Lead UI Engineer - STARCRAFT | Irvine, CA
Blizzard Entertainment is hiring a Lead UI Engineer to shape the technical direction of user interface systems for the next StarCraft game, a story-driven open-world shooter. Day to day: architecting UI frameworks in C++/Unreal Engine, optimizing for PC/Xbox/PlayStation, and mentoring a UI engineering team. Hybrid role based in Irvine, CA.
- Compensation
- $124K–$229.4K / yr
- Location
- Irvine, California
- Work setup
- Hybrid
- Seniority
- Lead
- Employment
- Part time
- Experience
- 8+ years
- Category
- Design
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- 8+ years of professional software engineering experience with significant UI systems experience for games or interactive applications
- Experience leading engineers, technical initiatives, or feature teams through the full development lifecycle
- Experience managing people, programs, or multidisciplinary efforts
- Experience shipping at least one commercially released title or large-scale interactive product
- Proven ability to work collaboratively within teams and foster productive partnerships across departments
- Demonstrated ability to inspire colleagues and commit to continuous improvement of core skills
- Ability to take initiative and manage responsibilities independently with strong ownership and accountability
- Experienced and knowledgeable player of a wide range of games, able to apply this expertise to creative decisions
- Strong proficiency in C++ and modern software architecture principles
- Extensive experience building UI systems, frameworks, and tooling for game development
- Experience integrating UIs with gameplay systems, backend services, and platform features
- Comprehensive understanding of performance optimization, memory management, and debugging practices
- Experience working with Unreal Engine and related UI technologies
- Experience leading technical reviews, architecture discussions, and engineering planning
- Strong understanding of accessibility considerations and player-centered design principles
- Experience developing for PC, Xbox, and/or PlayStation platforms
Nice to have
- Experience leading UI engineering teams on AAA game development projects
- Experience developing UI editor tooling and content creation workflows
- Experience supporting live-service or online game features
- Experience integrating telemetry, analytics, or player feedback systems into UI workflows
- Background working on action, role-playing, social, or open-world game experiences
- Experience contributing to recruiting, interviewing, and career development for engineers
Full description
Team Name:
StarCraft
Job Title:
Lead UI Engineer - STARCRAFT | Irvine, CA
Requisition ID:
R028154
Job Description:
Your Mission
Blizzard Entertainment is assembling a team to build the next chapter of StarCraft, returning to a universe forged in interstellar war. This mission offers something new: crafting an original story-driven, open-world shooter while honoring the legacy of one of Blizzard's most beloved games.
We are here to reignite this universe alongside you. We are here to make StarCraft, and it's about damn time.
We are looking for a Lead UI Engineer to help craft this new game for Blizzard. As a key member of the development team, you will lead the technical direction, execution, and evolution of the game's user interface systems while helping build a collaborative and high-performing engineering team. You are comfortable operating in a dynamic environment, navigating fluid deadlines and changing priorities with purpose.
This role offers a hybrid work week, with a mix of work-from-home and on-site days, based out of our Irvine studio.
Responsibilities
Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:
- Lead the technical vision and implementation strategy for user interface systems across the game experience.
- Architect, develop, and maintain scalable, performant, and extensible UI frameworks and workflows.
- Collaborate closely with designers, artists, engineers, and production partners to deliver intuitive and engaging player experiences.
- Guide a team of UI engineers through mentorship, technical leadership, prioritization, and day-to-day execution.
- Establish engineering standards, best practices, and code quality expectations for UI development.
- Partner with technical leadership to identify risks, plan milestones, and align team objectives with broader game development goals.
- Optimize user interface performance, memory usage, and platform compatibility for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.
- Drive improvements to UI pipelines, tools, and workflows that enable efficient iteration across disciplines.
- Review designs and technical proposals, providing feedback that balances creative goals with technical requirements.
- Foster a collaborative environment that promotes continuous learning, knowledge sharing, and professional growth.