This job might no longer be available.

Senior Gameplay Programmer

Sumo Nottingham develops characterful, accessible and innovative action/adventure and racing games for console and PC. We are part of Sumo Digital Ltd., an independent UK developer working with some of the world’s biggest publishers including Microsoft, Sony and Sega.

It’s an exciting time to be part of Sumo, winners of the Develop: Star Awards 2019 Best Studio and GI Biz 2020 Best Places to Work; big things are on the horizon and we want you to be part of our continued journey. Join us!

Sumo Nottingham is made up of a diverse mix of fantastic people, although sometimes, some groups are still under-represented. We are working to remove obstacles that can make it difficult for those groups to progress their careers in the games industry. We welcome applications from under-represented people in the gaming industry, including, but not limited to BAME, LGBQT+, women, people with physical disabilities, neurodiversity or mental health issues, and parents or carers.

As a Senior Gameplay Programmer at Sumo Nottingham you will be responsible for the design and implementation of game systems within a title, potentially mentoring and managing one or two junior programmers to help achieve your goals. You will be capable and responsible for estimating the time and cost of feature implementation, and then meeting those budgets. You will be helped in this and report to the lead programmer on the team who will be your line manager.

In a typical day you will be required to design, implement and debug gameplay features within the game you are working on, potentially working across multiple platforms simultaneously. You will work closely with designers to define, develop and iterate on those features. You will have excellent communication skills enabling you to accurately report progress and issues as the feature progresses, allowing you and your team to manage the progress of the project. Finally, you will be able to share your knowledge and experience with the rest of the team, improving their abilities on a day to day basis.

To be successful you must have:

• 5+ years of commercial C++ experience, coding and debugging.
• Experience of developing and tuning gameplay systems.
• Experience of creating gameplay systems within a networked multiplayer game.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Knowledge of build and pipeline systems within game development.
• At least 1 shipped title (preferably console).

It would be an advantage if you have:

• Good time management and self-motivation skills.
• Ability to take direction and criticism.
• Experience with small team management, and mentoring.
• Knowledge of large scale asset pipelines.
• Knowledge of source control and asset management tools.

Our studio is in Nottingham’s Castle Marina, near Nottingham’s picturesque canal route and just fifteen minutes’ walk from the City Centre. The studio is served by excellent bus, tram and cycle links and the railway station is a ten-minute walk away.

We offer a super benefits package including generous holidays, flexitime and excellent employee benefits. We support your personal development through access to training resources and time to work on them. Further perks include our legendary annual Sumo Big Day Out, plus epic Christmas parties, vouchers on your birthday and free fruit for everyone! Our new, regular studio Game Jams are a highlight - staff spend a full day developing and pitching their own game ideas for possible development by Sumo.

We are committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can be themselves, and offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, with emphasis on well being and work/life balance.

Sumo Digital, winners of the Develop: Star Awards 2019 Best Studio and 2019 TIGA Award for Best Independent Studio, continues to be one of the UK's most prolific game developers, enjoying year on year stability and growth since its founding in 2003. We have UK studios in Sheffield, Newcastle, Nottingham, Leamington Spa, Warrington, The Chinese Room in Brighton and Red Kite Games in Leeds, along with Sumo Video Games in Pune, India.