Associate Technical Director, World Systems - STARCRAFT

confidential; United States; Hybrid; USD 159,000 - 293,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k)

Tuition reimbursement

Paid holidays

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Blizzard Entertainment in Irvine, CA is seeking an Associate Technical Director to lead World Systems for STARCRAFT. You will guide engineers and work with gameplay teams to deliver scalable systems and tooling for a story-driven, open-world shooter.

The role blends hands-on technical leadership with long-term planning, architecture ownership, and cross-functional collaboration. Hybrid work week with on-site days in Irvine is offered.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in game engineering with leadership experience.
• Proven ability to lead and inspire a team across projects.
• Advanced proficiency in C++ and real-time systems.
• Experience shipping large game systems and content workflows.
• Strong understanding of gameplay architecture and software practices.
• Excellent communication and collaboration across disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with discipline directors to define World Systems vision and roadmap.
• Support cross-functional gameplay and content teams in bringing their vision to life.
• Prioritize, review and direct work of a World Systems team daily.
• Drive architecture and tooling to ensure productivity and high quality results.
• Ensure engineering and content teams align on technical approach.
• Hire and grow engineers and engineering leaders, fostering collaboration.
• Direct responsibility for technical quality, stability and performance.
• Partner with leads to improve team culture and alignment.

Skills

Team leadership

C++ proficiency

Gameplay architecture

Cross-functional collaboration

Performance optimization

Communication

Project management

Mentoring

Tools

Unreal Engine

Tooling/Engine integration

Job description

Team Name: StarCraft

Job Title: Associate Technical Director, World Systems - STARCRAFT | Irvine, CA

Requisition ID: R028070

Job Description:

Your Mission

Blizzard Entertainment is assembling a team to build the next chapter of STARCRAFT, returning to a universe forged in interstellar war. This mission offers something new: crafting an original story-driven, open-world shooter while honoring the legacy of one of Blizzard's most beloved games.

We are here to reignite this universe alongside you. We are here to make STARCRAFT, and it's about damn time.

We are looking for an Associate Technical Director to help craft this new game for Blizzard. As a key member of the development team, you will be responsible for delivering. If you are excited to build pragmatic technology that enables the team to produce unforgettable high-quality experiences at scale, we need you!

This role offers a hybrid work week, with a mix of work-from-home and on-site days, based out of our Irvine studio.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with other discipline directors to establish, drive and deliver on World Systems vision and development roadmap
• Support cross-functional gameplay and content teams in bringing their vision to life, creating an interesting, complex, and challenging world
• Prioritize, review and direct work of a cross-disciplinary World Systems team on a day-to-day basis
• Drive architecture and content creation toolset to ensure team productivity and high quality of results
• Ensure engineering team is collaborating with content creators and other gameplay teams to understand their needs and develop an aligned technical approach
• Hire and grow engineers and engineering leaders, providing guidance and fostering a collaborative, innovative environment
• Direct responsibility for technical quality, stability and performance of World Systems implementation
• Partner with other leads and directors to improve team culture, align technical approach and provide direct support when needed

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in game engineering, with at least 3 years in a leadership or managerial role within the gaming industry or a related field
• Proven ability to lead and inspire a team, manage multiple projects, and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams
• Experience shipping large game systems and content workflows for a modern, large-scale AAA game with focus on long-term maintenance, efficiency and quality
• A proactive mindset focused on quality, continuous improvement, and stewardship driving development with clear requirements and pragmatic plans
• Advanced proficiency in C++ programming, debugging, profiling, and performance optimization
• Strong understanding of gameplay architecture, real-time systems, and modern software engineering practices
• Experience finding success and alignment when faced with uncertainty and conflicting or evolving priorities
• Communicating ideas clearly, learning from others, and giving meaningful feedback
• Experience with performance analysis and code / content optimization workflows

Extra Points

• Experience working with Unreal Engine
• Shipping games on multiple platforms, including consoles
• Familiarity with Blizzard games and Blizzard's approach to gameplay quality.

Your Platform

At Blizzard Entertainment, we pour our hearts and souls into everything we create. Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, and StarCraft, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., a division of Activision Blizzard, which was acquired by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), is a premiere developer and publisher of entertainment experiences. Blizzard Entertainment has created some of the industry's most critically acclaimed and genre-defining games over the last 30 years, with a track record that includes multiple Game of the Year awards. Blizzard Entertainment engages tens of millions of players around the world with titles available on PC via Battle.net, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.

Our ability to build immersive and innovative worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment.

Rewards

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance
• Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $158,500.00 - $293,226.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.