Lead Engine System Engineer

About the Hiring Team

Lightspeed LA is the first U.S.

-based AAA game development studio for Tencent Games. Lightspeed LA focuses on open-world games with an ambitious living world, sophisticated player-driven gameplay, and mature storytelling. We are developing the first in a series of genre-defining titles.

Why join Lightspeed LA? We value an open and transparent environment where constructive feedback is welcomed. We encourage work in progress, celebrate its promise, and maintain a No Blame culture where the problem is blamed, not the person. We create together, face challenges together, and succeed together.

Lightspeed LA is seeking a Lead Engine System Engineer to join our Irvine, California studio. The ideal candidate is passionate about games, enabling content creators to deliver polished experiences, and pushing the boundaries of what we can achieve.

• Lead a core technology engineering team to develop key engine systems with a focus on performance and optimization
• Collaborate with design, production, and engineering leadership to manage schedules and backlog
• Implement, debug, and optimize engine systems in C/C++ and other languages
• Establish budgets for engine systems and pipeline tools
• Refactor existing systems and tools to handle large worlds with dynamic content
• Use profiling tools to identify CPU and GPU performance issues
• Evolve existing systems into state-of-the-art solutions
• Author lean, high-performance, maintainable code
• Foster cross-disciplinary collaboration across departments with honesty and transparency
• Provide technical leadership across multiple engine systems and features
• Mentor and develop engineering colleagues; be a leadership resource for the engine team
• Help build and maintain an open and energetic team culture
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings to guide and support professional development
• Participate in recruitment and onboarding to build a highly skilled team aligned with project requirements
• Facilitate team-building activities to promote a positive and collaborative environment

• A passion for playing and developing exceptional games
• Experience delivering large-scale titles on PC and consoles
• 7+ years of professional game programming experience
• At least 1 shipped/published AAA title
• Experience using profiling tools to identify CPU performance issues
• Strong understanding of PC and console hardware bottlenecks and optimization strategies
• Experience with game console hardware
• Deep understanding of multithreaded programming
• Experience managing direct reports
• Experience in a senior or principal software engineering role or equivalent
• Ability to collaborate with engineers, designers, artists and other developers
• Ability to adapt in a fluid, evolving environment
• Deep knowledge of engine systems including physics, streaming, audio and other components
• Expertise in C++, debugging, and 3D mathematics
• Comfort working closely with creative and technical team members
• Value lean, simple, efficient, well-tested code
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Preferred:

• Experience with AAA proprietary engines or third-party engines like Unreal and Unity
• Understanding of game asset pipelines

Perks and Benefits:

• Free daily lunch
• Beverages, fresh fruit, and snacks
• 401k with employer match
• Monthly cell phone bill reimbursement
• Financial wellness sessions
• Flexible spending account
• Team building and company outings
• Parental leave for new parents
• Company-paid health insurance
• Life and disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Wellness training
• Travel insurance
• Preventive care

If the above sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you to explore a potential fit.

Location:

US-California-Irvine

Equal Employment Opportunity at Tencent:
As an equal opportunity employer, we foster a diverse and inclusive environment where every employee feels supported and inspired to achieve individual and common goals.