Lead Gameplay Engineer (NPC Behavior)

CD Project; Warszawa; On-site; PLN 444,000 - 610,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation package

Private medical care

Life insurance

Annual health screenings

Employee gym access

Dog-friendly office

Job summary

CD PROJEKT RED is seeking a seasoned leader for its in-house NPC behavior tech team in Warsaw. You will design, implement, and optimize NPC community and behavior technologies across a new project and collaborate with gameplay designers, animators, writers, and engineers to shape scalable systems.

You will lead a cross-disciplinary team, drive technical scope and timelines, conduct code reviews, and help define standards while exploring rapid prototyping and new technologies.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of NPC behavior systems experience in AA/AAA projects.
• Proven experience leading a development team.
• Experience shipping at least one game.
• Expertise in C++ coding principles and practices.
• Nice to have Unreal Engine 4 or 5 experience.
• Fluent English (written and spoken).
• Familiarity with agile ways of working.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a team for designing, implementing, optimizing, and maintaining NPC community and NPC behavior technology.
• Collaborate with game designers, animators, writers and other specialists.
• Partner with design, QA, production, and other teams to define technical scope, timelines, and priorities.
• Debugging, profiling, and resolving technical challenges across large-scale systems.
• Conducting code reviews and maintaining clean, modular, and maintainable code.
• Defining and documenting technical standards.
• Collaborating on rapid prototyping, R&D, and testing new technologies and ideas.

Skills

C++ expertise

Unreal Engine

Team leadership

English fluent

Agile methods

Risk management

Game shipping

Tools

N/A

Job description

To create revolutionary, story-driven RPGs which go straight to the hearts of gamers — this is our mission. Want to dive deeper into our company’s culture? Explore our social media and check out our YouTube channel and Beyond the Game Blog where we share behind-the-scenes insights and stories direct from our team members!

Job Description

At CD PROJEKT RED, we’ve built our legacy on the rich world and storytelling present in The Witcher to the dystopian future of Cyberpunk 2077. Now, we’re setting out on the next journey: to create a completely new IP which is Project Hadar. It is shaped by the same passion, quality, and vision that define everything we do.

Project Hadar is still in its early days. This is an exciting opportunity to join a team that’s building a universe from the ground up where your ideas, experience, and creativity can directly shape the project’s vision, identity, and direction.

We’re looking for people eager to bring their experience to something new and still taking form, who are unafraid of creative exploration and bold decisions, and who want to make a meaningful impact on an emerging world.

If you have experience leading teams that work on engineering NPC behavior technologies and developing how NPCs interact with the world around them, we want to hear from you! As part of the Engineering team, you will have the opportunity to lay the foundations of a brand-new CD PROJEKT RED project. You’ll be responsible for building a team responsible for NPC community and behavior technologies. You’ll develop innovative features and work closely with gameplay and quest designers, engineers, and other specialists to build the tech that drives our games.

Daily Responsibilities

• Building and leading a team responsible for designing, implementing, optimizing, and maintaining NPC community and NPC behavior technology.
• Collaborating with game designers, animators, writers and other specialists.
• Partnering with design, QA, production, and other teams to define technical scope, timelines, and priorities.
• Debugging, profiling, and resolving technical challenges across large-scale systems.
• Conducting code reviews and maintaining clean, modular, and maintainable code.
• Defining and documenting technical standards.
• Collaborating on rapid prototyping, R&D, and testing new technologies and ideas.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in developing NPC behavior systems in AA/AAA projects.
• Proven experience leading a development team.
• Experience in successfully shipping at least one game.
• Expertise in C++ coding principles and practices.
• Nice to have is experience in Unreal Engine 4 or 5.
• Strong communication and team leadership skills.
• Experience in risk management and team development.
• Value openness, constructive feedback sharing, and respectful dialogue.
• Bring perspective while remaining collaborative.
• Passion for professional growth and staying updated on industry trends.
• Fluent in English (written and spoken).
• Familiarity with agile ways of working.
• We appreciate curiosity, adaptability, and team spirit!

Additional Information

Working mode

• In-office full-time capacityfromWarsaw.

Relocation Support

• Relocation package — flight ticket, company apartment for your first month, relocating your pet and family, shipping your belongings. It’s all covered.
• Relocation assistance — processing your legalization operations for you and tax settlements — all you need to feel right at home is taken care of.
• Polish lessons for foreign employees — and for your spouse or partner, too.
• Paid Leave — from 20 to 26 days of holiday per year, and paid sick leave.
• Private medical healthcare — a selection of medical plans with dental care and unlimited rehabilitation to choose from, which are also accessible for your partner and relatives.
• Life insurance — comprehensive pension and insurance plans to protect you and your loved ones.
• Annual screenings for cancer prevention covered by the company.
• Psychological and psychiatrist care — free mental health support and various well-being initiatives.
• Sports card — gain access to a wide number of sporting and fitness facilities across the city.
• Menstrual leave — employees who menstruate can take one extra day off when experiencing period pain.
• RED Parents Network — support for working parents, including childcare benefits, and family-friendly events.
• RED Summer Camp for Kids — a fun summer program for children aged 5–12, majoritively paid by the company.
• A welcome pack filled with goodies — to help you feel right at home once you join the team.
• Trainings, lectures, and courses — workshops and trainings for each employee, knowledge-sharing initiatives, online tutorials, and e-learning classes are all available. There’s always something to learn!
• REDs have access to the cafeteria platform through which they can receive subscription benefits, additional medical packages or vouchers and codes to shops, cinemas, and public transport reimbursement.
• Gifts for newborn rebels and regular chances to nab some cool swag!

Social Activities & Life in the Office

• Dog-friendly office — dog owner? Bring your pooch with you and look after them while working! There’s always a furry friend or two to meet at the studio.
• Social events — we host regular gatherings at the studio where we can all unwind, play games, and just have some fun together.
• Healthy selections — canteens.
• Truly international working environment — a chance to meet and work with a diverse selection of people from all around the world.
• A designated space for your bicycle, as well as bicycle repair equipment and showers available whenever you need them.
• An onsite, well-equipped gym with a climbing wall, daily Gym Assistant support, and yoga and boxing classes.
• No dress-code — we like to keep it casual.

Estimated pay range for this position: 39 800 – 54 670 PLN gross monthly.
Final offers are dependent on job-related factors like experience and qualifications.