Senior Systems Engineer

Mob Entertainment is a startup multimedia studio that is best known for our hit indie horror game "Poppy Playtime". This franchise is one of the hottest new properties in gaming, and our team is naturally expanding as our ambition expands. To give a taste of our brand's popularity, more than 100 billion YouTube views of Poppy Playtime related content have occurred since the game's launch 4 years ago.

Mob Entertainment is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to join the team supporting development of one of our upcoming Unreal Engine projects. This role is designed for a highly experienced engineer who can own core gameplay and engine-adjacent systems end-to-end, set technical direction, and raise the bar for the rest of the engineering team.

You'll be responsible for architecting, building, and maintaining systems and frameworks that other programmers and designers build on top of. This is a high-trust, high-autonomy role for someone who can solve ambiguous, complex problems with minimal oversight, while also actively mentoring and leveling up less experienced engineers.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain core gameplay systems and frameworks used across the project, ensuring they're robust, scalable, and easy for other engineers to extend.
• Develop and maintain custom Unreal Engine plugins to support project-specific tooling and gameplay needs.
• Architect and implement multiplayer/networked gameplay systems, including replication strategy, network optimization, and debugging desync or performance issues.
• Own technical decisions for systems under your purview, balancing production needs, performance, and long-term maintainability.
• Partner with designers and gameplay programmers to translate gameplay and design intent into well-structured, tunable systems.
• Identify architectural risks and technical debt early, and drive solutions before they become blockers.
• Mentor junior and mid-level engineers through code review, pairing, and ongoing technical guidance; help grow the team's overall skill level.
• Debug and resolve complex, systemic issues reported during production, QA, and post-launch, using Jira to track and prioritize work.
• Document system architecture, workflows, and design patterns in Confluence to support team-wide understanding and onboarding.
• Participate in and help lead code reviews, design discussions, and sprint planning as part of a cross-functional development team.
• Stay current on systems programming and Unreal Engine best practices, and proactively bring forward opportunities to improve existing systems.

Required Qualifications:

• 8+ years of professional experience in game development, or 2+ shipped AAA titles, with a focus on systems or gameplay programming.
• Strong knowledge of systems and framework design (data-driven architecture, modular/extensible system design, gameplay frameworks).
• Strong gameplay programming knowledge, with a track record of shipping gameplay systems in Unreal Engine.
• Experience designing and building Unreal Engine plugins.
• Solid, hands-on multiplayer/networked gameplay experience (replication, RPCs, network optimization, debugging networked issues).
• Excellent proficiency in both C++ and Blueprints within Unreal Engine.
• A genuine passion for mentoring other engineers and helping them grow.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Some Unreal Engine core/engine-level knowledge (engine source, low-level systems beyond typical gameplay code).
• Prior leadership experience (leading a team, owning a discipline, or acting as a technical lead on a project).
• Experience shipping systems that scaled or evolved significantly beyond MVP.
• Familiarity with performance profiling and optimization within Unreal Engine.
• Familiarity with source control tools (e.g., Perforce) in a game production pipeline.
• Passion for horror games, narrative-driven experiences, or the Poppy Playtime franchise specifically.

Performance Expectations:

• Deliver stable, scalable systems that are easy for others to use and extend.
• Reduce team-wide technical risk by identifying and resolving architectural issues proactively.
• Visibly raise the skill level of the engineering team through mentorship.
• Own technical implementation end-to-end with minimal supervision.
• Contribute to the overall efficiency, maintainability, and velocity of the project.

Salary Range:

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Final compensation within the applicable salary range will be determined based on factors such as the applicant’s experience, qualifications, and work location.

San Francisco, CA; New York City, NY; Los Angeles, CA; Seattle, WA; Boston, MA; & Seattle, WA DC Metropolitan Areas: $136,000 - $177,000 USD annually

Austin, TX; Denver, CO; Nashville, TN; Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; & Miami, FL Metropolitan Areas: $118,000 - $154,000 USD annually

All Other U.S. Locations: $101,000 - $131,000 USD annually

Benefits:

Mob Entertainment offers the following benefits to all eligible U.S.-based full-time employees: profit sharing; medical, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k) matching; FSA/HSA; paid time off; sick time; holidays; and parental leave.

Fraud Alert:

Beware of job scams: Mob Entertainment does not extend offers via text, social media DM, or without a completed application and interview. Please verify email address which should always originate from @mobentertainment.com.

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Mob Entertainment is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and complies with all federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination in employment. We are committed to providing equal opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age, disability, military service, or any other protected class under applicable state or local law. Mob Entertainment also considers all qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with Fair Chance laws as well as any other applicable state and local laws.

- 8+ years of professional experience in game development, or 2+ shipped AAA titles, with a focus on systems or gameplay programming. - Strong knowledge of systems and framework design (data-driven architecture, modular/extensible system design, gameplay frameworks). - Strong gameplay programming knowledge, with a track record of shipping gameplay systems in Unreal Engine. - Experience designing and building Unreal Engine plugins. - Solid, hands-on multiplayer/networked gameplay experience (replication, RPCs, network optimization, debugging networked issues). - Excellent proficiency in both C++ and Blueprints within Unreal Engine. - A genuine passion for mentoring other engineers and helping them grow.