Engineering Lead

Operative Games; Los Angeles (CA); Remote; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-first culture

Flexible hours

Equity

Job summary

Operative Games is seeking an Engineering Lead to guide our growing technical team across gameplay, tools, infrastructure, and AI systems, reporting to the CTO. You’ll set direction, build systems, and support developers across disciplines.

You will connect Unreal gameplay systems with authoring tools, backend infrastructure, and AI integration to deliver immersive, player-driven narratives while maintaining engineering excellence and timely delivery.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of professional software or game development experience, with 2+ years in a leadership or management role.
• Full-stack fluency across gameplay programming, tools development, and infrastructure (AWS, CI/CD).
• Unreal Engine (Blueprints & C++), with knowledge of how gameplay, tools, and runtime systems interact.
• Leadership DNA: manage teams, resolve conflicts, set direction, and maintain high morale and momentum.
• Strategic thinking balancing short-term execution with long-term scalability and tech vision.
• Collaborative mindset: work with creatives to integrate tech with narrative goals.

Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership: set engineering best practices and maintain quality across projects and systems.
• Team Management: mentor and manage engineers across disciplines, fostering collaboration and growth.
• Project Planning & Execution: own the engineering roadmap with production and creative leads for timely delivery of features.
• Cross-Disciplinary Coordination: bridge engineering, design, and AI teams to align solutions with creative goals.
• Hands-On Development: contribute to architecture, prototyping, or critical path work as needed.
• Hiring & Scaling: recruit and onboard engineering talent as we grow the team.
• Process & Communication: improve dev workflows (CI/CD, code reviews, agile) and keep stakeholders informed.

Skills

Technical Leadership

Team Management

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Strategic Thinking

Hands-On Development

Hiring & Scaling

Gameplay Systems

Tools

Unreal Engine

CI/CD Tools

AWS

Job description

About Us

Operative Games is building a new kind of narrative game—one powered by AI and defined by player-driven storytelling. We’re combining cutting-edge tech with deep creative ambition to push the boundaries of how games tell stories. To help bring that vision to life, we’re looking for an Engineering Lead to guide our growing technical team across gameplay, tools, infrastructure, and AI systems.

The Role

As our Engineering Lead, you’ll be responsible for the day-to-day leadership of our engineering org. You’ll work closely with the CTO and department leads to ensure cross-functional collaboration, technical excellence, and timely delivery. This is a hands-on leadership role ideal for someone who can set direction, build systems, and support developers across disciplines.

You’ll help connect the dots between Unreal gameplay systems, authoring tools, backend infrastructure, and AI integration—ensuring all the pieces work together to support deeply immersive, player-driven narratives.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership: Set engineering best practices and maintain technical quality across projects and systems.
• Team Management: Mentor and manage engineers across disciplines (gameplay, infrastructure, tools), fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and growth.
• Project Planning & Execution: Own the engineering roadmap in partnership with production and creative leadership; ensure smooth and timely delivery of features.
• Cross-Disciplinary Coordination: Serve as the bridge between engineering, design, and AI teams—aligning technical solutions with creative goals.
• Hands-On Development: Contribute to architecture, prototyping, or critical path implementation as needed.
• Hiring & Scaling: Help recruit and onboard top engineering talent as we scale the team.
• Process & Communication: Improve our dev workflows (CI/CD, code reviews, agile practices) and keep stakeholders informed on progress and blockers

What We’re Looking For

• Experience: 6+ years of professional software or game development experience, with 2+ years in a leadership or management role.
• Full-Stack Fluency: Understanding of gameplay programming, tools development, and infrastructure (AWS, CI/CD) — able to guide engineers across domains.
• Engine Experience: Proficiency in Unreal Engine (Blueprints & C++), with knowledge of how gameplay, tools, and runtime systems interact.
• Leadership DNA: Proven ability to manage teams, resolve conflicts, set direction, and maintain high morale and momentum.
• Strategic Thinking: Able to balance short-term execution with long-term scalability and tech vision.
• Collaborative Mindset: Deep appreciation for working with creatives, and a flexible approach to integrating tech with narrative goals.

Bonus Points

• Background in narrative or AI-driven games
• Experience scaling early-stage engineering teams
• Familiarity with LLMs or other generative AI tech
• Prior experience shipping cross-platform or live service titles
• Strong interest in experimental or story-first games

Why Join Us?

• Help shape the engineering culture and vision of a genre-defining game company
• Work with a small, passionate team at the frontier of AI and storytelling
• Competitive salary, equity, and benefits
• Remote-first culture with flexible hours and creative autonomy