Jobs Companies Absurd Ventures Software Engineer, Cinematic Tools

About this Software Engineer, Cinematic Tools role at Absurd Ventures

Absurd Ventures · Onsite · Santa Monica

Summary

We are seeking a highly experienced and collaborative Software Engineer to help drive the design, implementation, and support of tools for our cinematic pipeline. 

As an engineer, you are passionate about developing tools and systems that enable animators, audio engineers, and cinematic producers to create world-class cinematic content for our game. You will be working on tools internal to Unreal, developed in C++ and Python, application plugins in C++ and Python, and external tools developed in C#. 

Core Responsibilities   

  • Interface with leadership from the production department to identify audio and motion capture toolchain requirements, and then build, test, and support those tools. 
  • Interface with animators, audio engineers, and producers on game teams to design, implement, and support tools for ingesting, authoring, and exporting cinematic content. 
  • Participate in technical planning, task estimation, and milestone reviews.   

Core Qualifications   

  • 5+ years of professional game development experience with a focus on systems for cinematic content capture, management, and authoring. 
  • 2+ years of professional experience working in Unreal Engine, ideally with experience working with Unreal Sequencer and animation systems. 
  • Experience developing applications in C# .
  • Comfortable working in both PC and Mac environments. 
  • Shipped at least one AAA title in an engineering role.   
  • Excellent communication skills, problem-solving skills, and a customer-focused mindset.   

Plus If...   

  • Experience with Unreal Engine 4 or 5.   
  • Familiarity with multiplayer game systems, replication, and network optimization.   
  • Knowledge of scripting languages (e.g., Blueprint, Lua, Angelscript, etc.) and their integration with game systems.   
  • Prior experience with open-world games or systemic gameplay projects.   
  • Experience with agentic coding practices. 
  • Hands-on knowledge with WWise, ProTools, Premiere, Da Vinci, and/or Maya. 
  • Experience working with narrative authoring systems like Articy. 
  • Experience working with automation pipelines like Horde, TeamCity, or Jenkins.

Description 

  • Full-time job with benefits.   
  • Role is on-site in Santa Monica, CA.   
  • Office is located near downtown Santa Monica – near metro and freeways.  

The base pay range for this position is $130,000 to $155,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including vacation time, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) matching to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity. 

 

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How this Software Engineer salary compares

This role pays $142,500/yrbelow the typical range for Software Engineer roles.

$147,000 median $181,900 $261,000

Typical range $166,100–$215,500/yr, from 36 comparable Software Engineer listings on JobsRadar (pay annualized to USD). See Software Engineer salary insights →

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