Principal Software Engineer, Core Engine

Unity; Canonsburg (Washington County); On-site; USD 203,000 - 304,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Stock ownership / equity

Retirement plans

Paid vacation

Job summary

Unity is seeking an experienced software engineer to guide the delivery of mission-critical parts of Unity Engine. You will work across teams to improve C#/.NET integration (GC, JIT, AOT) and to build high-performance native code.

You will help set the technical roadmap and mentor team members while advocating best practices for Unity developers and users. The role emphasizes collaboration with global stakeholders, strong communication, and hands-on work across compiler and runtime technologies

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in C# and C++ for .NET runtime integration.
• Knowledge of compiler toolchains and optimization strategies.
• Strong understanding of hardware architecture and performance profiling.
• Experience in game engine development, preferably proprietary engines.

Responsibilities

• Ensure timely delivery and fitness of C#/.NET integration including JIT/AOT toolchains.
• Help craft long-term technical roadmap for the Unity team.
• Design and track metrics to guide resourcing decisions.
• Communicate plans to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Provide feedback to users via docs, forums, and bug reports.
• Guide team members and promote best practices.

Skills

C# expert

C++ expert

Compiler domain

Hardware architecture

Game engine development

Communication skills

Job description

The Opportunity

Unity Engine is used by millions of creators around the world to build powerful and engaging real-time experiences. Underlying these experiences is game code written in C# and targeting .NET. We need people excited by the opportunity to integrate the cutting-edge .NET runtime and tooling into Unity, as well as help build the compiler technologies to generate highly efficient native code.

We’re looking for an experienced software engineer to guide, and be responsible for, delivery of some of the most mission-critical parts of Unity Engine. You’ll work with software experts across the company to give our developers the tools they need to make performant, robust games:

• Improving the quality of the C#/.NET integration, including GC, JIT, AOT, and runtime libraries
• Crafting, prototyping and implementing key technical solutions
• Researching and spearheading methods to improve performance and reliability
• Advocating standard methodologies for internal developers and our users

Please note that we are currently prioritizing candidates in Eastern Time Zone.

What You'll Be Doing

• Ensure the timely delivery and fitness of our C#/.NET integration, including JIT and AOT toolchains
• Drive general game engine technical leadership across Unity and help craft a long-term vision and technical roadmap for the team
• Design, track, and communicate important metrics to guide resourcing decisions
• Communicate the team’s plans internally and externally to technical and non-technical audiences
• Provide feedback and solutions to users through documentation, forums, bug reports, and internal support channels
• Guide the development and effectiveness of team members
• Advocate best practices for internal developers and Unity users

What We're Looking For

• Deep expertise in C# and C++
• Compiler domain expertise, with strong knowledge of compiler toolchain technology
• Strong understanding of hardware architecture
• Game engine development experience, particularly on proprietary engines
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to build relationships with global stakeholders

You Might Also Have

• Experience developing cross-platform code, particularly between ARM and x64
• Experience working with remote/international teams
• Prior use of Unity

Base Salary Range

We determine the base salary range for this role based on your primary work location:

Zone A: $179,500 - $269,300 USD gross

Zone B: $202,800 - $304,200 USD gross

Zone C: $227,900 - $341,900 USD gross

This range reflects the anticipated base salary for this position. Beyond base salary, this role may be eligible for equity awards and participation in our company incentive plans (such as annual discretionary bonuses or sales commissions). The final offer amount will depend on several factors, including geographic location and the candidate’s relevant experience, professional background, and skill set.

Benefits

At Unity, we want our team members to thrive. We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support well-being and work-life balance.

Please note: Benefits eligibility, specific offerings, and coverage vary based on the country and employment status.

While specific benefits vary, here are some of the ways we strive to take care of our eligible team members globally: Comprehensive health, life, and disability insurance | Commute subsidy | Employee stock ownership | Competitive retirement/pension plans | Generous vacation and personal days | Support for new parents through leave and family-care programs | Office food snacks | Mental Health and Wellbeing programs and support | Employee Resource Groups | Global Employee Assistance Program | Training and development programs | Volunteering and donation matching program

Life at Unity

Unity [NYSE: U] is the world’s leading game engine, powering play for more than 3 billion consumers each month. The top mobile games in the world, the most played PC indie titles, the most innovative console games, and virtually all of the top XR and Web Games are developed, deployed, and grown in Unity. Unity also enables teams across industries like automotive, manufacturing, and healthcare to design, simulate, and collaborate in 3D — closing the gap between ideas and reality.

Unity is a proud equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment and celebrate our employees across age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law. Our differences are strengths that enable us to support the growing and evolving needs of our customers, partners, and collaborators.