Associate Technical Director, Platform – Unannounced Survival Game

We Want You

A new world and a new journey await you. It is a world different from any other Blizzard has created.

If you’re a passionate game developer, and, well, a good human being, then we’d love to talk to you. We have a new AAA survival game in the works, set in a new IP for PC/Console. It’s going to be amazing, and we’d love to bring you along for the ride. Together, we’ll build something big, bold, and beautiful.

We are seeking an Associate Technical Director who will help direct and define our project’s server technology, operational infrastructure, game object replication capabilities, and Battle.net platform integration. By directly managing multiple teams of engineers and collaborating with directors and leads across the project, you will help define, schedule, and prioritize clear and achievable goals for the engineering teams under the Platform & Metagame engineering organization.

We believe our team is good. Really good. Granted, we’re obviously biased. But we also believe there are lots of developers out there who can make us even better. You could be one of those people. If you’re looking for a team where inclusion, thoughtfulness, empathy, professionalism, and collaboration are all seen as critically important, we believe our team could be a phenomenal fit for you. Join us and help craft our future!

Location fixed

This role is anticipated to be a hybrid work position, with some work on-site and some work-from-home. The potential home studio for this role is Irvine, CA.

We need help with

• Provide technical mentorship and guidance for engineers on the Metagame and Platform engineering teams, in conjunction with the Technical Director.
• Guide and grow the team of engineering leads into successful people managers.
• Work with the Technical Director to define and execute strategic goals and milestones, establish best practices and procedures, and evangelize the core development values of the engineering team.
• Work with production staff, directors, and other leads to establish engineering tasks and manage schedule requirements.
• Review and approve completed engineering tasks in collaboration with the Technical Director, the production staff, and other leads.
• Collaborate with the Technical Director and leads to ensure that technology interests and policies are properly represented and maintained through the course of development and that future technology is being developed on schedule.
• Perform research to acquire new knowledge necessary to perform assigned tasks and maintain the technological evolution of the project.
• Maintain familiarity with Blizzard Entertainment’s current game designs as well as with emerging technologies across the game industry in multiple genres.

Minimum Requirements

• 10+ years of professional experience authoring code for game software.
• 2+ years leading impactful engineering teams.
• Experience shipping multiple AAA games, with at least one as a senior engineer or higher on a large team
• Strong, proven C++ skills and shipped at least one professional game primarily authored in C++.
• Significant leadership experience managing engineers.
• Hands-on expertise in one or more of the following areas: Server development, UDP-based game object replication, DevOps, and Online Services integration.
• Experience with performance analysis and code optimization.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with artists, designers, and other engineers.
• Proven aptitude for technical design.

Extra awesome points for

• Experience supporting a live service game.
• Experience in the design and implementation of game systems, multi-threading, and database management.

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to accommodationrequests@activisionblizzard.com. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

Our World

At Blizzard Entertainment, we pour our hearts and souls into everything we create. Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, and StarCraft, we’ve been creating genre-defining games for millions of players around the world for more than 30 years. We’re on a quest: bring our dreams to life and craft the most epic entertainment experiences…ever. Hard work, iteration and polish go into the Blizzard “secret recipe,” but the most important ingredients come from talented people who share our vision. If that sounds like you, join us.

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ – we’ve got our employees covered! Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company. You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $155,500.00 – $287,876.00 Annual. This base pay range is for the U.S. and is not applicable to locations outside of the U.S. Actual amounts will vary depending on experience, performance and location. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed.

Activision Blizzard