Lead Software Engineer
Redwood City, CA

Job Description

The Lead Software Engineer is responsible for working with external partners to ensure they deliver at competitive quality standards. The Lead Software Engineer serves as a broad expert in multiple areas. This involves working autonomously, and taking full ownership, responsibility, and accountability for their projects. This is a hands on role that will require the Lead to do some coding.

This is a full-time, permanent position located at our Redwood City, CA studio. Willingness and ability to travel on-site (up to 25%) to train and work with external development partners is required.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

* Recommends adoption of relevant technical approaches or improvements to process based on experience
* Strong industry knowledge in areas of expertise, and able to define technical direction in these areas for a given team and as an advisor for studio wide initiatives
* Acts as a mentor and/or direct supervisor for other programmers. Responsible for training new programmers, and participating in design and technical reviews
* Self-motivated with demonstrated ability to work efficiently and independently. Strong time management skills with a proven ability to focus on priorities and solve problems in a timely manner
* Works with leads, peers, and non-technical clients to define roadmaps and priorities for systems. Takes complete ownership and development responsibilities for one or more important systems, and takes responsibility for the decisions and approaches taken
* Works autonomously, with proven ability to define, refine, and alter technical designs and implementation of large or complex systems or tools
* Works independently with other internal groups including QA and leads to resolve problems
* Responsible for development process on assigned systems and tasks, including creation of or contribution to technical design documents, accurately assessing time requirements and confidence level, and successfully completing milestones
* Effectively communicate thoughts and ideas with peer programmers and supervisor, collectively working towards larger technical goals. Takes point on communication to clients of systems, offering a responsive and accurate status of development to the clients and internal staff
* Show respect for all co-workers as well as processes. Daily professional conduct must be carried out with essential traits of responsibility and maturity

Required Skills

* Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or relevant discipline
* 8+ years' experience in the game industry or other relevant experience
* Strong OO design and development in C++. C# is a plus
* Experience with current gen platforms: Xbox, PlayStation, and PC
* Mastery of two or more fundamental game development skills such as gameplay, online multi-player, performance and optimization, graphics, 3D math, physics or AI
* Good verbal and written communication skills with both technical and non-technical audiences, including productive feedback and brainstorming, creation / contribution to technical design documents, code documentation, and Wiki / Web based documents
* Ability to adapt to changing requirements, and to predict possible development issues or roadblocks ahead of time
* Worked as a game or central technology programmer on multiple game titles throughout their life cycle
* Very knowledgeable in game architecture and tools. Must have extensive specific experience in one or more areas of game programming, or broad and reasonably detailed knowledge of many game systems or tools.

Crystal Dynamics is an EOE and M/F/D/V employer.