Lead Quest Programmer

Job Description

CD PROJEKT RED is looking for a Lead Quest Programmer to join the team working on Cyberpunk 2, the follow-up to Cyberpunk 2077 and the next major video game in the Cyberpunk franchise, led by our North American team centered in Boston.

This is an important role within the project, leading the engineering team focused on story technologies for Cyberpunk 2. Our story system plays a central role in how we bring complex, narrative-driven experiences to life. In this position, you will help bridge design vision and technical execution, working closely with story content creators, quest leads, directors, and the central architects and maintainers of our shared bespoke story framework. Together, you’ll help ensure our tools and workflows give creators the flexibility and support they need to deliver compelling story experiences.

Daily Responsibilities:

People & Team Leadership:

• Manage direct reports, supporting their professional growth and career ambitions.
• Conduct regular 1:1s, performance reviews, hiring, and promotion plans.
• Guide and mentor your engineering team in code quality, collaborative workflow efficiency, and technical execution.

Driving System & Tool Development:

• Work directly with quest designers (content creators and leads) and directors to interpret creative and narrative requirements into clear technical needs.
• Collaborate with the central Architects and Maintainers of our shared bespoke quest system to drive feature requests, integration, and continuous improvement across projects.
• Drive the development, integration, and evolution of our project’s quest features, ensuring the necessary engineering work gets executed and delivered effectively.
• Ensure quest tools run efficiently without sacrificing runtime performance, maintaining seamless iteration workflows for content creators.
• Maintain and optimize story and quest features, ensuring seamless integration with other game components.

Execution & Shared Technology Collaboration:

• Foster proven, highly collaborative workflows with shared technology teams operating across multiple projects.
• Write high-quality, clean, optimized, and maintainable C++ code.
• Track, diagnose, and resolve bugs within the quest features and authoring toolsets.
• Collaborate across cinematic, narrative, and core gameplay teams to ensure quest systems integrate seamlessly into all game components.

Qualifications

• At least 7 years of professional programming experience within the AAA games industry.
• 1+ years experience in technical leadership, people management, or leading a team of engineers.
• Strong proficiency in C++ programming.
• Demonstrated experience developing custom quest systems, narrative tools, or node-based editor workflows.
• Proven track record of working in a highly collaborative shared technology environment that spans multiple teams or projects.
• Ability to interpret the needs of creative and less technical team members, translating design visions into clear technical requirements.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills to work effectively across time zones and multicultural environments.

Nice to Have:

(please note these skills are not required to apply)

• Familiarity with Unreal Engine architecture.
• Understanding of multiplayer network architecture and client-server synchronization for game state/quests.
• Shipped AAA game(s) on a bespoke or custom narrative/quest toolset.
• Familiarity with Unreal Engine UI tools or editor scripting for custom content tools.

Additional Information

The application window for this position will close by 12/15/2026

This role can be fully remote from Canada.

Health & Well-Being

• Company-paid medical healthcare (dental, vision, and mental).
• Free mental health support, including access to counseling, psychiatric care, and a variety of well-being webinars.
• Paid leave — 26 days of vacation, 10 sick days, & 12 calendar holidays per year
• RRSP with employer matching with employer matching.
• Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA) – $100 per month to use towards fitness, wellness, internet, home office equipment, learning, streaming services, and more.
• Menstrual leave — employees who menstruate can take one extra day off when experiencing period pain.
• RED Parents Network — support for working parents.
• Flexible working hours.

Perks & Professional Growth

• Trainings, lectures, and courses — internal workshops, knowledge-sharing initiatives, online tutorials, and e-learning classes are all available.
• A welcome pack filled with goodies — to help you feel right at home once you join the team.
• Truly international working environment — a chance to meet and work with a diverse selection of people from all around the world.
• No dress-code — we like to keep it casual.

This position is a replacement.

Estimated pay range for this position: $180,100 - $247,600 CAD annually

This role may also be eligible for discretionary stock options.

At CD PROJEKT RED compensation for our roles in North America are determined based on competitive market data, geographic location, and individual factors tied to business needs. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. Final offers are dependent on job-related factors like experience, qualifications, and location.

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