Zynga is proud to announce the opening of a brand-new game development studio in Austin, TX. The studio will partner with NaturalMotion, a Zynga-subsidiary, to develop a premiere mobile action game set in the Star Wars universe. The new Austin studio will collaborate closely with BossAlien, a division of NaturalMotion, and an award-winning games developer based out of Brighton, England.
If this sounds like you, we want to hear from you! Your passion and experience for building original games will be instrumental as we bring together a brand-new collective of developers to take on next-generation thinking and innovative products. As a studio leader, you will act as a key bridge in tight and effective collaboration with your UK-based counterparts.
This is a rare opportunity to play a part in the foundation of Zynga’s first action games studio in North America, and to make your mark on a brand new franchise in the Star Wars universe and the future of mobile gaming.
About the position
The Technical Director will be a founding member of the Austin, TX studio, working closely with their counterparts both locally and in Brighton to build the next blockbuster mobile franchise, and setting the studio up for sustainable delivery and future growth.
We are looking for a proven technical leader, able to flex between tackling hard technical problems, driving daily development and setting technical vision and strategy. The ideal candidate brings a deep passion for building sophisticated software systems, a dedication to engineering craftsmanship, an unwavering commitment to quality, and the desire to have their work seen by tens of millions of people worldwide
As a core member of the Austin leadership team, the Technical Director will have significant autonomy and a high level of impact on the studio’s engineering culture, and play a key part in building the studio’s team. It’s also crucial that our engineering leadership not only share but exemplify our values of determination, trust, excellence, and celebrating the diversity of people and ideas.
In this role, you will:
- Lead an engineering team through the challenges of building a real-time multiplayer cross-platform action game.
- Write well designed, efficient and testable code using Unreal Engine 4 (prior experience is strongly preferred). You have extensive experience building and shipping games, and have an understanding of the challenges involved in scaling a game.
- Bring a solid understanding of algorithms, design patterns, debugging and memory/performance optimization.
- Lean on your expertise as a strong individual contributor in at least one technical domain, but be able to work with engineers in any domain, even if not an expert, and provide useful guidance and feedback.
- Strive for excellence in software craftsmanship, and act as an influencer and mentor for developers on the team.
- Be a natural communicator and collaborate well on a cross-functional team, working across timezone barriers.
- Grow with the business; stretch yourself and learn new skills and domains.
- Have fun; we’re making games!
WHAT WE OFFER YOU
- Competitive salary, bonus plan, Zynga RSU’s, RRSP Match
- Extended Health coverage as well as life Insurance
- Goodlife fitness annual membership
- Commuter benefits , daily lunches, snacks & drinks
- Vacation: Open vacation policy
- 26 weeks fully paid pregnancy leave for delivering mothers
- 12 weeks fully paid parental leave for fathers/partners and adoptive parents
- Zynga happy hours and frequent employee events
- Casual dress every single day
- Culture of diversity and inclusion
- Work with cool people and impact millions of daily players
Zynga is an equal opportunity employer. We are proud of our broad community; we do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, disability, or any other class or characteristic protected by applicable law. We welcome job-seekers, players, employees, and partners from all backgrounds. Join us!
We will consider all qualified job-seekers with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law.
Zynga is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need an accommodation during the interview process, please let us know
