Lead UI Engineer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead UI Engineer

Company: 31st Union

Location: San Mateo, California, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Game Development / Engineering

Date Posted: 2026-05-12T10:48:15

Experience Level: 7+ Years Professional Experience

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Provide technical direction and leadership for a team of UI engineers on a AAA multiplayer project using Unreal Engine 5.

• Design, implement, and maintain flexible, scalable, accessible, and high-performance UI systems utilizing modern UE5 frameworks like CommonUI and MVVM patterns.

• Collaborate closely with design, production, and engineering teams to identify opportunities, challenges, and costs for new features.

• Ensure UI implementations meet rigorous console certification requirements (TRC/TCR) for platforms like PlayStation and Xbox.

• Mentor a team of UI engineers, conduct code reviews, and develop workflows to enhance the efficiency of the UI/UX design team.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Lead UI Engineer," the responsibilities and required experience clearly indicate a senior leadership role focused on technical direction and team management within the UI engineering discipline for AAA game development. The company's focus on "game makers" and building "amazing games" further contextualizes this as a core technical leadership position within the gaming industry.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the technical design and implementation of the game's user interface, adhering to best practices and leveraging advanced Unreal Engine frameworks (CommonUI, MVVM, Enhanced Input).

• Develop and maintain robust solutions for asynchronous asset management and seamless integration with latent backend services (e.g., inventory, matchmaking, live telemetry) to ensure a responsive user experience.

• Proactively manage UI performance and memory budgets, strategically utilizing GPU resources to support competitive, high framerate gameplay.

• Architect and build UI systems designed for global deployment, ensuring support for dynamic text scaling, diverse font sets, complex string tables, and right-to-left language support.

• Implement comprehensive accessibility features to ensure inclusive UX design and compliance with evolving accessibility standards in gaming.

• Design and implement data-driven UI systems that enable server-side configuration, including dynamic screen layouts, remote control reordering, friction reduction, and real-time promotions without requiring client patches.

• Mentor and guide a team of UI engineers, conduct thorough code reviews, and actively develop workflows to improve the overall efficiency and productivity of the UI/UX design and engineering teams.

• Partner creatively with Design and Production teams to ideate on new features, assess technical feasibility, identify potential challenges, and estimate resource requirements.

• Ensure all UI implementations are compliant with first-party certification requirements for major console platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities are heavily weighted towards technical leadership, system architecture, and team mentorship within the context of AAA game development, specifically focusing on UI engineering. This goes beyond typical individual contributor tasks, requiring strategic thinking and the ability to influence technical direction.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong academic foundation in Computer Science, Game Development, or a related technical field is highly beneficial.

Experience: 7+ years of professional game programming experience, with a proven track record of at least two shipped AAA titles in a Senior or Lead UI engineering capacity.

Required Skills:

• Deep technical knowledge of Unreal Engine UI systems, with specific expertise in CommonUI, UMG, Slate, and MVVM patterns.

• Expert C++ programming skills, particularly in areas such as 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 for building performant UI materials and shaders.

• Proven experience in leading technical design and implementation of complex UI systems.

• Strong understanding of performance optimization and memory management techniques in game development.

Preferred Skills:

• Live Ops / F2P Experience: Demonstrated experience working on a live-service or Free-to-Play game, with a solid grasp of commerce UI, dynamic content delivery, and player conversion funnels.

• Action Game Background: Previous experience contributing to multiplayer shooters, action RPGs, or competitive gaming titles.

• Experience with server-side configuration and data-driven UI systems.

• Familiarity with internationalization and localization best practices for UI.

• Knowledge of accessibility standards and implementation in game UIs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize deep technical expertise in Unreal Engine UI frameworks and C++, alongside critical experience with console certification processes, which is a non-negotiable for AAA console titles. The "beneficial qualifications" highlight specialized experience that would make a candidate stand out for live-service or competitive game development.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate a portfolio showcasing complex UI systems developed for AAA games, with a focus on Unreal Engine.

• Include case studies detailing the architecture and implementation of scalable, high-performance UI features, especially those involving asynchronous operations or backend service integration.

• Present examples of UI systems designed for global deployment, including dynamic text scaling, multi-language support, or accessibility features.

• Provide evidence of contributions to console certification processes, highlighting how specific UI challenges were overcome to meet platform requirements.

Process Documentation:

• Documented workflows or case studies illustrating the process of collaborating with design and production teams to translate feature requirements into technical UI specifications.

• Examples of how you've mentored junior engineers, including code review processes and contribution to team workflow improvements.

• Visual documentation or detailed explanations of UI system architectures, emphasizing modularity, reusability, and maintainability.

• Case studies detailing the implementation and impact of data-driven UI systems or server-side configurations.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Lead UI Engineer role, a portfolio is crucial. It should not only showcase technical skill but also leadership, architectural thinking, and problem-solving capabilities related to complex, performance-critical UI systems within the AAA gaming context. Emphasis should be on demonstrating impact and process.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $133,900 - $198,160 per year (California)

Benefits:

• Medical Insurance

• Dental Insurance

• Vision Insurance

• Basic Life Insurance

• 14 Paid Holidays per calendar year

• Paid Vacation time (ranging from 15 to 25 days per year, or eligibility for discretionary PTO)

• Up to 10 Paid Sick Days per calendar year

• Paid Parental Leave

• Paid Compassionate Leave

• Wellbeing Programs (including mental health and wellness support)

• Family Planning Support (through Maven)

• Commuter Benefits

• Reimbursements for fitness-related expenses

• Eligibility to participate in the 401(K) plan

• Eligibility to participate in the Employee Stock Purchase Program

• Potential for Bonus and/or Equity Awards

Working Hours: Standard 40-hour work week, with potential for overtime during critical project phases, typical in game development. The hybrid work arrangement suggests flexibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is for California and is an estimate based on the AI analysis of the provided text. The methodology for this range is based on the specific figures mentioned in the job description and general market data for senior/lead engineering roles in the San Francisco Bay Area. The benefits package is comprehensive and typical for a mid-to-large size tech/gaming company.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Game Development / Entertainment Technology. 31st Union is focused on creating AAA multiplayer games, positioning them within a highly competitive and innovative sector of the entertainment industry.

Company Size: The description implies a mid-to-large size studio, capable of developing AAA titles, likely with multiple teams and departments.

Founded: The company was founded with a mission to "build amazing games that thrill players everywhere" and emphasizes a culture of inclusivity, growth, and innovation. This suggests a dynamic environment that values creativity, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Team Structure:

• The UI Engineering team is likely part of a larger engineering department, with specialization in front-end game UI development.

• The Lead UI Engineer will report to a Director of Engineering or equivalent, overseeing a team of UI engineers.

Methodology:

• Emphasis on modern Unreal Engine frameworks and best-practice patterns (CommonUI, MVVM) for UI development.

• Focus on data-driven design and server-side configuration for dynamic and live-service features.

• Commitment to performance optimization, memory management, and meeting stringent console certification standards.

• A culture that encourages creative problem-solving, continuous learning, and raising the bar for quality.

Company Website: https://www.thirtyfirstunion.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is presented as driven by a passion for game making, valuing diversity, growth, and innovation. The focus on AAA titles suggests a professional, results-oriented environment with high standards for quality and performance.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at a senior leadership level within the UI Engineering discipline. It requires not only deep individual technical expertise but also the ability to provide technical direction, mentor a team, and influence architectural decisions for a major AAA project.

Reporting Structure: The Lead UI Engineer will likely report to a Director of Engineering or VP of Engineering, managing a team of UI Engineers. This position sits within the core game development technology stack.

Operations Impact: The UI systems designed and implemented by this role are critical to the player experience, directly impacting player engagement, retention, and monetization (especially in live-service games). This role has a significant influence on how players interact with the game world and its features, contributing directly to the overall success of the title.

Growth Opportunities:

• Technical Specialization: Deepen expertise in advanced Unreal Engine UI systems, performance optimization for consoles, and live-ops UI architectures.

• Leadership Development: Grow into broader engineering management roles, potentially leading larger teams or multiple disciplines.

• Architectural Influence: Play a key role in shaping the future technical direction of UI development for 31st Union's games.

• Cross-Disciplinary Exposure: Gain deeper understanding of backend services, game design principles, and other engineering domains through close collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Lead" title signifies a significant step in career progression, moving from individual contribution to technical leadership and team management. Growth opportunities are geared towards deepening technical mastery or expanding into broader leadership within game development.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The job posting indicates a hybrid work arrangement, suggesting a mix of on-site and remote work. This implies a professional office environment designed for collaboration, alongside the flexibility of remote work.

Office Location(s): San Mateo, California. This location is within the San Francisco Bay Area, a major hub for technology and gaming companies, offering access to talent and resources.

Workspace Context:

• The office environment likely supports collaborative work sessions, team meetings, and focused individual work.

• Access to high-performance development hardware and software specific to AAA game development will be standard.

• Opportunities for direct interaction with other engineering teams, designers, and production staff will be frequent, fostering a dynamic and integrated development process.

Work Schedule: While the core work week is expected to be 40 hours, the nature of AAA game development often involves periods of intense work leading up to milestones or launch. The hybrid model offers flexibility in managing personal time and work location.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the role suggests a modern work environment that balances in-office collaboration with remote flexibility. San Mateo's location is a significant advantage for networking and talent acquisition in the tech and gaming sectors.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess core qualifications and leadership experience.

• Technical Interview(s): In-depth discussions focusing on C++, Unreal Engine UI systems, architectural design patterns, performance optimization, and console-specific challenges. Expect coding challenges or live coding exercises.

• Portfolio Presentation: A dedicated session to walk through your most relevant projects, explaining your technical contributions, architectural decisions, and the impact of your work. Be prepared to discuss challenges and solutions.

• Team/Manager Interview: Evaluation of leadership style, mentoring approach, collaboration skills, and cultural fit with 31st Union's values.

• Final Interview: Potentially with senior leadership to discuss strategic vision and long-term contributions.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Leadership: Clearly articulate your role as a lead, including mentorship, technical direction, and decision-making.

• Showcase AAA Experience: Focus on projects that demonstrate experience with the scale, complexity, and quality standards of AAA games.

• Detail Technical Depth: For each project, explain the specific UI systems, frameworks (CommonUI, MVVM), C++ implementation details, and performance optimizations used.

• Demonstrate Problem-Solving: Present clear examples of challenges faced (e.g., console certification, performance bottlenecks, complex integrations) and how you architected solutions.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your UI implementations (e.g., improved load times, reduced memory usage, successful certification).

• Accessibility & Globalization: If applicable, showcase examples of implementing accessibility features or supporting internationalization.

Challenge Preparation:

• Technical Scenarios: Be prepared for questions that involve designing UI systems for specific game mechanics, optimizing performance under strict constraints, or troubleshooting complex C++ and Unreal Engine issues.

• Leadership Scenarios: Practice articulating your approach to mentoring, conflict resolution within a team, and driving technical consensus.

• System Design: Think about how you would architect a complex UI feature from scratch, considering scalability, maintainability, and performance.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Lead role, the interview process will heavily scrutinize leadership capabilities and the ability to translate complex technical requirements into robust, high-performance UI systems. The portfolio review is a critical component, requiring candidates to articulate not just what they built, but how and why, showcasing their strategic thinking and problem-solving acumen.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Unreal Engine 5: The core game engine; deep expertise in its UI frameworks is essential.

• C++: Primary programming language for high-performance game logic and UI systems.

• CommonUI: A modern, declarative UI framework within Unreal Engine, likely a key tool.

• UMG (Unreal Motion Graphics): Unreal Engine's visual UI designer.

• Slate: Unreal Engine's underlying UI framework.

• MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel): A design pattern crucial for managing complex UI state and logic within Unreal Engine.

• Enhanced Input: Unreal Engine's system for handling player input.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Live Telemetry Tools: For monitoring player behavior and game performance in live environments.

• Performance Profiling Tools: Built into Unreal Engine and platform-specific tools for identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks.

CRM & Automation: (Less directly applicable to this specific UI Engineering role, but relevant for broader GTM/Ops context)

• Version Control Systems: Perforce, Git.

• Project Management Tools: Jira, Confluence, or similar for task tracking and documentation.

• Build Systems: For managing game builds and deployments.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Unreal Engine 5's UI ecosystem, specifically CommonUI and MVVM, is paramount. Expert-level C++ skills are a given. Knowledge of console development tools and performance profiling is also critical.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Passion for Games: A shared enthusiasm for creating high-quality gaming experiences.

• Inclusivity & Diversity: Valuing varied voices and perspectives to strengthen the team and its creations.

• Growth & Innovation: A commitment to continuous learning, pushing boundaries, and embracing new technologies and methodologies.

• Collaboration & Trust: Fostering an environment where team members can openly share ideas, provide feedback, and rely on each other.

• Raising the Bar: A drive for excellence in all aspects of development, from code quality to player experience.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Close working relationships with Design, Production, and other Engineering disciplines are essential for success.

• Open Communication: Encouraging candid feedback through code reviews, design discussions, and team meetings.

• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that promotes sharing best practices, technical insights, and lessons learned across teams.

• Agile Methodologies: Likely employing iterative development processes to adapt to evolving project needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture emphasizes a passion for game creation, coupled with a strong commitment to inclusivity, continuous improvement, and collaborative teamwork. This suggests an environment where individual contributions are valued within a cohesive team structure.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Technical Complexity: Managing the intricate UI systems required for AAA multiplayer games, ensuring performance, scalability, and robustness across multiple platforms.

• Console Certification Hurdles: Navigating the stringent technical requirements and certification processes for PlayStation and Xbox platforms.

• Live Operations Integration: Designing UI systems that can adapt to live service needs, including dynamic content, commerce, and telemetry, without requiring frequent client patches.

• Team Leadership: Effectively mentoring a team of skilled engineers, fostering their growth, and ensuring high-quality output while managing diverse personalities and skill sets.

• Balancing Innovation and Stability: Introducing new UI technologies and patterns while maintaining the stability and performance necessary for AAA titles.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced UE5 UI Mastery: Deepen expertise in cutting-edge Unreal Engine UI features and best practices.

• Console Development Expertise: Gain specialized knowledge in platform-specific requirements and optimization techniques.

• Live Service Architecture: Develop a strong understanding of designing UI for games as a service, including player engagement and monetization strategies.

• Technical Leadership Training: Opportunities to hone mentoring, coaching, and strategic technical planning skills.

• Industry Engagement: Potential to attend industry conferences and engage with the broader game development community.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role presents significant technical and leadership challenges inherent in AAA game development. These challenges are framed as opportunities for professional growth, particularly in specialized areas of UI engineering and technical leadership.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex UI system you architected for a AAA game. What were the core challenges, your design decisions, and the outcome?" (Focus on CommonUI, MVVM, C++, performance, and collaboration.)

• "How would you approach implementing a live configuration system for in-game promotions that doesn't require client patches?" (Prepare to discuss data-driven UI, backend integration, and dynamic layout concepts.)

• "Walk us through your process for mentoring junior UI engineers and conducting code reviews to ensure code quality and team efficiency." (Highlight your leadership and team development philosophy.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about 31st Union and the type of games you're developing?" (Research their current projects and company mission.)

• "How do you foster an inclusive and collaborative environment within your engineering team?" (Connect your approach to their stated values.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your presentation logically: Project Overview -> Your Role & Contributions -> Technical Architecture & Implementation -> Challenges & Solutions -> Impact & Outcomes.

• Visuals: Use clear screenshots, diagrams, and short video clips (if possible) to illustrate your work.

• Narrative: Tell a compelling story for each project, focusing on the problem, your solution, and the results.

• Technical Deep Dive: Be prepared to answer detailed questions about your code, design patterns, and technical choices.

• Leadership Focus: Emphasize your role in leading the UI development, mentoring others, and driving technical direction.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating both deep technical expertise in Unreal Engine UI and strong leadership capabilities. Candidates should be ready to articulate their decision-making process, problem-solving strategies, and impact on previous projects, especially those involving AAA console development and live services.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Lead UI Engineer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Greenhouse.

• Customize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight your 7+ years of game programming experience, specifically mentioning shipped AAA titles and your senior/lead UI roles. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful projects that best demonstrate your expertise in Unreal Engine UI, C++, leadership, console development, and live-ops integration. Prepare a concise presentation or detailed case studies for these projects.

• Prepare for Technical Deep Dives: Review Unreal Engine UI frameworks (CommonUI, MVVM, Slate, UMG), C++ asynchronous programming, memory management, and console certification (TRC/TCR) specifics.

• Research 31st Union: Understand their company culture, values, and the types of games they develop. Prepare thoughtful questions about the role, the team, and their technical vision.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.