Engineering Manager

At Gardens, we know that the worlds we create are shaped by the care and craft of the people who tend them. As an Engineering Manager, you will lead a team of gameplay engineers and backend engineers, partnering closely with our Technical Director and CCO/Creative Director to bring our current unannounced game to life with a simple, elegant, and stable system; an online multiplayer game focused on dynamic roleplay, player creativity, consequence, and connection between players.

A Day in the Role

• Own the people management of the engineering team through regular one-on-ones, design reviews, and feedback sessions.

• Partner daily with creative leadership, production, art, and design to ensure engineering execution is aligned with milestone goals and upcoming roadmap milestones.

• Own workload balancing and sustainable production practices for the engineering team.

• Ensure Directors’ feedback is heard and actioned upon, and that iteration and progress trends toward established success criteria

• Represent and advocate for the engineering team in cross-disciplinary discussions, clearly communicating resource constraints, tradeoffs, and intent.

• Hold the team accountable to defined standards of excellence, including problem-solving quality, velocity, and delivery against agreed timelines.

You Will

• Directly manage gameplay and backend engineers, including performance management, feedback, and career development.

• Partner with the Tech Director, CCO, and creative leads to support game stability and execution against the overall vision.

• Establish and maintain clear team goals, execution processes, and operational best practices for engineering.

• Be accountable for the delivery of engineering commitments in collaboration with production.

• Support the technical pipeline by ensuring dependencies, risks, and resourcing needs are surfaced and addressed.

• Participate in hiring by assessing team fit, growth needs, and onboarding readiness.

• Foster a healthy, inclusive, and collaborative team culture aligned with Gardens’ values.

• Lead the team through ambiguity, ensuring progress on high-impact, complex initiatives.

You Bring

• Proven experience managing and mentoring a team of game development engineers.

• Deep understanding of Unreal Engine, stability needs in a live action game, pipelines, and development processes.

• Expertise in at least one engineering discipline (game play, back end)● Shipped games successfully (ideally on PC or console)

• Strong communication, facilitation, and leadership skills.

Bonus Points

• Familiarity with Unreal Engine and modern design tools.

• Comfort working in a remote, asynchronous environment.

This role reports to the Chief of Staff.

Our Interview Process:

(All interviews are 1-hour video calls on Google Meet unless otherwise noted)

• Step 1: Talent Lead - Introductory Call

• Step 2: Info Call and Studio Overview

• Step 3: Management Interview

• Step 4: Studio Values Interview

• Step 5: Gardeners Debrief

• Step 6: Offer

Please Note: Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States or Canada. Gardens cannot assist with work authorizations or work visas. The applicant must also be willing to work within North America time zones.

Who We Are

We're a game studio founded by the creators behind titles such as Journey, What Remains of Edith Finch, Blaseball, Dustforce, Ashen, Guild Wars 2, Firewatch, and more! Our name reflects our mission: to cultivate rich, immersive worlds that foster meaningful connections and lasting friendships. We believe in creating lush, living environments where players can engage in surprising multiplayer experiences and grow together with the support of their communities.

Our commitment to inclusivity and transparency drives us to create a work environment where every voice is heard and valued. We are a fully distributed and remote studio. We offer competitive pay, stock options, flexible non-accrual paid time off, and comprehensive benefits, including full medical, vision, dental, and 401k contributions.

We're excited to be developing our flagship title - a shared 3D fantasy adventure inspired by our favorite online gaming memories. This is the world we’re passionate about building and the world we want to experience every day.

Gardens Offers:

• Competitive Salaries and Pay Transparency

• Stock Options

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage (100% for Individuals and 90% for Dependents)

• Life Insurance, Short Term & Long Term Disability, and numerous other benefits

• 401k contributions (USA) / RRSP plan + DPSP contributions (Canada)

• Paid Parental Leave

• Biannual Company Retreats

• Continued Education Allowance

• A fully-distributed studio across North American Timezones (US & Canada)

Benefits and perks listed may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Gardens and the country in which you work.

Encouragement:

We believe that diverse perspectives make our team stronger and our games better. If you’re excited about this role but don’t meet every single requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway. Studies show that marginalized groups, especially those of women and people of color, are less likely to apply unless they meet every criterion. At Gardens Interactive, we value potential, passion, and a willingness to grow. We hope you will join us in shaping the future of gaming.