Contract Gameplay Systems Engineer

Mob Entertainment is a startup multimedia studio that is best known for our hit indie horror game " Poppy Playtime" . This franchise is one of the hottest new properties in gaming, and our team is naturally expanding as our ambition expands. To give a taste of our brand's popularity, more than 100 billion YouTube views of Poppy Playtime related content have occurred since the game's launch 4 years ago. Mob Entertainment is seeking a Contract Gameplay Systems Engineer to join the team on a contract basis through May 2027, supporting the development of one of our upcoming Unreal Engine projects. This role is designed to expand engineering bandwidth, reduce pressure on existing senior staff, and bring core gameplay systems from MVP to production-ready quality. You’ll be responsible for building, refining, and stabilizing gameplay systems built using a data-driven ECS architecture (Flecs + StateTree). This is a high-trust, high-autonomy role, ideal for an experienced engineer who can independently own complex systems, solve problems without heavy oversight, and work seamlessly with designers and technical collaborators. Role Details: Position Type: Contract Contract Duration: Now through May 2027 Location: Remote Reports to: Lead Engineer / Director of Technology Works with: Gameplay Designers, Technical Designers, QA, Production Primary Tech: Unreal Engine 5, Flecs, StateTree, C++, Perforce Responsibilities Design, implement, and iterate on gameplay AI systems in Unreal Engine, including behavior trees, blackboards, EQS (Environment Query System), and navigation/pathfinding. Build enemy AI behaviors (perception, patrol, chase, combat, and state logic ) that support core horror and gameplay mechanics. Collaborate with designers to translate creative intent (pacing, tension, scares, puzzle logic) into robust, tunable AI systems. Partner with animators and gameplay programmers to ensure AI-driven characters move and react convincingly within the game engine. Optimize AI systems for performance across target platforms, identifying and resolving bottlenecks in pathfinding, perception, and decision-making at scale. Debug and resolve AI-related issues reported during production, QA, and post-launch, using Jira to track, prioritize, and resolve work. Document AI system architecture, workflows, and design patterns in Confluence to support team-wide understanding and onboarding. Write clean, maintainable, well-tested C++ and/or Blueprint code within Unreal Engine. Participate in code reviews, design discussions, and sprint planning as part of a cross-functional development team. Stay current on AI techniques and Unreal Engine features relevant to gameplay AI, and bring forward opportunities to improve existing systems. Required Qualifications: 3–5 years of professional experience in game development, with a focus on gameplay AI or systems programming. Hands-on experience with Unreal Engine, including Behavior Trees, Blackboards, EQS, and Unreal's navigation system. Strong proficiency in C++; comfort working in both C++ and Blueprint within Unreal. Solid understanding of AI concepts relevant to games: pathfinding, state machines, perception systems, decision-making architectures. Experience shipping at least one commercial game title, in whole or in part. Familiarity with performance profiling and optimization within Unreal Engine. Experience working with Jira for task tracking and Confluence for documentation, or comparable tools. Strong collaboration skills and comfort working closely with designers, animators, and other engineers in an iterative, fast-paced environment. Preferred Qualifications: Experience building AI systems specifically for horror, stealth, or tension-driven gameplay. Familiarity with animation systems (state machines, blend spaces, IK) as they relate to AI-driven characters. Experience with machine learning techniques applied to gameplay (e.g., procedural behavior, adaptive difficulty) is a plus, though not the core focus of this role. Prior experience at a small or indie studio, comfortable wearing multiple hats and operating with limited infrastructure. Familiarity with source control tools (e.g., Perforce, Git) in a game production pipeline. Passion for horror games, narrative-driven experiences, or the Poppy Playtime franchise specifically. Experience working on projects where systems needed to scale or evolve beyond MVP. Performance Expectations: Deliver stable, scalable systems that are easy for others to use and extend. Reduce senior team support burden by working with minimal supervision. Improve engineering throughput by owning technical implementation end-to-end. Contribute to the overall efficiency, maintainability, and velocity of the project. Contract Rate: The contract rate for this position is listed below. Final compensation within the applicable salary range will be determined based on factors such as the applicant’s experience, qualifications, and work location. San Francisco, CA; New York City, NY; Los Angeles, CA; Seattle, WA; Boston, MA; & Seattle, WA DC Metropolitan Areas: $48 - $64 USD hourly Austin, TX; Denver, CO; Nashville, TN; Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; & Miami, FL Metropolitan Areas: $42 - $56 USD hourly All Other U.S. Locations: $36 - $48 USD hourly #LI-Remote Mob Entertainment is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and complies with all federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination in employment. We are committed to providing equal opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age, disability, military service, or any other protected class under applicable state or local law. Mob Entertainment also considers all qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with Fair Chance laws as well as any other applicable state and local laws.