Generalist Programmer-Expression of Interest

Rippling, Inc.; Auckland; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Blind Squirrel Games is seeking a Generalist Programmer to join our Auckland studio. You will tackle a range of development challenges across ports, co-development, and full game development, contributing to gameplay, engine integration, physics, AI, rendering, and tooling.

You will work with engineering leadership and multidisciplinary teams to own, optimize, and extend core systems, collaborate across disciplines, and mentor junior programmers as you grow into more senior responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• A minimum of three years of professional programming experience in the games industry; five or more years is expected for senior-level responsibilities.
• Experience contributing to shipped games; senior-level candidates should be credited as a programmer on at least two AAA titles.
• Strong proficiency in C/C++ and the ability to create high-performance, robust, and maintainable code.
• Solid understanding of engineering pipeline, data structures, algorithms, memory management, and multithreaded programming.
• Strong debugging, profiling, and performance optimization skills.
• Working knowledge of linear algebra and trigonometry as applied to game development.
• Familiarity with contemporary game engines and platforms, with experience contributing to an established codebase.
• Experience with PC development and cross-platform considerations.
• Ability to work independently, communicate effectively, and collaborate across development disciplines.
• Greater ownership of complex systems, sound architectural judgment, and ability to mentor and guide other programmers for senior roles.

Responsibilities

• Create high-performance, robust, and maintainable code in a cross-platform environment.
• Design, implement, maintain, and extend game systems, features, tools, and engine integrations.
• Evaluate existing technology architectures and contribute improvements that support ongoing development.
• Extend existing systems to meet the long-term needs of projects.
• Collaborate with engineering, design, art, animation, production, and QA to translate requirements into practical technical solutions.
• Support porting efforts by adapting systems to platform requirements, hardware capabilities, and resource constraints.
• Develop and optimize data structures and algorithms for game objects, scenes, and other systems.
• Apply linear algebra and trigonometry to functionality such as collision detection, camera movement, projectile trajectories, and spatial transformations.
• Contribute to physics, animation, AI, rendering, and multiplayer systems as required by the project.
• Implement animation functionality such as blending, state machines, inverse kinematics, and procedural techniques.
• Support client-server communication, game state synchronization, network prediction, and latency compensation.
• Develop or optimize rendering pipelines, shaders, and post-processing effects.
• Use debugging tools, crash reports, and core dumps to diagnose runtime errors, memory issues, and stability problems.
• Profile and optimize CPU, GPU, memory usage, frame rates, and load times.
• Develop and improve asset pipelines, development tools, and automation.
• Work with external development partners to integrate contributions and resolve technical dependencies.
• Participate in code reviews and adhere to team coding standards and practices.
• Document systems and technical decisions to support collaboration and maintainability.
• Communicate progress, estimates, dependencies, and risks to your manager and project team.
• Contribute to architectural decisions, share technical knowledge, and mentor colleagues as appropriate to your experience.
• Perform other relevant duties and responsibilities that support company, department, and project objectives.

Skills

C/C++

Multithreaded programming

Debugging & profiling

Cross-platform development

Team collaboration

Mentoring others

Communication skills

Linear algebra & trig

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Equivalent professional experience

Tools

Unreal Engine

Unity

Godot

DirectX

Vulkan

HLSL/GLSL

RenderDoc/PIX

Python scripting

Source engine

Job description

Generalist Programmer-Expression of Interest

At Blind Squirrel Games (BSG), creating exceptional games is just the start. As a proud, independent studio, we collaborate with developers and publishers who value innovation and excellence, serving as a trusted partner in bringing high-quality games to life. Our work includes ports, co-development, and full game development, each with its own creative and technical demands.

With studios in Irvine, California; Austin, Texas; Auckland, New Zealand; and Manizales, Colombia, we bring together global talent to build outstanding games. Guided by the Blind Squirrel Way, the standard for how we work, our teams operate with ownership, accountability, and collaboration.

People are central to our success. We prioritize an inquisitive, proactive, and collaborative environment where individuals can make meaningful contributions. We value skills and experience while recognizing that talent develops through hard work, resilience, and a commitment to growth. We welcome diverse perspectives and believe inclusion strengthens our teams, our ideas, and our work.

Generalist Programmers play a vital role in solving complex development challenges and bringing ambitious games to life. Our work spans ports, co-development, and full game development, each with their own set of challenges. If your experience aligns with this work, we welcome your interest in potential upcoming opportunities.

Working alongside engineering leadership and a multidisciplinary development team, you will build, maintain, and optimize systems that support project goals and deliver high-quality player experiences. Your work may span gameplay, engine integration, physics, animation, AI, rendering, networking, tools, and platform development, depending on project needs and your expertise.

The scope of system ownership, architectural decision-making, and technical guidance will reflect your experience and demonstrated capabilities. These opportunities are for full-time positions based in Auckland, New Zealand, with a fully onsite requirement at our studio.

You understand the engineering pipeline and bring a strong programming skillset developed through hands-on experience. You are comfortable navigating established codebases, investigating unfamiliar systems, and applying your knowledge to new development challenges.

You write reliable, maintainable code and consider how technical decisions affect performance, production workflows, and the player experience. You take ownership of your work, communicate clearly, and recognize when feedback or collaboration will improve the outcome.

Programming remains your core focus. You work effectively both independently and within a team, welcome constructive feedback, and contribute to practical solutions. As your experience allows, you also guide technical decisions, own complex systems, and support the development of other programmers.

Responsibilities

• Create high-performance, robust, and maintainable code in a cross-platform environment.
• Design, implement, maintain, and extend game systems, features, tools, and engine integrations.
• Evaluate existing technology architectures and contribute improvements that support ongoing development.
• Extend existing systems to meet the long-term needs of projects.
• Collaborate with engineering, design, art, animation, production, and QA to translate requirements into practical technical solutions.
• Support porting efforts by adapting systems to platform requirements, hardware capabilities, and resource constraints.
• Develop and optimize data structures and algorithms for game objects, scenes, and other systems.
• Apply linear algebra and trigonometry to functionality such as collision detection, camera movement, projectile trajectories, and spatial transformations.
• Contribute to physics, animation, AI, rendering, and multiplayer systems as required by the project.
• Implement animation functionality such as blending, state machines, inverse kinematics, and procedural techniques.
• Support client-server communication, game state synchronization, network prediction, and latency compensation.
• Develop or optimize rendering pipelines, shaders, and post-processing effects.
• Use debugging tools, crash reports, and core dumps to diagnose runtime errors, memory issues, and stability problems.
• Profile and optimize CPU, GPU, memory usage, frame rates, and load times.
• Develop and improve asset pipelines, development tools, and automation.
• Work with external development partners to integrate contributions and resolve technical dependencies.
• Participate in code reviews and adhere to team coding standards and practices.
• Document systems and technical decisions to support collaboration and maintainability.
• Communicate progress, estimates, dependencies, and risks to your manager and project team.
• Contribute to architectural decisions, share technical knowledge, and mentor colleagues as appropriate to your experience.
• Perform other relevant duties and responsibilities that support company, department, and project objectives.

Qualifications and Education Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• A minimum of three years of professional programming experience in the games industry; five or more years is expected for candidates considered for more senior-level responsibilities.
• Experience contributing to shipped games; candidates considered for more senior-level responsibilities are expected to be credited as a programmer on at least two AAA titles.
• Strong proficiency in C/C++ and the ability to create high-performance, robust, and maintainable code.
• A solid understanding of the engineering pipeline, data structures, algorithms, memory management, and multithreaded programming.
• Strong debugging, profiling, and performance optimization skills.
• Working knowledge of linear algebra and trigonometry as applied to game development.
• Familiarity with contemporary game engines and platforms, with experience contributing to an established codebase.
• Experience with PC development and cross-platform considerations.
• Ability to work independently, communicate effectively, and collaborate across development disciplines.
• Greater ownership of complex systems, sound architectural judgment, and the ability to mentor and guide other programmers are expected for more senior-level responsibilities.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with ports, co-development, or full game development.
• Experience with Unreal Engine, Unity, Godot, Source, or other contemporary engines.
• Familiarity with Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, or other gaming platforms.
• Knowledge of physics and simulation concepts.
• Experience with animation systems, motion capture integration, or procedural animation.
• Experience with AI behavior trees, decision-making algorithms, or NPC sensory systems.
• Knowledge of multiplayer functionality, server-side systems, and latency compensation.
• Experience with graphics programming, rendering, shaders, or optimization.
• Familiarity with DirectX, Vulkan, OpenGL, HLSL, or GLSL.
• Experience with debugging and profiling tools such as PIX, RenderDoc, Visual Studio, or NVIDIA Nsight.
• Experience with crash reporting systems and core dump analysis.
• Knowledge of pipeline development and automation using Python, PowerShell, or similar scripting languages.
• Experience porting web engines to embedded connected devices, including smart TVs, smart appliances, or consumer media devices.
• Experience developing in resource-constrained environments with limited memory, CPU, or GPU capacity.
• A passion for video games and game development.

Blind Squirrel Entertainment, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Eligibility for benefits and perks may vary based on position, employment status, and location.

Notice to Job Applicants: As part of the application process, certain personal information is collected, and submission of your application is considered your acknowledgment that you have read and understand our policies applicable to such process and consent to the collection and processing of your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy. To review our policies, please visit our [ website ] and click [“ Privacy ”].