Engineering Manager

Ghost Story Games; Massachusetts; Hybrid; USD 185,100 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Ghost Story Games is looking for an Engineering Manager to join the team working on Judas, a new narrative-driven game led by Ken Levine. This role requires a proven leader with extensive experience in game development, particularly with Unreal Engine, and a strong grasp of programming in C++. The Engineering Manager will oversee the engineering teams, manage programming resources, and ensure systems are ready for shipping.

This position, based in Massachusetts, offers a competitive salary range of $185,100 to $210,000 annually, with the potential for bonuses and comprehensive benefits. Ghost Story Games values diversity and is an equal opportunity employer.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in the game industry with at least 3 shipped AAA titles.
• Proven track record of driving complex game systems through to launch.
• Experience developing for and shipping cross-platform titles.

Responsibilities

• Oversee engineering teams to deliver dynamic gameplay and narrative systems.
• Manage and develop teams of programmers for assigned systems/domains.
• Own hardening systems to shipping quality.

Skills

Unreal Engine 4/5 experience

Strong knowledge of C++

Ability to manage teams

Experience in game development

Tools

Perforce

Job description

Ghost Story Games is a self-publishing game development studio founded by Ken Levine (Creative Director of System Shock 2, Bioshock, and Bioshock Infinite) and former Irrational Games developers. The studio’s mission is to create narrative-driven experiences rooted in immersive world building and gameplay.

The Challenge

Ghost Story Games is seeking a talented Engineering Manager to join us on Judas, the highly anticipated game led by Ken Levine (System Shock 2, BioShock series). Unique in its bold, creative vision, Judas is also built upon novel technology by which the visual world, gameplay, and story unfolds in meaningful, dynamic ways. The result is a significant and personal journey adapted to each player’s experience and offers a new approach to the art and storytelling of video games.

We are seeking an Engineering Manager with a diverse background in game development to lead the finalization and polish of our dynamic gameplay and narrative systems. In this critical leadership role, you will oversee engineering teams, own major subsystems, take charge of the strategic planning, execution, and optimization required to bring these systems to a “shipping-ready” state. Beyond technical oversight, you will be responsible for developing and maintaining technical roadmaps, managing and mentoring engineering personnel, and serving as a key liaison to foster seamless collaboration with other studio disciplines.

The ideal candidate brings a proven track record of driving complex game systems through to launch, pairing strong technical acumen with the meticulous care and leadership necessary to elevate our games to the next level.

What You’ll Take On:

• Own hardening our systems to shipping quality.
• Roadmap and schedule post‑launch release content.
• Proactive feature ownership of entire game subsystems – including all aspects of development, maintenance, advocacy and documentation.
• Manage the schedule of the console port team (with our vendor) and all performance/optimization efforts.
• Manage and develop teams of programmers for work on assigned systems/domains which includes managing contractors and outsourcing partners.
• Work with all departments to ensure our systems meet the needs of our content creators.

What You Bring:

• Extensive Unreal Engine 4/5 experience.
• Ability to direct the closing down of dynamic systems and develop a change management process for feature maintenance.
• Experience with streaming, serialization, entity systems and core game engine technologies.
• 10+ years’ experience in the game industry with at least 3 shipped AAA titles.
• Experience managing teams.
• Strong knowledge of C++.
• Ability to quickly understand existing code and enhance/extend an existing architecture.
• Software engineering skills, including the ability to write maintainable and robust code.
• Experience developing in and supporting all stages of the development lifecycle.
• Experience developing games; preferably action, First Person Shooters and immersive sim games.
• Ability to research, analyze and optimize code to meet performance requirements.
• Experience developing for and shipping cross‑platform titles – PC/XSX/PS5 preferred.
• A passion for hands‑on game development with a focus on attention to detail.
• Commitment to code quality, documentation and sound testing procedures.
• Adaptable in high‑pressure, creative environments, with the ability to respond elegantly to difficult changes and prioritize feature requests based on design goals.
• Understanding of procedural content generation systems/algorithms.
• Self‑motivated leader able to work independently and drive results.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, interpersonal and organizational skills, including participation in engineering best practices like code reviews.
• Experience with source control via Perforce or equivalent.

Great to Have:

• Support high quality and robust game features and systems, by gathering requirements, designing solutions, testing and debugging.
• Implementing AI tools to streamline the QA process for a highly systemic game.
• Support build automation processes as needed.

The pay range for this position in Massachusetts at the start of employment is expected to be between $185,100 and $210,000 per Year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job‑related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations. Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for employees in regular roles may also include other elements, including a bonus and or equity awards, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and or other benefits, provided that temporary or intern roles will not be eligible for many of these payments or benefits. Details of participation in compensation and benefit plans (if applicable) will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment. If hired, employee will be in an at‑will position and the company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation or benefit program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

As an equal opportunity employer, Ghost Story Games, LLC ("Ghost Story") is committed to fostering and celebrating the diverse thoughts, cultures, and backgrounds of its talent, partners, and communities throughout its organization. Consistent with this commitment, Ghost Story does not discriminate or retaliate against any employee or job applicant because of their race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, and genetic information (including family medical history), or on the basis of any other trait protected by applicable law. If you need to report a concern or have questions regarding Ghost Story’s equal opportunity commitment, please contact [e-mail].