Senior Gameplay AI Engineer

Striking Distance Studios is seeking a Senior AI Engineer to join a collaborative, cross-disciplinary team. This role involves implementing gameplay features and systems, prototyping AI behaviors, and developing enemies and NPCs. The engineer will also optimize perception and decision-making systems, work on navigation and pathfinding, and integrate AI middleware. Responsibilities include reviewing code, mentoring, and creating technical design documents, ensuring high-performance and maintainable code.

Must Have

• Implement gameplay features and systems.
• Build, refactor, and maintain robust AI features.
• Prototype and implement AI behaviours.
• Implement enemies, NPCs, or AI managed characters.
• Integrate developed AI systems with gameplay engineers.
• Optimize AI perception and decision-making systems.
• Work on navigation & pathfinding systems.
• Debug complex AI issues.
• Integrate and maintain AI middleware across all platforms.
• Review work of other engineers and provide mentorship.
• Create and maintain technical design documents.
• Take ownership of existing systems.
• Research and develop coding techniques and algorithms.
• Collaborate on technical design and feature roll out.
• Write clear, maintainable, portable, and highly performant code.
• Communicate accurate status updates to leads, producers, and QA.
• Adhere to team coding standards and best practices.
• Foster open, honest, and respectful communication.
• Bachelor's degree in software engineering, computer science, or equivalent.
• At least 5 years of games industry experience.
• At least 3 years of experience with Unreal Engine.
• Experience shipping games on current generation consoles (PS5 or XSX) and PC.
• Advanced C++ skills.
• Advanced knowledge on blueprints and AI decision making tools.
• Advanced knowledge of navigation and pathfinding systems.
• 3D math skills.

Good to Have

• Preferably 3 years or more in a similar role.
• Advanced ability to be self-directed, focused and detail oriented.
• Advanced verbal and written communications skills.
• A demonstrable love / passion for playing and making video games.
• A highly communicative and collaborative disposition.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Striking Distance Studios is looking for a Senior AI Engineer to work in a cooperative, cross-disciplinary team environment to implement gameplay features and systems within our games.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work across disciplines to build, refactor and maintain a variety of robust, flexible, and well-architected AI features.
• Work with design team to prototype and implement AI behaviours that empower the fun.
• Implement enemies, NPCs or any kind of AI managed characters.
• Work with gameplay engineers to integrate developed AI systems.
• Implement optimizations in perception systems and decision-making systems to make the AI performant.
• Work on navigation & pathfinding systems and demonstrate the ability to debug complex AI issues.
• Integrate and maintain AI middleware across all platforms.
• Review the work of other engineers and provide mentorship on your area of knowledge.
• Create and maintain technical design documents.
• Delve into code written by other engineers and take ownership of existing systems as needed.
• Keep current on technological developments and advancements.
• Research and develop coding techniques and algorithms.
• Collaborate with technology director on technical design and feature roll out.
• Write clear, maintainable, portable, and highly performant code.
• Communicate accurate status updates to your team leads, producers, and QA regarding tasks/features you are responsible for.
• Adhere to team coding standards and best practices.
• Foster a culture of open, honest, and respectful communication across all disciplines.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in software engineering, computer science, or equivalent.
• At least 5 years of games industry experience and preferably 3 years or more in a similar role.
• At least 3 years of experience with Unreal Engine.
• Experience shipping games on current generation consoles (PS5 or XSX) and PC.
• Advanced ability to be self-directed, focused and detail oriented.
• Advanced C++ skills.
• Advance knowledge on blueprints and AI decision making tools (Unreal behaviour trees, utility AI, etc.).
• Advance knowledge of navigation and pathfinding systems.
• 3D math skills.
• Advanced verbal and written communications skills.
• A demonstrable love / passion for playing and making video games.
• A highly communicative and collaborative disposition.