Senior Game Engine Developer

As a Senior Game Engine Developer at Pocket Worlds, your key responsibilities include owning and optimizing critical systems within our Unity engine, particularly focusing on rendering, avatars, and performance. You will collaborate cross-functionally to implement engine improvements that significantly enhance user experience, dive deep into Unity’s render pipelines, and champion technical excellence throughout your work while taking full ownership of features from design to implementation.

To excel as a Senior Game Engine Developer at Pocket Worlds, you should have a minimum of 8 years of experience in game development, with at least 4 years dedicated to game engine programming. Extensive proficiency in Unity and C#, along with a solid understanding of render pipelines like URP or HDRP, is essential. Experience in developing avatar systems and a proven track record of delivering scalable engine features are also key qualifications for this role.

Pocket Worlds fosters collaboration by encouraging Senior Game Engine Developers to work closely with artists, designers, and backend teams. This teamwork is crucial in ensuring that engine improvements align with creative visions and user experiences. We provide an elite and diverse team atmosphere where innovation is celebrated, and contributions from all departments play a significant role in the overall success of Highrise.

As a Senior Game Engine Developer at Pocket Worlds, you will work on innovative projects that enhance the Highrise platform. This includes building and optimizing the engine infrastructure, focusing on avatar customization, rendering efficiency, and scalable features to accommodate an ever-growing global player base, all aimed at creating compelling social experiences within our virtual worlds.

As a Senior Game Engine Developer at Pocket Worlds, you can expect a competitive salary, equity options, an equipment allowance, as well as healthcare and 401k benefits for US employees. We also offer unlimited PTO and an education stipend designed to support your continual learning and professional growth within the gaming industry.

When answering this question, emphasize your extensive experience with Unity, particularly focusing on projects where you've utilized C# for game engine programming. Highlight specific optimizations you've implemented and how they improved performance, discussing any notable challenges faced and how you overcame them in the development process.

To effectively address this question, discuss specific optimization techniques you've used in past projects, such as implementing efficient render pipelines, utilizing occlusion culling, or optimizing shaders. Provide examples of how these strategies improved frame rates or overall rendering quality in your previous work.

Explain your approach to feedback by emphasizing the importance of collaboration and communication. Describe how you seek feedback from team members across disciplines, incorporate their suggestions into your work, and how this iterative process leads to a stronger product. Sharing anecdotes of positive outcomes stemming from feedback will solidify your answer.

Highlight specific projects where you've worked on avatar systems, discussing aspects like rigging, animation, and customization options. Explain the methodologies you employed to create flexible systems that boost user engagement and satisfaction, showcasing your understanding of how avatars enhance virtual environments.

Discuss how you view technical leadership as a critical part of your function. Illustrate instances where you've led projects, mentored junior developers, and influenced the architectural decisions of the game engine. Emphasize that your leadership style fosters an environment of innovation and excellence.

Explain your considerations in designing scalable engine features, focusing on performance metrics, user growth projections, and architectural flexibility. Discuss how you ensure that features can handle increased demand without compromising user experience, perhaps referencing past experiences to back your statement.

Articulate your dedication to continuous learning, mentioning specific resources such as online courses, industry journals, or community forums that you actively engage with. Discuss any relevant projects or contributions you've made to open source or personal game projects that illustrate your proactive nature.

Use this opportunity to narrate a particular challenge succinctly while highlighting your problem-solving skills. Describe your approach, the steps you took, and the outcome, ensuring relevance to game development and showcasing your resilience and ability to innovate under pressure.

Answer by discussing the collaborative process you use to translate artistic vision into engineering realities. Provide examples of how you facilitate communication with non-engineering team members, incorporating their artistic feedback into technical specifications and ensuring their needs are met in final solutions.

Express your enthusiasm for exploring untapped potential in social virtual worlds, explaining how technology can amplify user interaction and creativity. Mention specific advancements or trends you're excited about and relate them to your passion for immersive experiences that empower communities.