Core Tech Programmer

NAUGHTY DOG, LLC; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 141,400 - 176,700; Full time

Job summary

NAUGHTY DOG, LLC in Los Angeles is seeking a Core Tech Programmer to design and develop technology for their production pipeline. This role offers total project ownership, allowing you to work directly with artists and designers to improve workflows and tool performance.

The ideal candidate will have at least 3 years of video game industry experience and a minimum of 1 shipped AAA game. Strong 3D math skills and proficiency in C++ or C# are required. The position offers a competitive salary of $141,400 — $176,700 USD.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years working in the video game industry.
• Minimum of 1 shipped AAA game.
• Excellent 3D math skills (especially linear algebra and vector math).
• Extensive experience in creating one or more of the following PC applications.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and support technology in our production pipeline.
• Work with and enable artists and designers to create incredible assets.
• Navigate and constantly improve an extensive code base.

Skills

Video game industry experience

3D math skills

C++ or C# experience

Collaboration with artists/designers

Education

B.S. in Computer Science and/or Mathematics

Tools

C++

C#

Job description

For nearly 40 years, Naughty Dog has been crafting best-selling, critically acclaimed games that constantly push the boundaries of narrative, gameplay, and technology. Naughty Dog recently released The Last of Us Part II Remastered as well as a current generation remake of The Last of Us Part I for the PS5. We’re also proud to say that The Last of Us Part I and Part II are now available for the first time on PC. Currently, we’re busy at the kennel working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and we’d love to find talented individuals to join us.

Naughty Dog games have long been lauded for their evocative, character-driven stories and attention to detail. We are committed to innovation within our games and as such have curated some of the top creative and technically innovative minds in the industry. We welcome a diverse pool of candidates and believe that a broad range of cultural and life experiences contribute to the overall well-being and success of the studio and the titles we craft together. We have a small core tech team, so you will interact with multiple departments, game systems and pipeline technologies. As a core tech programmer at Naughty Dog, you will experience total project ownership: talk directly to the artists and designers, devise and build the technology they use. You will experience varied and challenging responsibilities requiring a high level of adaptability and a taste for discovering cutting-edge technologies.

What you will do:

• Tackling complex problems: Design, develop, and support technology in our production pipeline from DCC tools, throughout our asset management and conditioning pipeline, down to the supporting runtime game systems
• Work with and enable artists and designers to create incredible assets throughout all stages of production, with an eye on constantly improving creation workflows, user experience, and performance of our tools and technologies
• Navigate and constantly improve an extensive code base
• Responsibilities may evolve based on needs

What skills you will use:

• Minimum of 3 years working in the video game industry
• Minimum of 1 shipped AAA game
• B.S. in Computer Science and/or Mathematics or equivalent work experience
• Excellent 3D math skills (especially linear algebra and vector math)
• Extensive experience in creating one or more of the following PC applications in C++ or C#: level editor, art prototype catalogue/database, animation/cinematic editor, material/shader editor, dcc plug-ins, build tools, data messaging tools, lighting tools or equivalent software
• Experience with PC application programming

Bonus Skills:

• Experience with console programming
• Experience with databases and query optimizations
• Experience with a scripting language
• Experience using DCC applications

$141,400 — $176,700 USD