Principal Software Engineer, Systems and Tools

Summary 

We are looking for a versatile and highly motivated Principal Engineer to join our Unreal, Mission Tools team.  In this role, you will build systems and tools within Unreal 5 that will be used to create story and open world missions or quests. You will enable designers and scripters to create rich, engaging content, and create the tools to manage many hours' worth of player experience. The systems you develop will be used by designers, engineers, and QA, and interface with disciplines across the studio. 

Core Responsibilities 

Work with technical directors, producers, designers, and other customers to gather requirements for new tools and systems. 

Design and implement systems, with an emphasis on robustness, developer efficiency, and developer experience. 

Document, maintain, and support the systems and tools you build. 

Collaborate with other pods (combat, AI, cinematics, etc.) on interfaces, system designs, and implementation. 

Collaborate with other team members and Heart of the Dawn's co-dev partners on code reviews and knowledge sharing. 

Core Qualifications 

3+ years of experience in Unreal development. 

Worked on at least one AAA title in a senior or lead engineering role. 

Expertise in C++ and strong knowledge of modern software engineering practices. 

Strong generalist, with the desire and ability to learn multiple game systems and tools. 

Ability to work collaboratively across departments and lead cross-functional, cross-team initiatives. 

Ability to evaluate the technical and project impact of a feature or change. 

Ability to understand users’ requirements, and great UX instincts for creating tools that team members love to use. 

Strong customer focus and ability to troubleshoot issues quickly. 

Superb verbal and written communication skills. 

Plus If… 

Experience working on tools within Unreal, maintaining them through a full production cycle. 

Experience with Unreal's WorldPartition, K2Nodes, serialization, and UI systems. 

Experience with IMGUI and LogicDriverPro is a big plus. 

Experience working on an open-world project.