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Unreal Engine Programmer Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

Sr. Software Engineer

Chicago, IL ยท On-site

$130K - $140K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

We are hiring a Senior Simulation Engineer to own core simulation and geospatial systems that ... with Unreal Engine or related simulation environments The expected base salary range for this ...

Sr. Software Engineer

Chicago, IL ยท On-site

$130K - $140K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

We are hiring a Senior Simulation Engineer to own core simulation and geospatial systems that ... with Unreal Engine or related simulation environments The expected base salary range for this ...

Sr. Software Engineer

Chicago, IL ยท On-site

$130K - $140K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

We are hiring a Senior Simulation Engineer to own core simulation and geospatial systems that ... with Unreal Engine or related simulation environments The expected base salary range for this ...

Computational Designer

Chicago, IL ยท On-site

$70K - $85K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Thornton Tomasetti applies engineering and scientific principles to solve the world's challenges ... Unreal Engine); and scripting or automation (Python, C#, or similar) * A portfolio showcasing ...

Computational Designer

Chicago, IL ยท On-site

$70K - $85K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Thornton Tomasetti applies engineering and scientific principles to solve the world's challenges ... Unreal Engine); and scripting or automation (Python, C#, or similar) * A portfolio showcasing ...

Computational Designer

Chicago, IL

$70K - $85K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Thornton Tomasetti applies engineering and scientific principles to solve the world's challenges ... Unreal Engine); and scripting or automation (Python, C#, or similar) * A portfolio showcasing ...

Visual Simulations Technician

Chicago, IL

$95K - $121K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to communicate complex engineering and environmental ... Experience with Unreal Engine or Unity for real-time interactive environments. Key Responsibilities:

Visual Simulations Technician

Chicago, IL

$95K - $121K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to communicate complex engineering and environmental ... Experience with Unreal Engine or Unity for real-time interactive environments. Key Responsibilities:

Senior Advanced Software Engineer - Rendering

Chicago, IL ยท Hybrid

$150K - $172K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Job Summary As a Senior Advanced Software Engineer at Light & Wonder, you will be a key contributor ... Direct experience working on Unity, Unreal or a comparable commercial game engine. Knowledge ...

Technical Artist

Chicago, IL ยท On-site

$130K - $156K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Work with engineering and art teams to develop custom shaders from scratch * Work across several ... Unity, Unreal, Proprietary Engine) * Portfolio demonstrating the technical artistic ability, with a ...

Technical Artist

Chicago, IL ยท On-site +1

$130K - $156K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Work with engineering and art teams to develop custom shaders from scratch * Work across several ... Unity, Unreal, Proprietary Engine) * Portfolio demonstrating the technical artistic ability, with a ...

... Unreal, basic programming for games, art asset creation, and playtesting methodology. Ability to ... Skilled at teaching game concept development, engine-based implementation, and iterative design ...

Video Game Design Tutor

Wheaton, IL ยท Remote

$18 - $40/hr

... Unreal, basic programming for games, art asset creation, and playtesting methodology. Ability to ... Skilled at teaching game concept development, engine-based implementation, and iterative design ...

Video Game Design Tutor

Dekalb, IL ยท Remote

$18 - $40/hr

... Unreal, basic programming for games, art asset creation, and playtesting methodology. Ability to ... Skilled at teaching game concept development, engine-based implementation, and iterative design ...

Video Game Design Tutor

Champaign, IL ยท Remote

$18 - $40/hr

... Unreal, basic programming for games, art asset creation, and playtesting methodology. Ability to ... Skilled at teaching game concept development, engine-based implementation, and iterative design ...

Video Game Design Tutor

Naperville, IL ยท Remote

$18 - $40/hr

... Unreal, basic programming for games, art asset creation, and playtesting methodology. Ability to ... Skilled at teaching game concept development, engine-based implementation, and iterative design ...

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Showing results 1-20

Unreal Engine Programmer information

See Illinois salary details

$11

$38

$66

How much do unreal engine programmer jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 18, 2026, the average hourly pay for unreal engine programmer in Illinois is $38.31, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $24.90 and $49.86 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does an Unreal Engine programmer do?

An Unreal Engine Programmer develops and optimizes gameplay mechanics, AI systems, physics, rendering, and other core features using Unreal Engine's C++ and Blueprint scripting. They work closely with designers, artists, and other developers to implement game functionality and ensure smooth performance. Their responsibilities may also include debugging, profiling, and integrating third-party tools to enhance the game's capabilities.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Unreal Engine programmer?

To thrive as an Unreal Engine Programmer, you need strong proficiency in C++ programming, a solid understanding of 3D mathematics, and a degree in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with Unreal Engine's Blueprints system, version control tools like Git, and experience with real-time rendering pipelines are typically required. Excellent problem-solving skills, teamwork, and effective communication set standout programmers apart. Mastering these skills ensures you can build high-quality, efficient game features while collaborating effectively in fast-paced production environments.

What are some typical challenges an Unreal Engine programmer faces during a game development project?

Unreal Engine Programmers often encounter challenges such as optimizing game performance to run smoothly on multiple platforms, debugging complex code interactions, and integrating new features within existing systems. Collaborating closely with artists, designers, and other programmers can also require balancing technical constraints with creative goals. Adapting quickly to evolving project requirements and staying updated on the latest Unreal Engine updates are part of the daily routine. Overcoming these challenges is rewarding and fosters growth in both technical expertise and teamwork skills.

What are the most commonly searched types of Unreal Engine Programmer jobs in Illinois?

The most popular types of Unreal Engine Programmer jobs in Illinois are:

What are popular job titles related to Unreal Engine Programmer jobs in Illinois?

For Unreal Engine Programmer jobs in Illinois, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Unreal Engine Programmer jobs in Illinois look for?

The top searched job categories for Unreal Engine Programmer jobs in Illinois are:

Infographic showing various Unreal Engine Programmer job openings in Illinois as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 93% Full Time, 4% Part Time, 2% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 92% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $79,687 per year, or $38.3 per hour.

Sr. Software Engineer

HERE Technologies

Chicago, IL โ€ข On-site

$130K - $140K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 9 days ago


Job description

We are hiring a Senior Simulation Engineer to own core simulation and geospatial systems that support advanced AI, perception, and mapping products. This person will work across simulation environments, map-derived scene construction, actor behavior, sensor and condition generation, and the systems needed to make these capabilities reliable at production quality.
 
This is a senior hands-on role for someone who can build robust technical foundations that remain useful across simulation-driven AI programs, not just a single initiative.
 
What You Will Own
- Own critical pieces of the simulation and geospatial systems stack
- Build and maintain simulation pipelines for scene construction, actor behavior, sensor or condition generation, and related tooling
- Define reliable environment and scenario setup for both prototype and production use cases
- Ensure scene structure is technically sound, scalable, and faithful to upstream map or scenario inputs
- Partner with data scientists and platform engineers to make simulation outputs usable for inference, evaluation, and production workflows
 
What You Will Do
- Build tooling for ingesting, validating, and operationalizing map or scenario inputs into simulation systems
- Resolve scene construction, routing, drivability, actor-behavior, and environmental fidelity issues
- Configure scenario generation, actor control, camera behavior, and related simulation outputs for repeatable and scalable operation
- Generate packaged simulation outputs with the metadata needed for reproducibility, evaluation, and production traceability
- Troubleshoot simulation failures such as unstable actors, broken topology, invalid map elements, or poor output fidelity
- Contribute to the roadmap for broader coverage, richer scenarios, and production-quality simulation operations

What We Are Looking For
 
- Strong experience with simulators, robotics simulation, game engines, or scene-generation systems
- Experience working with map formats, routing graphs, geospatial data, or autonomous-system simulation stacks
- Strong Python and systems debugging skills
- Ability to balance realism, stability, scalability, and delivery speed in an evolving product setting
- Comfort operating independently in an ambiguous technical program
 

Education & Experience

- Masterโ€™s or PhD in Computer Science, AI, Machine Learning, or related field.
- 3-5 years of experience in deep learning, computer vision, or multimodal AI.

 
Nice To Have
- Experience with traffic behavior modeling, sensor configuration, condition-representation generation, scenario generation, or map-grounded simulation
- Familiarity with autonomous-system data pipelines, geospatial tooling, or synthetic-data production flows
- Experience with Unreal Engine or related simulation environments
 
 

The expected base salary range for this position is $130,000 to $140,000 per year. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as skills and experience. This position is also eligible for an annual performance bonus, which is subject to company and individual performance. 

Life at HERE comes with generous benefits to support your health and overall wellness. Benefits available to US-based HERE employees include health (Medical/Dental/Vision) insurance, retirement savings plans, paid time off & leave policies.   

As part of HERE Technologies employment process, candidates will be required to successfully complete a background verification process. Offers of employment and any related claims are subject to the successful completion of a background verification. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, HERE will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. 

HERE is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.  

Under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and VEVRAA, we have developed an affirmative action program (AAP) for individuals with disabilities and protected veterans. Portions of the AAP are available for review by applicants and employees through our People Team. 

#LI-AG3


HERE Technologies is a location data and technology platform company. We empower our customers to achieve better outcomes โ€“ from helping a city manage its infrastructure or a business optimize its assets to guiding drivers to their destination safely.

At HERE we take it upon ourselves to be the change we wish to see. We create solutions that fuel innovation, provide opportunity and foster inclusion to improve peopleโ€™s lives. If you are inspired by an open world and driven to create positive change, join us. Learn more about us on our YouTube Channel.