Lead Gameplay Software Engineer (Unreal Engine 5)

Blackbird Interactive is a creative-fueled, future-driven, independent game studio where the best talent in the industry can find long-term careers to help grow their abilities while working on a wide range of projects, which encompass world-class IPs as well as our own creations across multiple genres.
In 2022, we announced that our studio is implementing a four-day work week as well as supporting in-studio, remote within Canada, and hybrid work arrangements as permanent options to our employees.
Location: Vancouver ⚬ Remote-friendly within Canada(Pacific-time overlap required)Experience: 7+ years professional game-developmentEmployment type: Four-day work week, full-time permanent
About the role:
Blackbird Interactive is seeking a lead engineer to own and drive the moment-to-moment fun in our Unreal Engine 5 projects. As a lead, you’ll set technical direction, shepherd features from prototype through ship, and mentor a team of engineers while deepening studio-wide mastery of UE5.

What You’Ll Tackle

• Gameplay vision & execution – Architect, implement, and iterate on movement, interactions, AI behaviours, and progression systems in C++ and Blueprints, ensuring they align with product goals.
• System design at scale – Build modular, data-driven gameplay frameworks that perform across PC and console SKUs, with extensibility for live-ops.
• Technical leadership – Guide a team of gameplay engineers: define coding standards, perform code reviews, and provide career-growth mentorship.
• Cross-disciplinary collaboration – Partner with design, art, and audio to translate high-level concepts into shippable, performant features; champion pragmatic iteration development loops.
• Performance & stability – Establish profiling targets, drive optimisation initiatives, and uphold automated test and performance coverage for the game.
• Process & tooling – Identify workflow bottlenecks, propose engine/tool improvements (e.g., GAS, MassEntity, Chaos).

You’Ll Thrive Here If You

• Deliver production-quality C++ in Unreal Engine 5 with 7+ years of professional game-development experience and at least one shipped AA/AAA title featuring your leadership.
• Hold a BSc in Computer Science or related (or demonstrate equivalent professional experience).Excel at balancing product vision with technical constraints in rapid-iteration environments.
• Communicate clearly across disciplines and foster a collaborative culture.
• Are fluent with Perforce, Git, modern debugging/profiling tools, and CI/CD pipelines.

Bonus Xp

• Expertise with the Gameplay Ability System, Replication graph, Nanite, and/or Lumen.
• Proven record of improving build pipelines, automated testing, or live-ops telemetry for gameplay code.