Senior AI Programmer

At the core of Epic's success are talented, passionate people. Epic prides itself on creating a collaborative, welcoming, and creative environment. Whether it's building award-winning games or crafting engine technology that enables others to make visually stunning interactive experiences, we're always innovating.

Unreal-powered projects have been on the bleeding edge of real-time entertainment for over 20 years. Our team of programming experts are always innovating to improve the tools and technology that empower content developers worldwide.

Epic Games is seeking an experienced Senior Al Programmer to join our Unreal Engine (UE) NPC team, which owns the core NPC technology (behavior, perception, navigation, in-game generative Al, etc.) that powers characters in UE, Fortnite, and UEFN. You'll work on the systems every UE and UEFN developer relies on to bring NPCs to life.

In this role, you will

• Extend, evolve, and maintain UE's NPC systems, including behavior, perception, and navigation
• Design and present new technical design and APIs for NPC systems used by developers worldwide
• Evaluate and experiment with in-game generative AI features in close collaboration with Epic's ML research groups
• Optimize performance, memory usage, and scalability of NPC systems across UE

• Shipped AAA titles with hands‑on experience building AI systems (behavior trees, perception, pathfinding, etc.)
• Professional experience with UE, preferably in system design
• Strong C++ skills and the ability to code and design core AI technologies
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work autonomously
• Experience integrating LLMs or other generative models into real‑time applications is a plus
• Experience using AI coding assistants (e.g. Claude Code) to improve development efficiency is a plus
• Live‑service game experience is a plus

The expected annual base pay range(s) for this position are detailed below. Each base pay range is relevant only for individuals who are residents of or will be expected to work within the specified locale. Compensation varies based on a variety of factors, which include (but aren't limited to) things such as skills and competencies, qualifications, knowledge, and experience. In addition to base pay, most employees are eligible to participate in Epic's generous benefit plans and discretionary incentive programs (subject to the terms of those plans or programs).

• California Base Pay Range $190,010-$278,682 USD
• Washington Base Pay Range $172,736-$253,347 USD

This role is open to multiple locations in North America (including CA & WA).

Epic Games is a leading interactive entertainment company. For over 30 years we've been making award-winning games and engine technology that empowers others to make visually stunning games and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award-winning Unreal Engine technology not only provides game developers the ability to build high‑fidelity, interactive experiences for PC, console, mobile, and VR, it is also a tool being embraced by content creators across a variety of industries such as media and entertainment, automotive, and architectural design.

As we continue to build our Engine technology and develop remarkable games, we strive to build teams of world‑class talent.

Like what you hear? Come be a part of something Epic!

Epic Games deeply values diverse teams and an inclusive work culture, and we are proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. Learn more about our Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy here .