Principal Generalist Programmer - Dead by Daylight | Programmeur·euse Généraliste Principal·e -[...]

Behaviour Interactive; Toronto; On-site; CAD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading game development studio is seeking a Principal Programmer to join their Dead by Daylight systems team. The successful candidate will have over 15 years of experience in game development and will be responsible for coding systems, fixing bugs, optimizing performance, and collaborating with cross-functional teams. Expertise in C++ is essential, and experience with Unreal Engine 5 and backend development is a plus. This role offers a dynamic work environment in Toronto.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 15 years of experience in game development.
• Generalist comfortable with low- and high-level code.
• Solution-oriented with a collaborative spirit.

Responsibilities

• Deliver and refactor systems across diverse features.
• Fix critical bugs in a live game environment.
• Optimize performance and memory issues.
• Ensure features work flawlessly on all platforms.
• Collaborate with various teams effectively.
• Mentor junior programmers.

Skills

C++

Game development

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Unreal Engine 5

NodeJS

TypeScript

AWS

Job description

Are you ready to dive into the world of cutting-edge video game development? Headquartered in Montreal, Behaviour Interactive is at the forefront of the gaming industry, crafting unforgettable experiences across PC, console, and mobile platforms. We’re a dynamic, independent studio of over 1200 passionate employees, with studios in Toronto (Behaviour Toronto), Seattle (Midwinter Entertainment), Rotterdam (Behaviour Rotterdam) and in the UK (Behaviour UK–North & South). Our day to day revolved around two core business focuses: Services and Original Games. Our Services team collaborates with gaming and entertainment giants like Disney, Sony, Activision, and Nintendo, delivering exceptional work-for-hire development and pioneering immersive location-based entertainment (LBE). Meanwhile, our Original Games unit pushes our creative limits, with our signature IPs, including the iconic Dead by Daylight. Join us and be a part of the future of interactive entertainment!

We are looking for a Principal Programmer to join the Dead by Daylight systems team. Dead by Daylight (DbD) is a game as a service (GaaS), and the systems team is part of a larger production that includes other programming teams, game design, art, animation, and other disciplines. The systems team works on a wide variety of features that are very diverse in nature but having in common that they form the underlying systems upon which the game is based: game flow, the archives, performance, load times, multiple platforms, consoles, and others. Some features even require coding not only in the game code, but also in the backend code. To help us achieve our long-term vision with DbD, we are looking for a Principal Generalist Programmer to integrate the team and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the game by being accountable for the delivery of major system features.

In this role you will

• Deliver systems. You will code new systems and refactor existing systems, working on a wide variety of features ranging from tooling and backend to player-facing code and platform-specific implementations.
• Fix bugs. Dead by Daylight is a live game as a service where features are continually added or improved. This introduces bugs and other issues. The Principal Programmer is expected to tackle challenging and difficult-to-reproduce critical bugs.
• Fix performance and memory issues. As with any GaaS, performance and memory issues can arise. You will profile the game, identify bottlenecks, and optimize accordingly.
• Ensure features and bugs are delivered on all platforms. The game is supported on numerous platforms, from PC to current and past-generation consoles. You will guarantee the game functions flawlessly across all platforms.
• Collaborate with teams. Most system features involve cross-functional collaboration with game design, UI, backend programming, and art teams. Effective communication and teamwork are essential to deliver successful features.
• Mentor junior programmers. As a principal programmer, you will contribute to the growth of the team by sharing knowledge, skills, and best practices.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in game development with a minimum of 15 years of experience.
• You are a generalist who is comfortable working on a wide variety of things: low- and high-level code, features and bugs.
• Expert proficiency in C++.
• You need to be solution-oriented and possess a collaborative spirit.
• Experience with Unreal Engine 5 is a plus.
• Experience with backend development (NodeJS, TypeScript, AWS) is a plus.

EEO Statement

We believe in giving everyone a fair shot. We embrace a diverse and creative environment where everyone is celebrated. We value folks of all ages, sex, ethnicity, colour, ethnic or national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, civil status, disability, or any other protected characteristics as per applicable law.