Senior Advanced Software Engineer

Welcome to the world of land-based gaming. At Light & Wonder, it's all about the games, and our Gaming team builds cutting-edge technology, products, and content for the most iconic casinos and operators across the globe.

We are seeking a highly skilled and innovative Senior Software Developer with expertise in extended reality (XR) to join our team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in developing XR applications using Unity and experience working with AR/VR devices such as Meta Quest or similar platforms. This role involves collaborating with our hardware and industrial design team to build XR solutions that drive innovation and redefine user experiences. This is a hands-on senior developer role with significant individual contribution to core XR systems and features.

Essential Job Functions:

• Develop and ship production-ready Unity applications targeting Meta Quest (Quest 3, Quest Pro, and future Quest devices).

• Implement and optimize XR input, locomotion, and interaction systems using OpenXR and Meta XR SDKs.

• Optimize applications for standalone VR hardware (CPU/GPU constraints, thermals, memory).

• Implement and optimize real-time 3D graphics and interactive user interfaces.

• Lead the technical integration of XR solutions with hardware platforms like Meta Quest, Varjo, or other AR/VR devices.

• Ensure application performance, quality, and responsiveness through code reviews and performance profiling.

• Contribute directly to XR experiences that support product development, design validation, and future-facing innovation initiatives.

• Collaborate daily with hardware engineers and industrial designers to prototype, iterate, and productionize XR solutions.

• Stay up to date with the latest trends, tools, and technologies in XR (AR/VR/MR) applications.

• Troubleshoot, debug, and resolve complex technical issues in XR applications.

• Mentor junior developers, providing guidance and expertise in XR development practices.

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of new programming methods and technologies.

• Provide technical leadership and review XR-related work across engineering and design teams.

Requires Training and/or Experience:

• 8 to 12 years of professional software development experience (or equivalent depth of experience).

• 5+ years focused on XR / real-time 3D applications.

• Proven experience optimizing Unity applications for mobile XR hardware (draw calls, batching, GPU instancing, shaders, LODs).

• Experience profiling XR applications using tools such as Unity Profiler, RenderDoc, or Meta performance tools.

• Experience with AR/VR hardware platforms, such as Meta Quest, Varjo, Microsoft HoloLens, or similar devices.

• Strong programming skills in C# (C++ experience is a plus) with a strong understanding of object-oriented design concepts.

• Experience building, deploying, and maintaining XR applications across development, QA, and release pipelines.

• Strong proficiency in Unity (Unreal experience is a plus).

• Deep understanding of real-time rendering, 3D modeling, and shader programming.

• Proven ability to work in a collaborative team environment and manage competing priorities effectively.

Preferred:

• Experience with mixed reality passthrough applications.

• Familiarity with UX best practices for VR comfort and accessibility.

• Experience building internal tools or visualization applications.

• Familiarity with app versioning, device management, and release workflows for VR hardware.

• Gaming industry experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Experience with Meta XR SDKs (e.g., Meta Interaction SDK, Passthrough, Hand Tracking, Spatial Anchors).

• Experience with XR Interaction Toolkit customization.

• High degree of comfort with software development tools such as IDEs/compilers, debuggers, profilers, and version control systems.

• Knowledge of spatial mapping, computer vision, and gesture recognition technologies.

• Enjoy working in a creative environment.

• Strong portfolio of XR projects showcasing creativity and technical expertise (or ability to discuss prior work).

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to work well with others in a team environment.

Education:

Bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field or equivalent work experience required

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, bend, use hands, operate a computer, and have specific vision abilities to include close and distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus while working with computer and business equipment.

Work Conditions:

The work conditions are representative and typical of similar jobs in comparable organizations. Some domestic and international travel required.

This job description should not be interpreted as all-inclusive; it is intended to identify major responsibilities and requirements of the job. The employee in this position may be requested to perform other job-related tasks and responsibilities than those stated above.

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Light & Wonder is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against applicants due to race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class. If you'd like more information about your equal employment opportunity rights as an applicant under the law, please click here for EEOC Poster.