Senior Game Systems Programmer

About the role

We are seeking a senior game systems programmer to help us advance interactive 3D training and simulation capabilities for vital national security challenges. You’ll join a multidisciplinary team moving ambitious ideas from early designs to robust game-engine-based capabilities. This is an opportunity to bring game-industry systems programming, engine architecture, and system performance into an environment focused on public service and long-term mission impact.

Responsibilities

• Architect, develop, test, and improve real-time software systems that support simulation, interactive 3D visualization, scenario execution, and training.
• Provide technical leadership for performance-sensitive C++ software involving engine systems, physics models, runtime architecture, distributed simulation, data flow, networking, interaction, or visualization.
• Define and evolve foundational systems such as state management, resource loading, streaming, serialization, platform abstraction, scenario control, synchronization, messaging, simulation execution, or data pipelines.
• Integrate game engines, custom software frameworks, physics models, simulation components, rendering systems, data sources, hardware interfaces, and external tools into reliable interactive capabilities.
• Profile, debug, and improve complex software systems across CPU, GPU, memory, networking, storage, latency, throughput, load time, and real-time frame-budget constraints.
• Mentor engineers, guide architecture and code reviews, communicate technical tradeoffs, and help the team build software that is performant, maintainable, testable, and usable.

Qualifications

• Have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, computer engineering, game development, physics, mathematics, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Have 8+ years of professional software development experience in game-engine systems, real-time simulation, visualization, interactive tools, engine development, graphics, distributed systems, robotics, extended reality, or related performance-sensitive software.
• Have significant experience developing clear and maintainable, high-performance C++ software for real-time, interactive, simulation, engine, or other performance-sensitive applications.
• Have experience designing software architectures for complex technical systems such as game engines, simulation systems, distributed applications, visualization platforms, interactive tools, robotics systems, or other real-time software platforms.
• Have deep experience in one or more systems programming areas such as memory management, multithreading, job systems, streaming, serialization, networking, platform abstraction, resource management, rendering integration, physics integration, tools, build systems, data pipelines, or large-scale C++ architecture.
• Have experience leading technical efforts, mentoring engineers, reviewing designs, communicating technical tradeoffs, and helping teams converge on practical, maintainable solutions.

Additional Information

If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship. You'll go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you... Have senior or staff-level experience as a systems programmer, engine programmer, platform programmer, rendering programmer, tools programmer, physics programmer, networking programmer, or core technology programmer in the game industry. Have experience with Unity, Unreal Engine, or proprietary, in-house, open-source, or custom real-time 3D engine technology. Have experience with physics modeling, distributed simulation, multiplayer networking, state synchronization, deterministic simulation, scenario systems, terrain systems, geospatial visualization, or simulation-based training systems. Have experience modernizing, refactoring, stabilizing, or extending large C++ systems while supporting active users, prototypes, interactive systems, or mission operations. Have experience building tools, asset pipelines, debugging utilities, automated tests, build systems, or workflows used by engineers, analysts, designers, artists, or other technical users. Hold an active Secret.

About Us

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world-class expertise to our nation's most critical defense, security, space, and science challenges. While we are dedicated to solving complex challenges and pioneering new technologies, what makes us truly outstanding is our culture. We offer a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where you can bring your authentic self to work, continue to grow, and build strong connections with inspiring teammates. At APL, we celebrate our differences of perspectives and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL’s campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Learn more about our career opportunities at https://www.jhuapl.edu/careers.