Lead Programmer

• Technical Leadership & Architecture: Define, architect, document and maintain robust, scalable, and extensible technical foundations and gameplay systems using Unity and C#.
• Team Management & Mentorship: Lead, mentor, and inspire the programming team. Conduct code reviews, foster professional growth, and cultivate a culture of technical excellence and psychological safety.
• Cross-Discipline Collaboration: Work closely with Production, Game and Level Design, and Art departments to evaluate technical feasibility, break down design requirements, and ensure optimal implementation of creative visions.
• Performance Optimization: Oversee and execute profiling, memory management, and optimization strategies across target platforms (Console and PC) to maintain rigorous performance and frame-rate standards.
• Workflow & Tooling: Design and improve internal pipelines, editor tools, and build systems to streamline development workflows for programmers and designers alike.
• Risk Mitigation & R&D: Identify technical risks early in the production cycle, propose actionable solutions, and prototype critical systems or innovative technical solutions., * Type of contract: Long-term position. 40 hours/week contract. (Spanish Residency is a must)
• Salary: From €48k gross annual salary, commensurate with leadership experience and technical expertise.
• Location: We are based in Tenerife and Seville. For this role, we have a preference for candidates located in or able to work from our Seville office to facilitate core technical leadership, though hybrid/remote options are fully available.
• Travel: You might be required to attend up to 2 per-team and 2 company-wide team-building activities each year, travel and accommodation provided by the company.

• Proven Track Record: At least 7+ years of professional experience in video game development, with a definitive requirement of having participated in the development and shipment of at least two commercially released games in an engineering capacity.
• Unity & C# Mastery: Deep, authoritative knowledge of the Unity engine ecosystem (including advanced profiling, memory optimization, graphics pipelines, and multi-platform deployment) and expert-level proficiency in C#.
• Software Engineering Excellence: Strong foundations in data structures, algorithms, architectural patterns (e.g., OOP, DOD, ScriptableObject-driven architectures).
• Leadership Experience: Prior experience leading engineering teams, managing task delegation, conducting technical evaluations, and managing version control systems (Plastic/Perforce) at an enterprise level.
• Communication Skills: Exceptional ability to translate complex technical constraints into clear, actionable concepts for non-technical team members.
• Language Proficiency: Professional working proficiency in English, minimum B2., * Console Deployment: Hands-on experience optimizing and shipping titles on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox ecosystems.
• Gameplay & Physics Systems: Experience developing custom physics controllers, complex state machines, or combat-centric gameplay systems (ideally within 2D or action-platformer paradigms).
• Agile Frameworks: Strong familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies, sprint planning, and project management and documentation tools like Jira and Confluence.
• Shaders & Rendering: Basic to advanced knowledge of HLSL/Shader Graph and custom rendering techniques within Unity’s URP.
• Aesthetics Alignment: A genuine appreciation for dark fantasy, 2D games retro-inspired mechanics, or high-quality pixel art aesthetics.

• Get a piece of the cake: The Game Kitchen distributes 90% of annual profit with its long-term employees.*
• Health Insurance with dental supplement.
• Your mental health matters: we pay for the appointments you make through our psychological partner.
• Commuter & Food Allowance: An economic bonus to cover food and transportation expenses if you are working in one of our two facilities.
• Family Support: Economic help for your child’s daycare up to three years old.
• Housing Assistance: Help for the acquisition of your first home in Seville or Tenerife.
• Inclusive Environment: Open-minded, trans-inclusive feminist working environment.

full_time

Organization The Game Kitchen