At NaturalMotion, we make games that wow people. We take pride in making titles that reach a large audience and in creating communities that last. For the past six years, NaturalMotion Studios have been named as one of the Best Places to Work in the UK games industry by gamesindustry.biz

We embrace a hybrid work environment. Within this role, you would work 2 days per week (Tuesday and Wednesday) and the remaining days at home. This role will be Connected to one of our offices in either London, Austin, San Mateo or LA

JOB PURPOSE

We are looking for an experienced Technical Director to join us at NaturalMotion/Zynga to develop our next project using the Unreal Engine on mobile devices and other platforms, building upon the success of Star Wars: Hunters. We are seeking a Technical Director who excels at architecting and coding large AAA F2P games, and who proactively seeks out solutions, as well as encouraging ideas from others.

KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Drive the definition of the technical architecture for the game on the client side and the coordination with our server technology
• Contribute to sever technology architecting over time
• Collaborate with product managers and producers on analysing feature set complexity, planning releases and delivering code solutions on schedule
• Work with the Art, UX and UI disciplines, to improve tools and processes for content creation, import pipelines, prototyping, production and testing
• Ensure the creation of well-designed, adaptable and testable software for mobile and other platforms
• Sometimes architect and write production ready code yourself
• Mentor Senior and Principal engineers from a technical perspective, developing the next generation of Architects
• Fostering a tech approach that embraces sustainable live operations, a regular cadence of game updates, and high-quality rapid releases
• Ensure the correct management of technical debt
• Capture and share knowledge across the team, NaturalMotion and Zynga

REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Developed and released multiple games with Unreal Engine, as a technical director or architect, with at least one Game as a Service
• Deep experience with C++, plus a detailed understanding of mobile CPU and GPU hardware
• You are an authority when it comes to AAA game architecture
• Expertise in multiple areas, such as - NPC behaviour, AI, multiplayer, UI / UX, meta game systems, F2P game mechanics, graphics, tools, systems, and game engines
• Have deep understanding of design patterns, memory / performance optimisation, and importantly, how to summarise and share your knowledge
• A great understanding of mentoring engineers of all levels throughout the game development cycle
• Deep experience of being a strategic problem-solver, and be able to collaborate with peers across disciplines when problems stretch across different areas
• Ability to present technical challenges, recommendations, and solutions to game leadership level

DESIRABLE EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• Worked on PC and console projects
• Experience with Server systems and architectures
• Worked on third or first person shooter games

WHAT WE OFFER YOU

• Competitive salary, bonus plan and ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Plan)
• 401K Company Match Contribution (US)
• RRSP/DPSP company match contribution (Canada)
• Health coverage, dental, disability, critical illness, EAP, and life insurance (Canada)
• Medical, dental, vision, EAP, life insurance, and disability benefits (US)
• Virtual mental health and neurodiversity support programs
• Global Fitness reimbursement program
• Global Wellbeing Program
• Financial wellness program with unlimited access to certified financial planners
• Discretionary Time Off policy for many employees
• Family planning support program
• Generous paid parental, pregnancy-related disability, caregiver, and compassionate leaves
• Subsidized Back-up child care
• Zynga happy hours and frequent employee events
• Flexible working hours on many teams
• Culture of diversity and inclusion including employee resource groups
• Work with cool people and impact millions of daily player

We are an equal opportunity employer and we are committed to building a diverse and talented workforce. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, colour, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, disability, or any other class or characteristic protected by applicable law. We welcome job-seekers, players, employees, and partners from all backgrounds to join us!

We will consider all qualified job-seekers with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with physical or mental disabilities in order to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at [email protected] to request an accommodation associated with your application for an open position.

The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $149,800 and $221,680 per year. 

However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations.   Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits.  Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment. If hired, employee will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation or benefit program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

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