Senior Unreal Developer

Sr. Unreal Engine Developer – Remote in US or Hybrid in Cary, NC

We’re a leader in data and AI. Through our software and services, we inspire customers around the world to transform data into intelligence - and questions into answers.

If you're looking for a dynamic, fulfilling career with flexibility and a world-class employee experience, you'll find it here. We're recognized around the world for our inclusive, meaningful culture and innovative technologies by organizations like Fast Company, Forbes, Newsweek and more.

About the job   

The Games Analytics team is looking for a Sr. Unreal Engine Developer to help grow our new division at SAS and prepare our projects for mature production and deployment pipelines. Join us in our quest to unlock the power of video game engines for analytics and digital twins, build specialized tools and connectors for publishers and studios, and develop new lines of business across the industry.

This is a senior seat on a young team, which means the patterns you set — architecture, pipeline, coding standards — are the ones the division builds on for years. You will work on photoreal simulation with real production data behind it, mentor the developers coming up behind you, and have unusual latitude to shape how one of the largest analytics companies in the world uses real-time 3D.

As a Sr. Unreal Engine Developer, you will:

• Lead the design and development of photorealistic digital twin environments in Unreal Engine 5, integrating real-time simulation and visualization of industrial systems, robotic fleets and logistics operations at the visual fidelity, performance and interactivity an enterprise analytics platform demands.
• Collaborate with optimization experts, IoT engineers and software architects to build immersive, data-driven experiences, connecting Unreal Engine visualizations to real-time telemetry, sensor inputs and machine learning output from SAS analytics pipelines.
• Develop and optimize custom Blueprints and C++ modules supporting advanced simulation logic, physical system behavior and user interaction; implement dynamic asset loading, level streaming and runtime procedural generation for digital twin scenarios that scale.
• Evaluate, integrate and extend Unreal Engine plugins, including our group's own SAS Connector and the third-party plugins our digital twin products depend on.
• Drive best practices in Unreal Engine pipeline management, version control (Perforce, Plastic SCM) and cross-functional integration with cloud services, REST APIs and digital twin orchestration layers.
• Mentor junior developers and contribute to the long-term technical strategy for digital twin innovation across the enterprise.
• Be encouraged to participate in open-source projects on behalf of SAS.
• Ensure all applicable security policies and processes are followed to support the organization's secure software development goals.
• Embrace curiosity, passion, authenticity and accountability. These are our values and influence everything we do.

Required qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field. Advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 8 years of professional experience developing interactive 3D applications with Unreal Engine, including expert proficiency in both Blueprints and C++.
• Production experience with Unreal Engine server/client architecture and network replication.
• Experience integrating external data sources or APIs — JSON, REST, WebSocket or MQTT — into real-time applications, ideally for simulation or enterprise use cases.
• A portfolio of shipped real-time 3D or simulation projects demonstrating photorealistic rendering, physics simulation or complex user interaction design.
• Equivalent combination of related education, training and experience may be considered in place of the above qualifications. 

Additional competencies, knowledge and skills 

• Technical/Professional Knowledge & Skills – Keeps current with developments in real-time 3D and applies deep engine expertise to solve difficult problems, evaluate trade-offs and accomplish challenging technical goals.
• Collaborating – Works cooperatively across engineering, analytics and art disciplines to help the team achieve its goals, sharing knowledge and giving and seeking feedback.
• Innovation – Creates novel solutions with measurable value for internal and external customers; experiments with new approaches to solve work problems and seize opportunities.
• Prior experience at a AAA game studio, or working directly on digital twin products.
• Experience leading a team of five or more application developers.
• Working understanding of analytical, statistical and optimization tools, particularly for ingesting and processing game event data.
• Knowledge of at least one key SAS product — CI360, Intelligent Decisioning or Event Stream Processing.

World-class benefits  

Highlights include...

• Comprehensive medical, prescription, dental and vision plans.
• Medical plan options include:
  • PPO with low annual deductible and copays.
  • HDHP combined with a health savings account with a contribution from SAS (no access to on-site health care center).
• Onsite Health Care Center (HQ) that’s free to employees and family members enrolled in the PPO plan. There's a pharmacy too! Not local to HQ? The pharmacy will ship prescriptions for no additional charge!
• An industry-leading 401k plan.
• Tuition Assistance Program and programs and resources to support your development
• Generous time away including vacation time, a variety of paid holidays, and our much-loved U.S. Winter Wellness Break between December 25 and January 1.
• Volunteer Time Off, parental leave and unlimited paid sick days.
• Generous childcare benefits for all full-time employees.

You are welcome here.

At SAS, it’s not about fitting into our culture – it’s about adding to it. We believe our people make the difference. Our inclusive workforce brings together unique talents and inspires teams to create amazing software that reflects the diversity of our users and customers.

Additional Information:

To qualify, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States, and should not require, now or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status. SAS is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law. Read more: Know Your Rights. 

Resumes may be considered in the order they are received. SAS employees performing certain job functions may require access to technology or software subject to export or import regulations. To comply with these regulations, SAS may obtain nationality or citizenship information from applicants for employment. SAS collects this information solely for trade law compliance purposes and does not use it to discriminate unfairly in the hiring process.

SAS only sends emails from verified “sas.com” email addresses and never asks for sensitive, personal information or money. If you have any doubts about the authenticity of any type of communication from, or on behalf of SAS, please contact Recruitingsupport@sas.com.

Let's stay in touch! Join our Talent Community to stay up to date on company news, job updates and more.

#SAS