Rare is a one-of-a-kind game studio where we create the kind of games the world doesn't have, games that are uniquely Rare! Working here offers opportunities unlike anywhere else. You'll be providing players with unforgettable shared experiences in games loved by millions worldwide. Our pirate adventure Sea of Thieves, launched in 2018, is still going strong - and alongside that we're busy creating our next magical world, Everwild, announced in 2019 to a global audience.
We strive to make Rare an amazing place to work, embracing a culture of respect and building a supportive environment for our developers. Our custom-built Twycross studio is situated in the beautiful English countryside, surrounded by woodland and wildlife, with plenty of room for us to grow. Studio benefits are catered to making life easier for staff, including flexible working, a bonus scheme, an industry-leading pension package, private healthcare, mental health initiatives and free events for employees and their families.
By joining Rare, you'll be joining one of the finest studios in the industry with support from the wider Xbox Game Studios network. We're always on the lookout for exceptional people who can bring their expertise and unique thinking to help make our team even stronger!
Role Overview
At Rare, we are busy building a rich and fantastic world for our next title, Everwild. We are now searching for a determined Engineering Lead to work closely with our game teams to bring the world of Everwild to life.
As a Software Engineer Lead, your responsibility will be to help investigate, design, direct and implement the full stack of systems required to develop the game world for Everwild. You will be heavily involved in the architectural decisions of the systems required, working closely with Designers, Artists and Animators to ensure the long-term project goals are considered.
You will be a key figure in our engineering team, delivering quality implementations as part of the team, but will also be helping to outline and identify roadmaps for your team which align with the wider project delivery goals. As a Lead role, you will also be responsible for people management of some of our team.
We are big believers in high quality engineering here at Rare and aim for fast iteration with robust methods. This means that we embrace modern development practices such as continuous delivery, automated testing, code reviews, pair programming and agile methods.
We encourage everyone to explore and grow their own skills, whether through engineering discussions, volunteering to host one of our in-house workshops, or signing up to be part of our Engineering Process Group to help steer how we build games in the future.
Responsibilities
- Originate, implement, and iterate on systems to bring our game world to life.
- Work in conjunction with other disciplines to prioritise, align, and identify work streams.
- Identify and surface risks in the areas that are being worked on, autonomously highlighting solutions and reacting accordingly.
- Manage a small team of engineers working collaboratively towards shared goals.
- Solve problems through the application of sound engineering practice.
- Work to minimise technical debt and maintenance hazards.
- Devote time to personal improvement for both yourself and your team to further our game development and programming knowledge.
- Champion quality in our development process, demonstrating our values and taking an active role in improvement of engineering at Rare.
- Be part of Rareβs culture; Be inquisitive, try things out, break stuff, help people be even better, and think like you own the place.
Qualifications
Required Skills and Experience
- Prior experience of working in a senior/lead engineering role in the games industry.
- Deep technical understanding of working with the Unreal Engine 4 systems in a commercial context.
- Demonstratable, solid grounding in Computer Science theory and C++ development, and have a genuine enthusiasm for the subject.
- Be enthusiastic about modern development techniques and be demonstrably keen to apply them to games.
- Test automation is a key element of our approach so experience with automation, or a willingness to learn, is essential.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.
Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.