Principal Gameplay Engineer

Job content

Overview

Rare is an Xbox Game Studio creating the kind of games the world doesn’t have. Our values – explorers, evolving, together – are fundamental to the games we make and how we make them. Rare offers rewarding and fulfilling careers for exceptional people, supporting you to learn and grow. Our studio is a welcoming campus in the heart of the Midlands, where the majority of our team work in a flexible hybrid work pattern.

Responsibilities

Role Purpose

An exciting opportunity has opened on our Everwild Engineering team for a Principal Gameplay Engineer, a crucial role in the current and future development of gameplay engineering at Rare! This role is highly autonomous, giving you the opportunity to shape our technology landscape, championing new technology and approaches while steering the development of our games through launch and beyond.

As a Principal Gameplay Engineer, you will be responsible for creating and delivering the core gameplay systems and features that define the player experience in our game. You will work closely with the Design team to understand the vision and goals of the game, and translate them into technical specifications and gameplay solutions.

You will also work closely with the Engineering team to design, implement and optimise the gameplay systems and components required to power the player experience. You will ensure that the gameplay code is robust, efficient and maintainable, and that it meets the quality standards and performance requirements of our game.

Alongside your engineering contribution, you’ll also play a key role in guiding, defining and growing the culture of the team. Your role will include aspects of people management, likely involving managing individual contributors as well as existing managers. You will mentor and guide Gameplay Engineers across the team, and provide feedback and support to improve their skills and workflows, helping to build and grow a highly skilled gameplay engineering group.

We can promise that this job is as varied as the games industry itself and subsequently requires excellent technical skills, deep domain experience and strong people skills. As a Principal, you can adapt to changing situations, knowing when it’s best to get deep into the code and when to rally a team to fix the problem.

Key Accountabilities

• Be proactive – Identify the key areas of gameplay, and work with all disciplines to generate a plan to deliver the best experience.
• Look forward – Keep abreast of new technologies and opportunities. Make a case for how these new opportunities will allow us to deliver greater player value and new experiences that will surprise and delight.
• Be player-obsessed – Drive to understand how our decisions affect the player experience. Use data to validate decisions and focus effort where it delivers the most value.
• Be adaptable – Priorities will change and the industry moves fast. Principal Engineers should be willing to change direction and be confident in taking other people with them.
• Be caring – Often the best way to overcome a problem or to improve technology is to care for the teams creating it. Be mindful of those around you, support and nurture your team and help everyone to thrive.
• Continuously improve – Champion quality in our development process, demonstrate our values and take an active role in the continuous improvement of engineering at Rare.
• Live Rare’s culture – Be inquisitive, try things out, take risks and support those around you to become the best version of themselves.
  
  

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience

• Proven AAA games experience in a wide range of areas.
• A clear and confident communicator.
• Excellent people management skills.
• Strong software design skills.
• Excellent C++ knowledge.
  
  

Desirable Experience

• Experience of working on networked multiplayer games.
• Experience of working with Unreal Engine 4.
  
  

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.