Head of Engineering

Skydance Interactive is seeking a strategic technical leader to develop our infrastructure and guide our technical teams in creating cutting-edge AAA games. You will define and communicate a technical vision for Skydance Interactive, transforming it into actionable plans that drive our VR experience forward. With your extensive experience in leading gameplay engineering, platform, build, and game engine teams, you will make informed decisions about adopting new tech stacks to enhance our capabilities.

As Head of Engineering, your focus will be on aligning technical initiatives with business goals, fostering an engineering culture that promotes innovation and efficiency. You will lead technical teams, ensuring their work supports project objectives while collaborating with creatives to streamline workflows and enhance technical literacy across the Studio.

As a member of the Studio’s Senior Leadership team, your role is to leverage your technical expertise to identify strategic solutions to complex challenges faced by the business. You know when to advocate for firm positions, when to seek compromise, and how to creatively solve problems to maximize product value and drive the Studio’s success.

• Develop and implement a long-term technology vision and strategy for Skydance Interactive that will endure for future games.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive technology roadmap to guide game development.
• Articulate the Studio’s technology strategy, vision, and goals.
• Ensure Skydance Interactive’s technical infrastructure is scalable and reliable.
• Oversee the technical architecture of the games being developed, ensuring they are scalable, secure, and maintainable.
• Ensure the delivery of stable, high-quality game builds.
• Work closely with creative development teams to ensure the technology is appropriate for the game being developed.
• Create and restructure high-level processes and documentation that facilitate technical excellence and efficiency.
• Manage and lead various technical disciplines, ensuring alignment and performance.
• Build and nurture high-performing technical teams.
• Lead efforts to enhance technical skill and knowledge across the Studio through training initiatives.
• Collaborate with key external partners.
• Evaluate and manage relationships with tech vendors and partners.
• Assess vendor performance.

• 15+ years of professional experience in a game development environment, with 5+ years leading technical game development teams in shipping games from start to finish.
• Ideal candidate has a VR games background.
• Proven track record building a portfolio of high-quality games and experiences.
• Proven proficiency in multiple programming languages and game engines, specifically with Unreal Engine. Familiar with build systems and platforms.
• Demonstrated leadership experience as a senior leader, able to delegate and guide engineering managers and directors.
• Able to bridge the gap between technical and non-technical teams.
• Interacts with top management to keep abreast of plans and strategies impacting the Studio’s roadmap.
• Interacts with major decision makers to convince and influence business decisions.
• Work with their Leads and Directors in translating Studio strategies into operational plans for the team from both a technical and team management perspective.
• Able to guide development, finding ways to innovate and push into new areas of game development while ensuring the project is delivered on time and under budget.
• Able to provide feedback that empowers/inspires teams to produce their best work and cultivate conditions necessary for team success.
• Experienced in taking an active role in resource management, process optimization, risk/crisis management, and change management.

The salary range for this position in Los Angeles is $300,000 – $375,000. The salary offered may vary based on the candidate’s location, qualifications, experience, and relevant expertise, among other factors. The range indicated is for base salary only and does not reflect the total compensation package, including bonus, benefits, etc.

We realize that skills and expertise can come from many different experiences and paths, and we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all of the requirements as written in the job description.