert knowledge of C++ and strong proficiency in C#.
• Deep expertise with Unreal Engine, including practical experience building and shipping within the engine.
• Experience across core engine development, AI, networking, gameplay, and tools.
• Must be based in the United States.

Nice to have

• Experience with systemic gameplay, emergent choice, RPG systems, or simulation-driven environments.
• Experience leading engineering teams through early prototyping and pre-production.
• Deep familiarity with the immersive sim genre and its focus on player agency.
• Experience improving engineering pipelines, build stability, and technical documentation.

Culture & Benefits

• Fully remote work arrangement for staff within North America.
• Full suite of competitive benefits available to US-based employees.
• Opportunity to collaborate with industry pioneers like Warren Spector.
• Work environment that values diverse perspectives and a shared passion for engaging experiences.
• Occasional travel for key team meetings.