Black Forest Games is part of the fastest-growing publisher in Europe, Embracer Group, and the biggest studio of THQ Nordic Vienna. Our last release was the highly successful remake of ‘Destroy All Humans!’.

Here in the south of Germany, directly at the French border, we combine the creative freedom and culture of an independent studio with the financial security of a big publisher. We are an international team and we foster diversity – Sharing this mindset is a must for us. We are happy about every candidate that contributes to the diversity of our team.

Lead Programmer (f/m/d)

We are currently searching for a dynamic Lead Programmer to join our team as we embark on creating our next exceptional game using the Unreal Engine. In this role, your main responsibility will be overseeing and supporting a team of gameplay programmers.

As a Lead Programmer, you will:

• Demonstrate a true understanding of crafting remarkable games.
• Strategically plan and delegate tasks to a diverse team with varying skill levels.
• Coordinate with other departments.
• Inspire team members to elevate their technical prowess and excel in their abilities.
• Foster a collaborative work environment, encouraging teamwork and synergy.
• Actively seek to resolve conflicts and teach others conflict resolution skills.
• Possess a genuine concern for the well-being of team members.
• Promote company decisions and uphold company values.

Requirements:

• Proven track record of effective leadership skills.
• Extensive experience (7+ years) within a game studio including at least one fully shipped title and a minimum of 5 years in a leadership capacity.
• Strong proficiency in C++.
• Genuine passion for video games.
• Strong proficiency in the English language.

Bonus qualifications:

• General familiarity with Unreal Engine 4 or 5.
• Strong grasp of linear algebra concepts.
• Knowledge in profiling and optimizing code.
• Experience working on recent AA/AAA character-based games.
• If you are a dedicated and passionate Lead Programmer with a drive for excellence, we would love to hear from you.

Join us on our exciting journey as we push the boundaries of gaming!

Assessment:

• CV
• Code samples (optional – submit only code that you wrote and own)
• Test task* (see below)
• Online video interview
• On-site interview
• Test Task Information

The test is a self-contained Visual Studio project written in C++.
Expect the test to take about 8 hours. Can be spread over two or three days.
Complete as much of the test as you can in the given time.
You will write code, troubleshoot bugs, and optimize.
Correctness, approach, ability to follow directions, and style will be evaluated.

What else do we offer?

• Flexible working hours
• 38h workweek
• 30 days of holiday
• Competitive salary
• Green office, fresh fruits, coffee and drinks
• Additional free health insurance
• Pension Plan
• Mental health support
• Free accident insurance
• Fitness area in the studio
• Free English & German language classes
• Stability of a successful publisher paired with the creative freedom of an independent studio

Why join Black Forest Games?

We are a team with a long history of looking for long-term companions – we are hiring for the studio, not for the project. This is an important part of our company philosophy. Talent is always welcome, no matter where you are from. We offer a family-friendly work-life balance and a lot of flexibility. Here you can work on IPs known worldwide and help shape them.

As a bonus, Black Forest Games is located in one of the most beautiful and wealthiest areas in Southern Germany, located close to Strasbourg, Karlsruhe, and Basel. Getting here is easy because of the excellent traffic conditions, 3 airports about 30 minutes away, and the Autobahn & ICE station right around the corner. All of this in a region where kids still play in nature and ride to school by bike.

Love everything about us but you don’t want to live in Germany? No problem, lots of our developers are living across the border in Strasbourg, France and get here easily by train or car. Strasbourg is one of the biggest cities in France with 500.000 citizens.

Please send your application to jobs@bfgames.biz