Staff Software Engineer, Innovation

Remote

At PlayStation, we believe that innovation is at the core of what makes us the Best Place to Play and the Best Place to Work. Since the launch of the original PlayStation in 1994, we’ve been a global leader in interactive and digital entertainment. As part of Sony Interactive Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation, we continue to push boundaries, redefine entertainment, and inspire the world.

The Innovation Team

Our mission is to drive innovation across PlayStation by exploring new opportunities and applying cutting-edge technology to solve real-world challenges. We’re a team that values curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. We’re looking for individuals who question the status quo, embrace challenges, and are passionate about making a tangible impact.

The Role

As a Staff Software Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of PlayStation’s innovation initiatives. This role requires a leader who is both a visionary and a hands-on technologist. You will work closely with a diverse team of engineers, designers, researchers, producers, and project managers to rapidly prototype and learn about new ideas, testing market feasibility, desirability, and viability.

You will be a key player in our journey to discover and define new ideas. We will look to this role to help define possibility spaces, to be a strong collaborator in written word and in brainstorming and concepting.  We will be leaning on this person to be comfortable seeding many good ideas that may end up not growing than someone who wants to build and ship AAA video games. 

This role is perfect for someone who thrives in an environment where creativity and technical excellence intersect to ask the right questions, collect the right data, and present the right solution design to answer those questions in a rapid, fun, and exciting team dynamic that is unlike anything in the industry.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead Innovation Projects: Take the lead on complex software development projects, from ideation to execution, using knowledge of the tools of their peers to create and prototype innovative experiences that push the boundaries of play. 
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with engineers, designers, researchers, producers, and project managers to integrate tools and individual projects with other technologies and platforms, ensuring seamless execution of projects.
• Rapid Prototyping: Quickly develop and iterate on prototypes based on user feedback and testing, focusing on delivering high-quality, impactful solutions.
• Technical Leadership: Provide technical guidance and mentorship to other team members, helping to elevate the team’s overall capability and fostering a culture of continuous learning.
• Strategic Input: Offer insights during strategic brainstorming sessions, helping to shape the direction of the innovation pipeline by identifying key opportunities and challenges.
• Thought Leadership: Represent the Innovation team within the broader PlayStation organization, sharing knowledge and advocating for best practices in software development and innovation.
• Effective Communication: Clearly articulate ideas and technical concepts in briefs and presentations, using tools like Notion, Figma, PowerPoint, and other collaborative software.

Qualifications:

• Demonstrable previous experience at scale: Deep understanding of architecture, tools, and workflows, for delivering software that is just-in-time and right-sized to exactly what the team needs to move forward.
• Advanced Programming Skills: Proficiency in C++, JavaScript, Python, or Java is required for this role, and experience with programming within Unreal Engine is desired, though not required for this role.
• Performance Optimization: Strong familiarity with optimization techniques for both CPU and GPU performance.
• Networking Systems: Knowledge of multiplayer networking systems within Unreal Engine.
• Shader Development: Experience in creating and optimizing shaders using HLSL or similar languages.
• AI Systems: Experience with AI systems and behavior development in Unreal Engine.
• Problem-Solving: Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to troubleshoot complex technical issues.
• Cross-functional Experience: Demonstrated experience working on cross-functional teams, collaborating with project managers, engineers, designers, and researchers.
• Leadership Potential: A demonstrated ability to lead projects, mentor team members, and contribute to strategic decision-making.

What We’re Looking For:

• Trend Spotter: Someone who constantly scans the market and technology landscape for emerging trends and opportunities, and who can apply this knowledge to innovate.
• Curious Innovator: A professional who asks the right questions and challenges the status quo to find better ways to engage users.
• Fearless Explorer: An engineer who thrives on exploring uncharted territory and defining possibilities, understanding problems, and coming up with opportunities to solve them, all while sharing insights and discoveries with the team.
• Resilient Problem-Solver: A person who embraces failure as a learning opportunity and who is driven by the pursuit of excellence. No sacred cows. If it doesn’t work, it’s okay.
• Happy Recalibrator:  We may need to contribute to multiple projects at once, or jump from one project to another, or put a project on hold or compost entirely due to things we learn on the way. 
• Smart Worker: An individual who knows when to build, what to build, and when to pivot, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in every project.

Join Us If you’re ready to be a leader in a team that’s shaping the future of play, we want to hear from you. This is an opportunity to make a significant impact, to lead with innovation, and to be part of something truly extraordinary.

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