Join Our Award-Winning Game Development Team at Second Dinner

At Second Dinner, we strive to create not just fun games, but the MOST fun games in the world. Our hit game MARVEL SNAP has earned prestigious awards such as the Mobile Game of the Year (Game Awards, DICE), Best Strategy Game (IGN), and the Apple Design Award for Innovation!

Who We Are

Second Dinner is an award-winning independent game development studio based in Irvine, California, but we operate as a remote-first company with team members scattered across the United States. We value diverse perspectives, believing they make us a better company and help us create better games. We seek talented individuals who bring fresh ideas to our team.

Our AI Team

Our AI team is dedicated to researching, developing, and implementing cutting-edge AI technology to revolutionize game development. We collaborate across teams to find the best applications of AI, rapidly prototype, and iterate on new ideas, aiming to redefine what's possible in the gaming industry.

Your Role as a Mid-Level Research Engineer

As a Mid I or Mid II Research Engineer, you will report to the Associate Director of AI. Your primary focus will be on identifying, researching, and building applications for large language models (LLMs) with various teams. You'll work closely with Engineering, Data, Design, and other disciplines to develop AI-powered features, tools, and infrastructure that transform game development.

What You’ll Do

• Ideate novel applications of LLM research in game development.
• Conduct applied research on relevant techniques and technologies.
• Collaborate with the AI team to pitch, design, prototype, and build LLM applications.
• Work with various teams to integrate and customize LLM tools into workflows, prototypes, and existing games.
• Stay updated on emerging LLM technology advancements.
• Enhance ML and AI literacy within the company.
• Contribute to the vision and strategy for LLMs at Second Dinner.

What You’ll Need

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related fields.
• Experience modifying, fine-tuning, and adapting deep learning models.
• Experience with training, augmenting, and integrating LLMs (RAG, fine-tuning, prompting, chain-of-thought, etc.).
• Experience in end-to-end research and development for applied ML systems.
• Strong fundamental understanding of deep learning techniques relevant to LLMs.
• Proficiency in software development with Python (preferred), C++, or C#.
• Demonstrated success in collaborative cross-functional environments.

Nice to Have

• Experience with AWS/GCP/Azure, LLM training, and serving platforms.
• Research and/or publications around LLMs.
• Experience with automation, pipelining, and orchestration of complex systems.
• Expertise in designing and building highly available data-intensive distributed systems.
• Experience in game development.
• Experience with Git or other version control systems.

Compensation and Benefits

The total compensation for this position includes a new hire offer base salary range of $110,000 - $175,000 USD, along with equity, comprehensive benefits, and potential performance bonuses. Individual pay is determined by job-related skills, experience, relevant education, market demands, and business needs. This range may be subject to change based on various factors.

Our Benefits and Perks

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance with 100% premiums covered for employees and 75% for dependents.
• 401(k) contribution with no waiting period.
• 16 weeks paid parental leave with no waiting period.
• Home office improvement bonus.
• Paid Vacation & Sick time.
• Up to 10 BetterHelp sessions covered annually.
• Remote-first work with core overlap hours between 10 AM and 4 PM PT.
• Company Winter Holiday shutdown (Dec 25-Jan 1).
• Company Summer Holiday