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31st Union

Lead UI Engineer

San Mateo, California, United States

Location
San Mateo, California, United States
Work
Not stated
Employment
Not stated
Level
Lead / staff
Function
Engineering
Pay
$133.9K – $198.2K a year (read from the ad)
Posted
7 months ago

Pay and the market here

The top of this role’s range, $198K a year, is 34% below the median of $300K for lead / staff engineering jobs in San Mateo (middle half $267K – $345K, 104 jobs that state pay).

463 engineering jobs open in San Mateo: 2% remote, 116 posted in the last 30 days.

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About the role

WE ARE GAME MAKERS

Who We Are

We are a diverse team of developers driven by a passion for our art, united by our core values and inspired by a culture of inclusivity to build amazing games that thrill players everywhere. We pursue growth and innovation in an environment of safety and trust. Our culture is built on the belief that the more varied voices in our collective will strengthen our team and our games. We are looking for our next teammate who will raise our bar and make us better.

What We Need

We're seeking a Lead UI Engineer, to provide tech direction for our AAA multiplayer project and leadership for our team of UI engineers. In this role, you will design and build flexible, scalable, accessible, and high-performance UI systems using modern UE5 frameworks (CommonUI, MVVM, Enhanced Input), while partnering closely with engineers and cross-disciplinary teams. The ideal candidate has deep experience in all aspects of UI development – including hitch-free resource management, integration with latent backend services, support for a wide set of display devices and high frame rates, console-specific requirements, and live configuration.

What You’ll Do

  • Engage creatively with Design and Production on new features to identify opportunities, challenges and cost.
  • Direct the technical design and implementation of the game’s UI using highly supported / best-in-class patterns and UE frameworks.
  • Maintain robust solutions for asynchronous asset management and integration with latent backend services (e.g. inventory, matchmaking, live telemetry) while maintaining a responsive user experience.
  • Manage UI performance and memory budgets. Leverage GPU where needed to support competitive, high framerate play.
  • Ensure UI implementations meet first party certification requirements.
  • Build UI systems designed for global deployment – supporting dynamic text scaling, diverse font sets, complex string tables, and right-to-left languages.
  • Implement comprehensive accessibility features to support inclusive UX design.
  • Architect data-driven UI systems that support server-side configuration. This includes dynamic screen layouts, remote control reordering, friction reduction, and real-time promotions without requiring client patches.
  • Mentor a team of UI engineers, conduct code reviews, and develop workflows to improve the efficiency of the UI/UX design team.

What Will Make You A Great Fit

  • 7+ years of professional game programming experience, including at least 2 shipped AAA titles in a Senior or Lead UI role.
  • Deep technical knowledge of Unreal Engine UI systems, specifically CommonUI, UMG, Slate, and MVVM patterns.
  • Expert C++ programming skills, specifically regarding asynchronous data handling, memory management, and C++/Blueprint interoperability.
  • Direct experience resolving UI-related console certification issues (TRC/TCR) for PlayStation and/or Xbox platforms.
  • Practical understanding of the Unreal material pipeline as applied to building performant UI materials and shaders.

Beneficial Qualifications

  • Live Ops / F2P Experience: Proven experience working on a live-service or Free-to-Play game, with a strong understanding of commerce UI, dynamic content delivery, and player conversion funnels.
  • Action Game Background: Previous experience working on multiplayer shooters, action RPGs, or competitive games.

The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $133,900 and $198,160 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 this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards and eligibility to participate in our 401(K) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program.

Regular, full-time employees are also eligible for a range of benefi ts at the Company, including: medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage; 14 paid holidays per calendar year; paid vacation time per calendar year (ranging from 15 to 25 days) or eligibility to participate in the Company’s discretionary time off program; up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year; paid parental and compassionate leave; wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support; family planning support through Maven; commuter benefi ts; and reimbursements for fi tness-related expenses. Ontario only: The use of Artifi cial Intelligence is not being used to screen candidates. The position is for an existing vacancy.

#LI-Onsite

#LI-Hybrid

#LI-Remote

Source

Posted by 31st Union on their own hiring page, job-boards.greenhouse.io. OptiTalent shows it as published, read 07 Nov 2026 12:00 UTC; the original is the reference.

View the original ad ↗

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