Principal Software Engineer, Narrative Sytems

2K
Burnaby, Washington
Workplace: OnsiteFull timeCAD 144,200 - 213,375 annuallyFunction: Software EngineeringExperience: 15+ yearsEducation: bachelorsSkills: ["Technical leadership","Debugging","Profiling","Optimization","Communication"]

Own and lead the development of cinematic, narrative, and storytelling technology for an Unreal Engine 5 game. Build and maintain runtime systems and creator-facing authoring workflows for cinematic sequencing, scripted events, branching content, dialog integration, camera behavior, and facial animation pipelines. Extend Unreal Engine systems (Sequencer, animation playback, dialog and event-driven scene logic), partner cross-functionally to translate creative goals into scalable solutions, and optimize, debug, and mentor to ensure reliable performance from prototype through ship.

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FursaFursa
2K
2K
3 days ago

Principal Software Engineer, Narrative Sytems

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Last checked: 56 minutes agoStatus: Live

Job Summary

Own and lead the development of cinematic, narrative, and storytelling technology for an Unreal Engine 5 game. Build and maintain runtime systems and creator-facing authoring workflows for cinematic sequencing, scripted events, branching content, dialog integration, camera behavior, and facial animation pipelines. Extend Unreal Engine systems (Sequencer, animation playback, dialog and event-driven scene logic), partner cross-functionally to translate creative goals into scalable solutions, and optimize, debug, and mentor to ensure reliable performance from prototype through ship.
Location: Burnaby, Washington
Workplace: Onsite
Employment Type: Full time
Job Function: Software Engineering
Seniority: Sr. Manager level

Key Responsibilities

  • •Own and lead development of narrative systems, including runtime technology, authoring workflows, tool integrations, and long-term technical direction.
  • •Architect, develop, and maintain cinematic and narrative systems in Unreal Engine 5 for high-quality story moments, scripted events, branching content, and interactive presentation.
  • •Extend and customize Unreal Engine systems (e.g., Sequencer, camera frameworks, animation playback, dialog integration, and event-driven scene logic) to meet production needs.
  • •Partner with Animation, Audio, Level Design, and Gameplay teams to translate creative goals into robust, scalable technical solutions.
  • •Integrate dialog, facial animation, lip-sync, localization, and performance-driven content into reliable, performant runtime systems; debug and optimize narrative/cinematic systems for stable performance.

Pay and Benefits

Salary: CAD 144,200 - 213,375 annually

Key Requirements

  • •Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
  • •15+ years of professional software engineering experience in games or other real-time interactive technology.
  • •Advanced expertise with modern C++ and ability to write clean, maintainable, performance-conscious engine-level code.
  • •Deep experience developing within Unreal Engine 4 or Unreal Engine 5 with strong familiarity with engine architecture and source-level workflows.
  • •Proven ownership of complex runtime systems and production pipelines from initial architecture through delivery.
Experience:15+ yearsGamesInteractive mediaReal-time technology
Education:Bachelor's
Skills:Technical leadershipDebuggingProfilingOptimizationCommunication
Tech Stack:C++Unreal Engine 5Unreal Engine 4Unreal SequencerMovieSceneControl RigAnimation BlueprintsSkeletal MeshMetaHumanSequencerCamera frameworksDialog integrationLip-syncLocalization

Company Brief

2K
2K is a video game publisher and developer known for sports, action, and strategy franchises such as NBA 2K, WWE 2K, Borderlands, and Sid Meier’s Civilization. It operates as a major label within Take-Two Interactive.
Industry: Gaming
Company Size: Large (251 to 1,000 employees)
Growth: Established Company
Headquarters: Novato, United States
Founded: 2005
WebsiteLinkedIn