AI Product Engineer, Games

Puzzle Cats

$90K — $130K *
US-AnywhereRemote in Toronto, ON
Consumer Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of production software engineering experience with mobile apps or games in Unity (C#) for iOS and Android.
  • Deep knowledge of object-oriented programming and problem-solving skills.
  • Experience integrating AI features into products, demonstrating their application in real-world scenarios.
  • Proficient in Python or JavaScript, with familiarity in cloud infrastructure and back-end systems.
  • Strong analytical skills to interpret player data and enhance gameplay decisions.
  • Comfortable with ambiguity and quick iteration in development processes.
  • Ability to maintain high code quality while moving swiftly through the development cycle.

Responsibilities

  • Create innovative player experiences using AI technologies.
  • Build and deploy mobile game features in Unity for both iOS and Android platforms.
  • Rapidly prototype and launch new game ideas from concept to playable build.
  • Design and implement AI-driven gameplay features such as content generation and personalization.
  • Optimize AI systems for performance metrics like cost and latency.
  • Manage backend systems for live games, including analytics and testing infrastructure.
  • Collaborate with designers and analysts to translate data insights into impactful gameplay changes.

Benefits

  • Collaborative environment with cross-functional teams.
  • Fast-paced development cycles enabling rapid feature launches.
  • Hands-on role with ownership over projects from inception to implementation.
  • Opportunity to work on AI solutions that reach millions of players.
  • Focus on data-driven decision-making to enhance player experience.
Full Job Description
We\u2019re looking for an AI Product Engineer who wants to build something big and move fast. This is a hands-on, highly product-oriented role for someone who wants to invent, ship, and scale AI-native game experiences. You\u2019ll work across the full development process, from prototype to production, collaborating with designers, engineers, and product teams to launch new games and improve live ones. Features you build can reach millions of players within weeks.

We\u2019re especially interested in engineers who don\u2019t just tolerate AI tools, they live inside them. Someone who naturally uses tools like Claude, Cursor, OpenAI, or coding agents as part of how they build, understands the code they generate, and knows when to prompt a solution versus writing it from scratch.

You\u2019ll own features end-to-end, from gameplay systems and backend infrastructure to analytics, building, shipping, measuring, and iterating quickly based on real player data. We ship fast, test aggressively, and aren\u2019t afraid to kill ideas - including AI ones - if the data doesn\u2019t support them.
What You\u2019ll Do
  • Use AI to create new player experiences that wouldn\u2019t be possible otherwise
  • Build and ship mobile game features in Unity (C#) for iOS and Android, including gameplay mechanics, onboarding flows, monetization experiments, and live-ops systems
  • Prototype and launch new game ideas quickly, moving from concept to playable builds in weeks, not months
  • Design and build AI-powered gameplay and product features, including content generation, personalization, and AI-driven mechanics
  • Design and implement AI systems and pipelines, including RAG, embeddings, tool use, and agents
  • Optimize AI systems for cost, latency, and scalability, including token usage, caching, and model selection
  • Develop and maintain backend systems for live games, including leaderboards, events, A/B testing infrastructure, and cloud services (GCP/Firebase)
  • Collaborate closely with designers and analysts to interpret player data and turn insights into gameplay improvements
  • Own the full lifecycle of your features, including implementation, analytics instrumentation, debugging, and performance optimization
  • Review code and maintain high engineering standards, including AI-generated code
Must-Haves
  • Strong problem-solving ability, a hacker mindset, and deep object-oriented programming knowledge
  • Ability to write clean, maintainable code and move quickly without sacrificing quality
  • Experience integrating real AI features into products, not just using AI tools, but shipping or meaningfully prototyping model-driven functionality
  • Experience integrating LLMs into production systems using OpenAI, Anthropic, or open-source models
  • Strong intuition for how LLMs behave, including prompt design, failure modes, and output quality
  • Experience building and iterating on AI features using real user data
  • 3+ years of production software engineering experience, ideally with shipped mobile apps or games built in Unity (C#) for iOS and Android
  • Experience with Python or JavaScript, cloud infrastructure/back-end systems, and Git
  • Ability to analyze player data and metrics to improve gameplay and product decisions
  • Strong critical thinking, communication skills, and empathy for players
  • Comfort working in ambiguity and figuring things out without playbooks
  • Ability to go from idea to prototype to production in days or weeks, not months
Nice to Have
  • Experience applying AI to gameplay systems, including procedural content generation or LLM-driven systems such as personalization, dialogue, level generation, or dynamic difficulty
  • Experience designing AI pipelines such as RAG, embeddings/vector search, and tool use/function calling
  • Experience fine-tuning or working with open-source models
  • Game design sensibility and a strong feel for what makes mechanics engaging
  • Experience with Python scripting for tooling, automation, or data pipelines
  • Experience optimizing Unity mobile performance, including memory profiling, draw call optimization, and frame-rate debugging
  • Experience shipping multiple mobile game titles
What Success Looks Like in Your First 30 Days
  • Days 1-7: Ship your first feature or fix to a live game and get familiar with the full stack
  • Days 7-14: Contribute to a new game prototype and help improve a product metric
  • Days 14-30: Operate independently and ship at least one improvement that wasn\u2019t originally on the roadmap

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