Principal AI Programmer, Unreal Assistant

Epic Games; Cary (NC); On-site; USD 150,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits for employees and dependents

Retirement plan with employer match

Employee assistance program (EAP)

Job summary

Epic Games in Cary, NC, is seeking a Principal AI Programmer to build products that integrate AI into Unreal Engine. You’ll design and ship the full stack of systems that let LLMs act inside the engine (end-to-end), bringing depth in game engine architecture, cloud services, and how LLMs actually work.

The role requires a strong software background with Unreal Engine experience, hands-on experience with LLM-powered products or deep understanding of LLM concepts, and cloud-native skills (web

Qualifications

• Strong software background with hands-on Unreal Engine experience.
• Experience shipping products powered by LLMs or strong conceptual understanding of LLMs.
• Experience with cloud-native services and infrastructure: web APIs, databases, and service architecture.

Responsibilities

• Design and build LLM-driven agents and tools inside Unreal Engine (engine-side C++/Python tooling).
• Develop the cloud-hosted agent harness, services, and database mediating between LLMs and the engine.
• Work across engine tooling, cloud backend, and web UI to ship end-to-end features.
• Evaluate and integrate emerging LLM capabilities into Epic’s tooling.
• Define technical direction for reliability, safety, and evaluation of LLM-driven automation.
• Mentor engine and backend programmers in system design.

Skills

Unreal Engine

C++

Python

LLM integration

Full-stack thinking

Distributed systems

Communication

Education

BS/MS in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Editor scripting

Cloud services

Web APIs

Databases

Job description

WHAT MAKES US EPIC?

At the core of Epic’s success are talented, passionate people. Epic prides itself on creating a collaborative, welcoming, and creative environment. Whether it’s building award-winning games or crafting engine technology that enables others to make visually stunning interactive experiences, we’re always innovating.

Being Epic means being a part of a team that continually strives to do right by our community and users. We’re constantly innovating to raise the bar of engine and game development.

PROGRAMMING - UNREAL ENGINE

What We Do

Unreal-powered projects have been on the bleeding edge of real-time entertainment for over 20 years. Our team of programming experts are always innovating to improve the tools and technology that empower content developers worldwide.

What You’ll Do

We’re looking for a Principal Al Programmer who builds products that integrate Al into Unreal Engine. You’ll design and ship the full stack of systems that let LLMs act inside the engine (from end to end, not just a single layer), bringing depth in game engine architecture, cloud services, and how LLMs actually work.

In this role, you will

• Design and build LLM-driven agents and tools that operate directly inside Unreal Engine, including engine-side C++/Python tooling and editor scripting
• Design and extend the cloud-hosted agent harness, services, and database that mediate between LLMs and the engine
• Work across the full stack (engine tooling, cloud backend, and the web UI used to drive and monitor agents) to ship end-to-end features
• Evaluate and integrate emerging LLM capabilities (tool use, multi-agent orchestration, context management) into Epic’s engine and pipeline tooling
• Define technical direction for the reliability, safety, and evaluation of LLM-driven engine automation
• Partner closely with engine, tools, and backend programmers, and mentor others on both game engine internals and LLM system design

What we’re looking for

• Strong software programming background with hands-on experience in a game engine (Unreal Engine strongly preferred), including engine architecture and tooling/editor scripting
• Practical experience building or shipping products powered by LLMs (agents, tool-calling, RAG, prompt/context programming), or a strong conceptual understanding of how LLMs work
• Experience with cloud-native services and infrastructure: web APIs, databases, and service architecture and deployment
• Excellent programming skills across C++ (engine-side) and Python and/or a web backend language
• Ability to work full-stack and reason about tradeoffs across engine code, backend services, and a web front end
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• BS/MS in Computer Science or a related field

EPIC JOB + EPIC BENEFITS = EPIC LIFE

We pay 100% for benefits for both employees and dependents and offer coverage for supplemental medical, dental, vision, critical illness, telemedicine, Life and AD&D, long term disability insurance as well as weekly indemnity (short term disability) and a retirement savings plan with a competitive employer match. In addition to the EAP (employee assistance program), we also offer a robust mental well-being program through Modern Health, which provides free therapy and coaching for employees & dependents.

Pay Transparency Information

The expected annual base pay range(s) for this position are detailed below. Each base pay range is relevant only for individuals who are residents of or will be expected to work within the specified locale. Compensation varies based on a variety of factors, which include (but aren’t limited to) things such as skills and competencies, qualifications, knowledge, and experience. In addition to base pay, most employees are eligible to participate in Epic’s generous benefit plans and discretionary incentive programs (subject to the terms of those plans or programs).

British Columbia Base Pay Range

$274,049 — $401,939 CAD

ABOUT US

Epic Games is a leading interactive entertainment company. For over 30 years we’ve been making award-winning games and engine technology that empowers others to make visually stunning games and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic’s award-winning Unreal Engine technology not only provides game developers the ability to build high-fidelity, interactive experiences for PC, console, mobile, and VR, it is also a tool being embraced by content creators across a variety of industries such as media and entertainment, automotive, and architectural design. As we continue to build our Engine technology and develop remarkable games, we strive to build teams of world‑class talent.

Like what you hear? Come be a part of something Epic!

Epic Games deeply values diverse teams and an inclusive work culture, and we are proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. Learn more about our Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy here.