Key Attributes:- Innovation Mindset: Passion for pushing the boundaries of real-time physics in interactive simulation.
- Leadership & Mentorship: Ability to guide developers, set technical direction for an area, and enforce best practices.
- Problem-Solving: Creative and analytical approach to complex simulation challenges.
- Communication: Clear articulation of technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
Responsibilities:- Participate in setting physics architecture: Define data models, simulation loops, solver strategies, and integration points across engine and simulation systems.
- Deliver core physics features: Collision detection (broad-phase/narrow-phase), entity controllers, vehicle dynamics with an emphasis on orbital mechanics, particles/fluid mechanics (with an emphasis on atmospheric dynamics), etc.
- Integrate with simulation logic (gameplay) & animation: Build physics-driven interactions, authoring tools, and runtime hooks (e.g., inverse kinematics, state machines, event systems).
- Performance ownership: Profile, optimize, and budget frame time and memory across platforms; lead multi-threading/Job System/SIMD efforts; evaluate GPU compute opportunities.
- Stability & robustness: Establish test suites, golden scenarios, and verification and validation practices; reduce edge-case instability (stacking, tunneling, jitter, constraint drift).
- Tooling & workflow: Build/debug tools, visualizers, probes, and authoring pipelines that accelerate designer iteration and QA efficiency.
- Cross-functional leadership: Partner with back-end, AI, data pipeline, and platform teams; communicate constraints/trade-offs; align milestones with production.
- Participate in code reviews, design docs, and coding standards; cultivate a high bar for craft, documentation, and reproducibility.
Professional Qualifications:- Education: BS/MS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Physics, Mathematics (or equivalent practical experience).
- Experience: 5+ years in real-time/game physics engineering; 2+ shipped titles with substantial physics ownership (AA/AAA preferred).
- Programming: Expert C++ (modern standards), data-oriented design, memory management, profiling/debugging (VTune, PIX, Nsight, RenderDoc, etc.).
- Rigid-body dynamics, collision detection (GJK, SAT, continuous collision detection/time of impact), integration schemes (semi-implicit Euler, RK, constraint solvers).
- Numerical stability, error control, and performance trade-offs under real-time constraints.
- Engine Integration: Experience integrating physics with animation (animation blending, IK), gameplay systems, and rendering pipelines.
- Performance: Multi-threading/job systems, SIMD/vectorization, cache-friendly data structures, frame/memory budgeting across platforms.
- Collaboration: Proven ability to lead cross-disciplinary efforts and communicate complex technical topics clearly.
Preferred Qualifications:- 5+ years' experience in Modern Game Engines & Middleware: Unreal Engine (Chaos), Unity (DOTS/Physics), Havok, Bullet, PhysX.
- Custom engine experience is strongly preferred.
- 3+ years' experience in Advanced Simulation: Fracture systems, granular materials, vehicle tire models, buoyancy/aero effects; GPU compute (CUDA, compute shaders).
- Experience with existing physics models and systems integration.
- Networking: Deterministic simulation strategies, rollback/prediction, server authority models, cross-platform latency mitigation.
- Console/Platform: Shipping experience on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and PC; familiarity with platform TRCs/TCRs and performance certification.
- Tooling & Scripting: Python/C#/Lua for tools and editor extensions; in-engine visualization/debugging overlays.
- Optimization Expertise: Broad-phase structures (sweep-and-prune, BVH), island building, sleeping strategies, CCD tunneling avoidance; job scheduling and affinity tuning.
- Content Pipelines: Collaboration with design/tech art to create authoring guidelines for physics assets; LOD strategies for physics complexity.
$130,000 - $160,000 a year
Final compensation will be determined based on factors such as experience, skills, and qualifications. In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible for performance-based bonuses and equity awards.
