Engineer (Senior)

Overview

At Hipster Whale, we're passionate about creating bright and funny arcade action games that appeal to broad audiences—games that players will continue to enjoy for years to come!

We’re seeking a skilled and versatile Senior Engineer to join our experienced and pragmatic engineering team. This role focuses on UI, monetisation, and feature implementation on our beloved title, Crossy Road, making it perfect for a seasoned programmer with a passion for mobile games. In this position, you'll have the opportunity to contribute both technically and creatively, helping to deliver an exceptional experience to millions of players around the world.

This is a full-time, on-going position based at our studio in Melbourne, Australia. We may consider a remote role for a highly qualified applicant, however, it's imperative that there is significant overlap with our core business hours. Candidates must have a suitable visa allowing them to work in Australia. Our team currently works hybridly, with a minimum of two days per week in the office (Mondays and Thursdays) and the option to work remotely from home on other days. We support individual flexibility arrangements and will accommodate requests wherever possible.

We’re proud to have an inclusive work environment and encourage members of all backgrounds and perspectives to apply!

Responsibilities

• Creatively develop solutions to help make our games as fun and rewarding for our players as possible
• Primarily use C# and Unity to support the team with refining and debugging our games
• Implement new UI screens and flows using Unity UI
• Integrate mobile SDKs (ads, IAP, analytics)
• Add platform specific functionality, while managing performance and compliance requirements
• Optimise games for target devices

About You

• You’re an experienced cross-platform games programmer, having worked on several published titles.
• You have practical experience with mobile game development and understand the journey from concept to polished release.
• You enjoy the process of diving into an established codebase, learning its structure, and finding ways to improve and expand it.
• You’re adaptable and capable of setting goals independently, while also collaborating effectively within a team.
• You’re passionate about arcade, casual, and mobile games, and have a focus on crafting responsive and engaging gameplay experiences.

Requirements

• 5+ years professional experience, ideally working with Unity and C#, or willingness to adapt to from C++
• Computer science degree, games programming degree, or demonstrably equivalent skills
• Have worked on shipped mobile, console or PC games
• Strong linear algebra and 3D maths skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Legally able to work in Australia

Bonus Points

• Lifecycle experience publishing and optimising titles for various platforms
• Network programming experience
• Any physics experience (forces, angular velocity, friction, etc.)
• Ability to teach and share your knowledge with technical and non-technical people alike
• Demonstrable skills or interest in game design, art, UX or other cross-disciplines
• Familiarity with agile development (Jira, Kanban, sprints, etc.)
• We’re also keen to hear about any other interests that you may have which could contribute positively to our studio!

Critical Info

• Base salary is 120K+ AUD (excluding super) depending on experience and skills
• This is a full-time, on-going position, based in Melbourne, Australia
• Applications close Sunday, 12 January 2025
• We aim to move through the recruitment process as quickly as possible and will respond to all applicants regardless of the outcome.
• Due to the large volume of applications we receive, we’re unfortunately not able to provide specific feedback to each applicant.

How to Apply

• Please head to our careers page to find more information about working at our studio.
• To apply, please submit an application via the Employment Hero / Swag platform which we use for our recruitment process.
• Note that we don’t expect you to autofill the application using the AI tools, nor populate a Swag profile on the platform. Simply submit a personally written cover letter explaining your interest in the role and why you would like to join the Hipster Whale team, along with a CV detailing your experience.
• Examples of your technical work (demos or code samples) are always fantastic to see!

If you experience technical difficulties, you are welcome to send through an application via jobs@hipsterwhale.com instead. Please add [POSITION TITLE - YOUR NAME] in the email subject line and include answers to the following questions in your application:

Questions for Candidates

• Do you have 5 or more years of professional experience, having worked on shipped titles?
• Are you located in Melbourne or willing to relocate if successful?
• Can you provide links to your work and illustrate which parts you worked on (or didn’t)?