Executive Product Engineer - CGAI Unreal Engine

Critical Mass; Scotland; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading digital agency in the United Kingdom is looking for an Executive Product Engineer to oversee the product engineering pipeline, integrating generative AI into 3D offerings. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in leadership, real-time game engines, and AI governance. This role emphasizes innovation, client interaction, and maintaining standards in product quality. Competitive benefits, including 25 days of holiday and a structured work-from-office model, are offered.

Benefits

Global maternity and parental leave

Competitive benefits packages

25 days holiday and flex days

Qualifications

• 1+ years of experience with Generative AI prompting for image and video creation.
• 3+ years of experience in directorial, supervisory or lead role.
• 6+ years hands-on experience with 3D software and real-time game engines.
• Deep understanding of AI governance and ethics.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a world-class 3D and AI product engineering team.
• Apply AI solutions to push boundaries of storytelling and entertainment.
• Conduct high-level AI stability reviews and act as the final authority on quality.
• Foster a culture of creativity, innovation and exploration.

Skills

Generative AI prompting

3D software proficiency

Leadership and team building

Post-production and VFX

Tools

Unreal Engine

Pipeline management software

Job description

Overview

As an Executive Product Engineer, you hold a senior leadership role over the entire CGAI product engineering pipeline, from initial concept to final delivery and its strategic integration with generative AI. You are the bridge between the creative vision and technical execution, engaging with client, creative and technology teams to architect the future of our Full-AI, AI-assisted and 3D product offerings. Your leadership will not only drive a world-class, real-time CGAI product but also shape the strategic direction and growth of the 3D and AI engineering discipline within the organization, identifying new revenue streams and AI-driven content opportunities. You are the authority on quality, technical integrity, product-correctness and visual fidelity.

Career Development

Your professional growth will be guided by key stakeholders within the organization, focusing on high-level strategic insight, 3D and AI product development and impactful leadership. This journey will center on expanding the CGAI product engineering practice to include a world-class 3D and AI capability, building robust client relationships, fostering a culture of innovation and mastering the operational aspects of leading a cutting-edge CGAI department. You will be empowered to set a forward-thinking vision, establish effective policies (including AI governance and AI social responsibility) and define performance benchmarks that propel the team forward.

Role Description

Executive Product Engineers are the architects of their team's success, responsible for its operational excellence, creative output and overall well-being. You are the pulse of the group, strategically guiding talent and resources to meet both current production demands and future growth opportunities. You will take a hands‑on approach to talent acquisition and development, shaping the team's landscape while spearheading innovative training programs in both 3D and generative AI. Your role is pivotal in building out our future product engineering and AI capabilities and integrating AI solutions to redefine the boundaries of storytelling and CGAI product visualization.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a world‑class 3D and AI product engineering team
• Help shape and grow the 3D discipline offerings, products and new AI‑driven services
• Apply AI solutions to push boundaries of storytelling and entertainment
• Maintain expert‑level, hands‑on proficiency by personally architecting and prototyping the organization's most critical Unreal Engine pipelines and complex, scalable AI node‑based workflows
• Develop high level plan for training and future improvement of the team in both 3D and AI technologies
• Establish and oversee the organization's AI governance framework, ensuring all content (Full‑AI and AI‑Assisted) meets standards for brand integrity, cultural sensitivity, social responsibility and 100% pixel‑perfection on product‑correct elements
• Drive the strategy for AI‑Assisted 3D/Unreal Engine production, ensuring CAD‑based product correctness is maintained while leveraging AI for scale and creativity
• Conduct high‑level AI stability reviews and act as the final authority on quality, photorealism and brand fit for AI‑generated content
• Direct the organization's AI research, personally vetting and prototyping the foundational integration of new tools (Advanced node‑based workflows, new image and video generation models) to ensure high flexibility and adaptability across the department
• Foster a culture of creativity, innovation and exploration
• Set up goals and performance targets for Lead Product Engineers
• Oversee LOE and timeline estimates
• Drive creative ideation and live work‑share sessions with key stakeholders and clients
• Kick‑off critical new work and establish development timeline targets
• Oversee the creation of key 3D and AI scenes and elements
• Perform visual and technical audit of key deliverables
• Align talent to work based on experience level
• Continuously optimize all 3D and AI workflow tracks and implement learnings
• Eliminate technical constrains to achieve creative goals

Qualifications

• 1+ years of experience with Generative AI prompting for image and video creation
• 3+ years of experience in directorial, supervisory or lead role
• 6+ years hands‑on experience with 3D software and real‑time game engines
• 4+ years of experience in automotive advertising
• Demonstrable experience in setting strategy and leading teams in generative AI, particularly for 3D and AI workflows
• Deep understanding of AI governance, ethics, social responsibility, cultural sensitivity and the challenges of maintaining brand integrity in the age of AI
• Experience with film, real‑time development and virtual production
• Proficiency in post‑production, VFX and high‑end rendering pipelines
• In‑depth knowledge of the latest 3D and Unreal Engine best practices
• Experience with pipeline management, data management and asset tracking software
• Strong leadership and team building skills

You Have

• Master aesthetic sense and multitasking skills
• An unyielding need to achieve high visual fidelity in your work
• A passion for automotive, animation, motion, film and the transformative potential of AI
• A strong drive towards learning, sharing and working as a team
• Exceptionally organized and structured in all your work
• A forward‑thinking mindset, demonstrating high adaptability in a constantly changing AI world
• An understanding of delivery specs and exporting standards
• A strong communication and problem‑solving skills
• Drive to take charge and responsibility for your team

What We Offer

• Global maternity and parental leave
• Competitive benefits packages
• 25 days holiday, compassionate leave, personal/sick days, and flex days
• Access to online services for families and new parents
• 13 affinity groups
• Internal learning and development programs
• Enterprise‑wide employee discounts

Our new hires & employees are the future of our organisation, and we want to set you up for long‑term success. In an effort to do so, we expect our team to work from an office a minimum of 3 days a week.

Critical Mass is an equal opportunity employer.

The Critical Mass Talent Acquisition team will only communicate from email addresses that use the URLs criticalmass.com, omc.comand us.greenhouse-mail.io. We will not use apps such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, or Google Hangouts for communicating with you. We will never ask you to send us money, technology, or anything else to work for our company. If you believe you are the victim of a scam, please review your local government consumer protections guidance and reach out to them directly.

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If U.K. based: https://www.gov.uk/consumer-protection-rights

If Costa Rica based: https://www.consumo.go.cr/educacion_consumidor/consejos_practicos.aspx