Sr Gameplay Engineer

Job Description

This is not a remote role. You must be in the local area or willing to relocate.

Join Our Team

The Office of Technology Enablement is a strategic organization designed to establish Disney as a progressive, innovative, and responsible leader in important and fast-moving areas of technology such as artificial intelligence and mixed reality. The organization coordinates efforts in AI / ML and mixed reality across each of the Walt Disney Company’s business segments to enable value and drive business outcomes.

Overview

As a Senior Software Engineer (Unreal), you will help build foundational prototypes and systems that enable Disney’s AI & XR Studio to accelerate creative innovation across The Walt Disney Company. Your focus will be on developing interactive, real-time experiences for XR with a downstream focus on scalable tools and experiences that teams can extend and adapt into broader production efforts. This role operates at the intersection of engineering and storytelling, providing foundational tools and experiences that empower partner teams to move faster and bolder with emerging technologies. You will own the technical direction and optimize stakeholder satisfaction for a collection of internally developed products in addition to architecting and delivering new software solutions, all while leveraging your expertise in Unreal and its accompanying toolset. You work closely with a cross-functional team of partners, including software, test, and automation engineers, as well as creative teams, to develop and improve product performance.

Responsibilities

• Prototype and iterate on immersive XR experiences with a focus on emotional impact and user engagement.
• Collaborate with creative teams to translate narrative and design goals into interactive features.
• Provide technical leadership across multiple prototypes and tools, focusing on building scalable foundations that downstream teams can expand upon, while maintaining strong momentum and project health.
• Provide guidance and support to team members to ensure alignment with creative vision and business goals.
• Conduct rigorous testing to identify and fix any bugs or issues that may affect product performance.
• Act as a technical owner for net new tools or experiences, collaborating with stakeholders to define requirements, success metrics, and clear pathways for downstream teams to build upon studio- developed work.
• Build clear, modular documentation that translates business and creative inputs into technical deliverables, allowing for smooth handoffs and scalability.
• Collaborate closely with internal engineering teams and enterprise partners to deliver robust solutions designed to be adapted, scaled, or integrated into downstream experiences.
• Mentor and develop junior team members.
• Help author interactive development pipelines and real-time performance optimization.
• Design, develop, and maintain high-quality game code, features, and systems in collaboration with the development team.
• Implement and optimize interactive mechanics, graphics rendering, AI algorithms, and networking systems to ensure smooth performance across various platforms.
• Contribute to technical design discussions, identifying opportunities for innovation and improvement in game development processes.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including design, art, and production, to integrate technical requirements and deliver high-quality games on time.
• Conduct code reviews, provide feedback, and mentor junior engineers to promote best practices and ensure code quality and efficiency.
• Stay current on industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in XR interactive development to continuously improve technical skills and knowledge.

Must Have the following experience :

#DISNEYTECH

The hiring range for this position in Los Angeles, CA is $138,900.00-$186,200.00. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and / or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and / or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.