Senior Engineering Manager, VRChat
Creator
+ Stock Options
Virtual world platform
Be an early applicant
Virtual world platform
101-200 employees
Be an early applicant
+ Stock Options
101-200 employees
Company mission
To build VRChat into one of the most successful community-driven social VR platforms in existence.
Role
Who you are
- 3+ years of engineering management in a high-growth consumer or b2b tech company and solid technical background
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills which are particularly important in our fully remote environment
- Technical experience with Unity or 3D gaming development including modeling, rendering pipelines and tooling is a plus
- Past expertise in gaming, UGC and/or social platforms is a plus, though not required
- University degree or equivalent work experience with technical background
- Experience defining metrics and making product and strategic decisions based on measurable impact
- Intellectually curious about new technologies and societal changes, and understands how to apply innovations and trends to product opportunities
- Comfortable dealing with ambiguity and operating in a fast-paced and evolving environment
What the job involves
- The Senior Engineering Manager for the Creators Team is a critical leadership role at VRChat
- This person is accountable for the technical direction for the Creator team which manages all external facing SDKs for Avatars and Worlds as well as interactions with our creator community that drives our UGC based platform
- This team helps build the tools and standards to empower a large community of engaged creators that power the magic behind our platform
- As one of the Creator Team Leads, the Senior Engineering Manager will work collaboratively, along with product, design & production leads, to define the teams’ strategy and direction and ensure the team is delivering well
- This management position reports into the VP of Engineering at VRChat and will work closely with a dedicated cross functional team, heads of various functions, and periodically interact with the exec team
- Take ownership of core VRChat systems, including our Creator SDK and content systems, partnering closely with cross discipline leaders across the company to ensure we are supporting their ongoing needs
- Take ownership of the technical decisions for the Creator Team, partnering closely with product, design, engineering & production leaders to ensure the right balance of quality, speed of execution, and scalability
- Directly manage, support and inspire a team of approximately 10 engineers across multiple disciplines including API and Unity client
- Support and grow technical leads and encourage skill growth balancing the needs of the team and desires of the engineers
- Foster a positive and high functioning team with solid technical practices that delivers timely and quality software
- Create the short and long term strategy for this space, and align it with higher level vision and strategy across the company
- Contribute to a smooth and collaborative planning process to generate plans that reflect strategic goals, user insights and past learnings
- Make critical tradeoffs to ensure the long-term health and development of our platform
- Represent progress at periodic reviews and seek leadership support in a timely manner to unblock execution
- Partner with production to manage execution (including technical specs, project scoping and delivery) and work collaboratively to resolve issues to deliver against goals and objectives
- Stay current on industry trends and best practices in the technology behind gaming, UGC and social platforms to inform strategic decisions
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including internal teams, creators, partners, and the broader VRChat community
- Support the VP Engineering in critical strategy, organization and execution areas
Our take
Virtual Reality is one of the technologies with the highest projected potential for growth. VRChat offers a free-to-play metaverse platform where users gather as avatars in virtual spaces to socialize and hang out, just as one would in real life.
Whilst competitor Rec Room has a greater valuation, VRChat has positioned itself as the leading VR socializing-based product. It taps into a modern desire to form connections in digital spaces, with some users meeting their real-life partners in their virtual avatar form. When contemplating VR’s popularity, it cannot be denied that virtual realities enable freedom of self-expression, an attractive proposition perhaps for those who struggle with their identity and place in the real world.
The company recently announced a 30% workforce reduction, addressing overhiring during its 2021 boom. Despite these layoffs, the company remains focused on long-term growth and capital efficiency, positioning itself for continued success as VR becomes a key part of social connection.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Company
Funding (last 2 of 4 rounds)
Jun 2021
$80m
SERIES D
Sep 2019
$10m
SERIES C
Total funding: $95.2m
Company benefits
- Work remotely: Work from anywhere! They use collaboration software to stay organized and VRChat for meetings and hanging out.
- Health and wellbeing: Medical, Dental and Vision plans for those in the United States, and extended health plans in British Columbia, Canada.
- Fun: Monthly team dinners, get-togethers and once a year, they travel somewhere fun for a few days to hang out, catch up, brainstorm and have fun.
- Tools: You’ll be provided a powerful PC, high-end VR hardware, and any software you need to make you effective in your role.
- Vacations: Flexible vacation schedules that are encouraged. Most United States and Canadian holidays are observed by everyone on the team.
- Swag: Great VRChat and Developer Team Swag such as hoodies, coffee mugs, t-shirts, sun glasses and even custom 3D printed goodies.
Company HQ
Financial District, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Graham Gaylor
(Co-Founder & CEO)Interned at SmartVault, RSM Design, Equivalent DATA, and Seismic Exchange, before spending time at ChaiONE as an iOS Developer at at Zynga as a Software Engineer.
Jesse Joudrey
(Co-Founder & CTO)Owner and CTO at Jespionage Entertainment. Began as a Software Engineer for Electronic Arts Canada before co-founding and serving as CTO for A.C.R.O.N.Y.M Games Inc.
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