“Dedicated to creating the most epic entertainment experiences…ever.”
That’s our mission statement here at Blizzard Entertainment, and for a tools engineer on the World of Warcraft (WoW) team, it’s a way of life.
In this role, you’ll improve existing tools and create new tools that will enable some of the most talented designers and artists in the world to ply their craft freely and directly. As such, you are proficient in developing powerful programs for designer and artist content creation pipelines.
The WoW team is built on a culture of collaboration, intense creativity, and problem-solving. As a group, we are committed to pushing our exploration of Azeroth to the fullest, and in doing so creating a gaming experience like no other. As an engineer on the tools team, the work you do will live at the very heart of this philosophy. We’re looking for an engineer with qualities above and beyond engineering. We want a person who enjoys working in a group setting; who embraces their inner geek; and whose experience in creative environments has reinforced the value of communications, empathy, and collaboration.
Covid-19 Hiring Update: We’ve transitioned to a work-from-home model and we’re continuing to interview and hire during this time. This role is expected to begin as a remote position and and may remain permanently remote full-time.
Responsibilities
- Design and implement development tools for game designers, artists, audio designers, and other engineers
- Collaborate with other departments within the team to evolve our current tools
- Maintain tools for performance, stability, and error-free operation
- Identify and resolve development and process issues and discover opportunities for improvement
- Participate in and contribute to our culture of inclusion and diversity
Requirements
- Degree in computer science or a related field, or equivalent experience
- Passion for tool development -- enabling others to have the best tools available
- Advanced understanding of C++ and/or C#
- A minimum of 2 years’ experience in application programming
- Experience developing GUI applications for Windows
- Able to communicate and collaborate well with non-technical users, including artists and designers
- Experience working in a collaborative team environment
- Service-oriented attitude with an eye for efficiency
- Strong debugging skills
Pluses
- Strong experience working with SQL databases -- database design, query design, and programming language bindings
- Experience with modern source control systems, such as Subversion, Git, or Perforce
- Advanced understanding of game content pipeline and tools
- Detailed knowledge of 3D graphics and math, animation, camera control, and lighting
- Experience with JavaScript, Python, Lua, or other interpreted languages
- User interface (UI) design experience