Lead Software Engineer, Platform and Console Systems (Proprietary C++ Engine) at Blackbirdinteractive

Blackbirdinteractive

Vancouver, BC, Canada·5d ago

LeadFull-timeC++Rails

Salary Range

CA$140,000 - CA$180,000 /year

About the Role

We are looking for a Lead Software Engineer to join Blackbird Interactive, an independent game studio focused on AAA game development. This role involves porting a proprietary game engine to current-gen console systems including PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC.

Key Responsibilities

→Lead the effort to port and harden a proprietary AAA game engine for current-gen consoles, ensuring performance, stability, and production readiness.
→Own the platform and console roadmap for core engine-facing systems across PC and consoles, balancing performance, reliability, and delivery timelines.
→Drive engine-level performance improvements focused on frame-time stability, hitch reduction, load-time reduction, memory efficiency, and scalability across CPU cores.
→Architect and optimize memory systems including allocators, pools, tagging, lifetime tracking, streaming heaps, fragmentation mitigation, OOM safety, and platform budget enforcement.
→Build and evolve I/O and streaming foundations including async file I/O, decompression pipelines, asset streaming, prioritization, bandwidth and latency hiding, and patch-friendly data layouts.
→Improve CPU scheduling and concurrency including job systems, task granularity, contention reduction, cache locality, false sharing mitigation, and thread affinity strategies.
→Lead platform integration and abstraction layers with clean separation between platform-specific code and cross-platform engine systems. Maintain SDK-facing pipelines and compliance readiness.
→Establish performance guardrails including budgets, best practices, validation checks, regression detection, automated benchmarks and captures, and telemetry for early detection of issues.
→Partner cross-discipline with gameplay, rendering, audio, content, and build and release teams to align features and content goals with platform constraints and budgets.
→Mentor and raise the bar through design reviews, debugging approaches, and best practices. Contribute to hiring, onboarding, and team standards.
→Communicate clearly to production and stakeholders on constraints, trade-offs, risks, and actionable plans for platform readiness.

Requirements

✓5+ years of professional game development or performance-critical systems experience, with demonstrated technical leadership through project ownership, mentorship, and setting standards.
✓Expert-level modern C++ and systems debugging skills including multithreading, low-lock patterns, profiling-driven optimization, and low-level investigations.
✓Deep understanding of console constraints and performance fundamentals including CPU architecture, cache and memory hierarchy, storage, I/O characteristics, and platform-specific trade-offs.
✓Track record of shipping or supporting production console titles and improving stability, frame pacing, memory behavior, and load times in real-world conditions.
✓Comfortable defining and enforcing budgets for CPU, memory, and I/O, and partnering with content teams to keep the game performant and stable.
✓Strong ownership mindset with a focus on maintainable solutions, practical prioritization, and team success under deadlines.