Senior Programmer

Senior Programmer

Permanent full-time role (4-day work week, 32 hours), hybrid working options (office located in Wellington), $89k-$130k+ based on experience. Applicants must currently be living in New Zealand or have a valid work visa.

We're Dinosaur Polo Club, an award-winning video game design studio full of lovely people making games in Wellington, New Zealand. It’s been an exciting few years for us with our games, Mini Motorways and Mini Metro, which continue to be big successes! Growing in size, we are on the look-out for an enthusiastic and experienced programmer to help us continue to develop our Mini franchise. Hopefully that someone is you!

We’re looking for someone with several years of experience as a professional programmer, someone who would be comfortable jumping into an established codebase. We'd like someone who is confident in working on all stages of a project's life cycle from project setup to live build releases, with minimal supervision. The work is highly collaborative, meaning that you’ll be working closely with the rest of the programming team and our other departments, frequently performing code reviews and providing feedback.

What you’ll do in this role:

• Design and implement systems for new and existing game titles with minimal supervision.
• Regularly take part in code reviews, both offering and responding to feedback from your peers.
• Help to support junior and intermediate programmers, offering guidance and coaching where necessary.
• Nurture a close working relationship with your department and wider team, liaising with the other departments to ensure robust understanding of implementation requirements.
• Work alongside our community management and QA departments to coordinate builds, bug tracking, and our player support processes.
• Work alongside others to define and improve the studio’s workflow, tools, and technical direction.
• Share knowledge, recommend best practices, and support the development of other team members.
• Be a part of both a department and studio team, actively seeking to develop a method of communicating that is understandable to those outside of your immediate department.

We’ll also have opportunities for you to take a lead role on some of our exciting upcoming projects.

The skills and experience we're looking for:

• Around 5 years or more of experience working in a programming role in games or software development.
• Confidence and experience with Unity and C#.
• Demonstrated experience working through different stages of a project lifecycle.
• Fantastic organisational skills, with a high level of initiative.
• Experience and ability to support and mentor other members of the team.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, fluent in English.
• An interest in developing unique and high-quality video games.
• Dedication to working in a professional, inclusive, and supportive environment.
• Experience with Git and Python tools would be beneficial, but not required.

About us:

At Dinosaur Polo Club we value a healthy work-life balance where our dinos can flourish both inside and outside of the studio. We have a creative team, opportunities for growth, and a wholesome, supportive studio environment.

We value diversity and believe that our team should be as varied and wonderful as the people who play our games all around the world. Differences such as disabilities, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity and any other aspects of various cultures and identities are important perspectives that contribute to an inclusive, well-rounded, and engaging work environment. We know we’re creating better games when we have varied perspectives and experiences contributing to them. Women, LGBTQ+ community, Māori and Pasifika – we especially want to hear from you!

If there is anything we can do to allow for easier participation in the interview process, please reach out to our recruitment partner at Kin, Tracey Fletcher, on tracey.fletcher@kin.co.nz .

What we can offer you:

• Annual remuneration will depend on your experience – our range is $89k-$130k+
• A four day work week – no more Mondays!
• A lovely bunch of skilled and enthusiastic team members for you to work alongside.
• Generous training allowance for things such as conferences, workshops, online courses and self-directed learning.
• Dedicated training days.
• Support structure including regular one-on-ones.
• Team activities such as a quarterly pot-luck lunch, movie nights at the studio, holiday functions and more.
• Healthy snacks, yummy treats, and close proximity to some of Wellington’s best eateries! Plus an impressive array of locally made tea and coffee.
• Quarterly personal discretionary wellness allowance.
• Quarterly bonuses based on studio performance.
• Monthly workplace massages.
• Friday afternoon socials.
• Flexible workplace with core hours and optional work-from-home days.

Keen to apply?

If this strikes you as an exciting opportunity, please click on ‘Apply for this job’! Fill out the application form, uploading your CV and a cover letter outlining why you feel this would be the role for you. This role is permanent, full-time (4-day work week, 32 hours), with hybrid working options. Our office is based in beautiful Wellington, New Zealand so you’ll either be living in Wellington or be willing to relocate. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Closure date: 9 May 2024