LEAD PROGRAMMER

The Game Kitchen is looking for a talented and experienced Lead Programmer to join our team. As a Lead, you will not only write clean, performant, and scalable code, but you will also architect core game systems, establish engineering best practices, and mentor technical talent within an agile, highly collaborative, and creative environment.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Requirements

• 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.

Preferred Qualifications

• 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.

Additional Information

• 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.

Company Perks

• 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.