Principal Software Engineering Lead

5 Months ago • 6-15 Years • $137,600 PA - $294,000 PA

Game Engine

Job Description

Halo Studios seeks a Principal Software Engineering Lead to spearhead the engineering team for a new Unreal Engine 5 AAA multiplayer shooter. This role involves managing a large, diverse team, attracting and retaining talent, fostering a culture of continuous delivery, and making critical technical decisions. The successful candidate will collaborate with cross-functional leaders, driving technical excellence and ensuring the project meets its goals. Responsibilities include managing engineers, making technology choices, and collaborating to deliver solutions that meet project goals and timelines. The role offers flexibility, allowing for up to two days of remote work per week.

Good To Have:

Master's degree in Computer Science
Experience with multiple shipped console/PC games
Unreal Engine experience
10+ years leading engineering teams
Multiplayer shooter experience

Must Have:

Lead engineering team for AAA game
Manage diverse engineering teams
6+ years experience managing AAA game engineering teams
Unreal Engine 5 experience
Shipped online multiplayer games
C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python

Add these skills to join the top 1% applicants for this job

java

javascript

multiplayer

python

unreal

feature-delivery

cross-functional

Overview

Halo Studios is building the future of the blockbuster Halo series of video games with Unreal Engine. As part of Xbox Game Studios, the Halo franchise encompasses games, novels, comics, licensed collectibles, apparel, and more with a shared vision of heroism, mystery, and wonder. With multiple projects in development, join our team as we forge the next generation of games and experiences in our award-winning sci-fi universe.

Halo Studios is looking for our next Principal Software Engineering Lead to lead the engineering team working on a new project in Unreal Engine 5. By working with key leaders across multiple disciplines within Halo Studios, you will lead the engineering team building our next title. As an experienced game developer and leader, you're comfortable managing a large engineering team working on a AAA video game, making difficult technical tradeoffs and technology choices, all while managing the health of your team to ensure the success of the project. Roles at our studio are flexible, and you can work from home up to two days a week in this role.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, or related technical discipline AND 6+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python
- OR equivalent experience.

6+ years experience developing with 4+ years experience managing engineering teams for AAA video games (or similar products).

Experience shipping 1+ online multiplayer game as lead engineer, with familiarity of development expectations across all major phases of product development.

2+ years of hands-on experience with Unreal Engine.

Preferred qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 15+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, or C#.

OR Master's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 12+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, or C#.

OR equivalent experience.

2+ shipped video games on console and/or PC.

1+ shipped video game using Unreal Engine.

10+ years experience leading engineering teams.

Experience developing features for a multiplayer shooter.

Software Engineering M5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $137,600 - $267,000 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $180,400 - $294,000 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until April 28, 2025.

#gamingjobs #halo

Responsibilities

Lead the engineering team for an Unreal Engine 5 based AAA, multi-platform, multiplayer shooter.
Manage a diverse range of talented engineers, spanning various career stages including managers and individual contributors.

Attract and retain great talent; know each individual’s capabilities & aspirations and invest in the growth of others.

Help the team adapt and learn; model resourcefulness and initiative to meet product objectives.

Identify opportunities & evaluate effectiveness working with multiple external co-development engineering teams.

Collaborate amongst a cross-functional leadership team to deliver engineering solutions that match project goals & timelines.

Drive technical excellence across the team, making technology choices that scale to millions of players across a variety of hardware endpoints.

Develop engineering systems & culture centered around continuous feature delivery, demonstrating progress in build and quickly addressing customer needs.