Staff Physics Engine Programmer, C++ (Modeling & Simulation)
Code Metal · Remote · Remote ·
COMPENSATION
$200k – $250k
Listed on the employer's job board (Ashby)
- Staff level role
- C++ & ECS architecture
- Flexible remote/hybrid
- US Security clearance
- 100% health coverage
Join the Modeling & Simulation team at Code Metal to redefine how defense organizations make critical force-design decisions. You will architect and build the core C++ simulation runtime that executes physics, behavior, and mission models. Your work will bring commercial game development performance standards to a platform used by government users for multi-billion-dollar strategic planning.
What you'll do
- Architect and implement the core C++ runtime for large-scale interactive wargaming
- Design and evolve an entity-component-system architecture for heterogeneous entities
- Build data-oriented component storage, entity lifecycle management, and execution graphs
- Develop multithreaded task-based execution systems to parallelize simulation workloads
- Optimize memory layout, cache locality, and data movement against strict performance budgets
- Create stable extension points for model developers to add capabilities safely
- Design simulation loops, time stepping, event processing, and deterministic replay systems
- Build spatial indexing, collision detection, and proximity-query infrastructure
- Establish architecture for networked and distributed simulation including state transfer
- Lead engine design reviews and mentor other programmers on C++ architecture
What you'll need
- Extensive professional C++ experience building performance-critical production software
- Significant background in commercial game or engine development environments
- Experience shipping at least one commercial game, engine, or real-time product
- Ownership of foundational engine systems rather than just gameplay features
- Expert command of modern C++, concurrency, synchronization, and low-level debugging
- Strong understanding of data-oriented design, memory layout, and cache behavior
- Experience designing or extending entity-component systems or similar architectures
- Ability to optimize against hard CPU, memory, latency, and frame-time budgets
- Working knowledge of real-time physics concepts like collision detection and integration
- Active Secret clearance or eligibility to obtain one
Nice to have
- Experience with SIMD, GPU compute, custom allocators, or lock-free structures
- Support for very large worlds or simulations with many active entities
- Familiarity with aerospace, robotics, autonomy, or defense simulations
- Experience supporting Air Force, Space Force, or joint mission-analysis programs
- Active U.S. security clearance (Secret, Top Secret, or SCI/SAP)
Stack
- C++
- ECS
- SIMD
- GPU compute
How you'll work
- Flexible hybrid or remote work arrangement
- Offices in Boston and San Francisco
- Relocation assistance available for qualifying employees
What you get
- Health care plan with 100% premium coverage
- Medical, dental, and vision included
- 401k with 5% matching
- Uncapped vacation plus sick and public holidays
- Competitive salary based on experience