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Principal Software Engineer, Engine
2 years ago
We're looking for a Principal Game Engine Engineer to join our team, which collaborates remotely from around the world. Our members range from industry newcomers to experts with 15+ years of experience. Team members come from a diverse set of backgrounds, but share a common passion for building polished player-focused, community-powered games.
At Hypixel Studios we are looking for applicants that are demonstrably passionate about their hobbies, have the drive and commitment to deliver results with minimal supervision, have international-level professional competency in their skill sets, and can demonstrate involvement with other interesting projects throughout their lives.
As a Principal Software Engineer for Hypixel, you will report to the studio’s Technical Director. You will be a key part of the Engineering Leadership team, and will have a direct impact on long-term, strategic technical direction. You will collaborate closely with all disciplines including Production, QA, Art, Audio, and Game Design to make far-reaching architectural decisions that serve the whole studio.
A Hypixel Principal Engineer will be called on to use their deep expertise to help solve the hardest technical challenges on the project. Solutions will require creative thinking, technical leadership, and getting hands-on writing code. Additionally, a Principal is expected to identify upcoming issues, and work with the Game Leadership team to mitigate those issues by building technical systems to address them. This role requires extensive knowledge of game engine development with a focus on systems, architecture, and performance.
Who you are:
- Player-focused : You understand what players want, and can bring that understanding to the creation of technical systems that serve those needs. Your player-focus serves as a common ground for your discussions with Game Design and other disciplines.
- A collaborator: You are passionate about empowering Artists and Designers to realize their ideas in-game with minimal engineering assistance. You want to work elbow-to-elbow with them to listen to them to understand their needs, and then build high-quality tools that empower them in their work.
- Calm under pressure : You exude calm in even the toughest of situations. When things get spicy, you work as a cooler to help the team reach a solution.
- A force multiplier : You understand how to design a system that can operate effectively for a whole team. You understand how to empower engineers on your team to learn, grow, and scale.
- Obsessed with improvement: Inefficiency bothers you and you work to create well-oiled machines whenever you can.
- Adaptable: You understand and are comfortable with switching gears between optimization, break/fix, and development and understand the need for rapid re-prioritization.
Some of your role:
- Architect significant systems in the Hytale game client and server
- Work with Game Leadership to turn those system designs into roadmaps and milestone as part of overall studio planning
- Mentor and coach senior engineers to help them simultaneously implement your designs, and to reach the next level in their craft expertise
- Set, lead, and contribute to technical vision and direction, using your expertise to guide far-reaching technical decisions
- Become a subject matter expert on the Hytale game vision, and the technical implementation of that vision
- Work with a globally distributed team to implement the Hytale architecture on multiple platforms
- Collaborate across disciplines and other teams of engineers
- Promote adherence to engineering excellence including: code maintainability, quality, monitoring, operational excellence, and documentation
- Participate in discussions about our product vision and ensure that vision is clear to the engineering team
Essential Traits:
- 8+ collective years professional experience across the following areas (or equivalent), including work with interdisciplinary teams at scale:
- Implementing proprietary/in-house game engines
- Game development using proprietary/in-house game engines
- Game development using commercial engines (Unity, Unreal, etc)
- Strong experience in modifying and customizing game engine internals
- Experience designing and implementing complex game systems
- Ability to collaborate with leadership to break down problems and lead delivery of solutions to complex multi-month technical challenges. This includes collaboration with other disciplines or teams of engineers.
- Experience working with internal or external customers to identify, document, analyse, implement, and test software requirements.
- Experience providing technical leadership to a team of engineers. This includes building, adopting, and implementing technical standards within a team.
- 6+ years professional experience with scripting languages (Lua, Python, Ruby, Node.js, etc.)
- 6+ years professional experience with compiled object oriented languages (C++, Java, C#, etc.)
- 4+ years experience in C++
- Experience operating within multiple game development methodologies such as Agile, Kanban, and Waterfall
- Strong understanding of Git, Perforce or similar source control systems
- Experience working closely with non-engineering disciplines (Art, Design, Audio, UI/UX, etc.)
Bonus Traits:
- Strong experience with one or more of the following game systems:
- Networked, multiplayer gameplay
- Rendering
- Game AI
- Game engine architecture
- Game engine internals
- Experience with multiplatform development (PC, Console, and Mobile)
- Experience modding games
- Experience with User Generated Content (UGC)
- A personal passion for open world, builder, or survival games.
We can offer:
- A chance to work on a new game project with an extremely motivated team
- Opportunities to learn and grow personally and professionally
- A stable and secure work environment
- The ability to work remotely
We’re looking for applicants who are self-driven, put players first, and that have a history of making cool stuff. In return, we can offer an environment that values and supports individual creativity and passion and believes in fostering new talent. We recognize the value of diversity in every sense and actively encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply.
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