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Lead Programmer

We are looking for a Lead Programmer for our next big game!

THE JOB

As a Lead Programmer of the talented and passionate programming team behind RETURNAL you will work closely with programmers and project leadership, and also with other disciplines to help drive the next step in the evolution of Housemarque games.

It will be your role to ensure cohesion and quality across the codebase, take part in facilitating professional growth among the programming team, and champion the technical vision of the project. Your programming responsibilities will be tailored to match your skills and interests.

What responsibilities does the role include?

• Seek to improve and maintain good work methods and development pipelines
• Be a point of contact facilitating communication between programming and other disciplines
• Directly manage several programmers, providing support, mentorship, constructive feedback, and career development advice
• Help drive our game vision forward
• Look at the big picture impact of decisions and critically evaluate them
• Spend a portion of your time in hands-on programming work

What will help you to be successful in this role?

• 8+ years of professional game development experience
• Senior or Leadership experience in the games industry, shipping at least one AAA title
• Strong leadership and communication skills
• Strong C++ knowledge
• Good analytical and lateral thinking skills in relation to debugging and solving engineering problems
• Ability to converse, text chat, and read and write documentation in English

These can further add to your success:

• Experience with Unreal Engine
• Experience with agile development
• Knowledge and understanding of game design fundamentals
• Mindset for servant leadership
• Passion in video games

Examples of things you'd be doing on a typical work day

On a typical day as a Lead Programmer at Housemarque, you might be having a regular one-on-one with one of your programmers, cultivating your trust-based relationship and following up on any discussion topics from last time. You will be reviewing programmer applications as part of a hiring team. As part of our effort to grow the programming craft at Housemarque, you might prepare to talk about and engage others in a programming topic.

In a peaceful moment, you will spend some time programming a feature that you know is important but not urgent. You will get it done eventually but you know you can't commit to a tight schedule due to the nature of lead work. Because you want to lead by example, you also concentrate on writing a thoughtful review of a piece of your colleague's code.

To ensure that your teammates have meaningful things to work on also in the next sprint, you participate in some work planning together with the producer of your team. You provide insights in the subject matter while they bring in the production view.

Occasionally you engage in casual chat at the office with your teammates about code and life in general. Some of the interesting conversation happens also over lunch in any of the multiple lunch restaurants that downtown Helsinki can offer.

OUR STUDIO

At Housemarque, we believe " Game is King! " because gameplay always comes first.

With technical excellence and compelling narrative, spiced with our trademark neon flair and top-notch audiovisual feedback, we want our players to always feel actively engaged with the worlds we have created for them.

Our latest Award-Winning game Returnal , released on PS5 in 2021, embraces all these qualities. THIS is our DNA!

We value Nordic work-life balance by growing sustainably and ensuring our employees have the time and means to develop personally and professionally during work time.

We were established in 1995 with strong roots in the Finnish demoscene . In June 2021 we joined the PlayStation Studios , after years of partnership.

If you wish to join us for our next journey, apply today!

What we offer to you?

• Competitive salary, benefits, healthcare, Nordic work-life balance
• Tailored immigration and relocation package to help you get settled into Finland
• A warm and welcoming atmosphere at our cozy Helsinki office
• Freedom, flexibility and openness in a collaborative culture
• Brilliant, diverse and empathetic colleagues to work with
• Exciting and ambitious projects executed with the best tools
• Access to Playstation Studios collaboration, games and more!

This is a permanent, full-time position based in Helsinki, Finland.

We will start interviewing promising candidates immediately so please apply as soon as possible.