Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with millions of gamers around the globe having enjoyed the company's products over the years. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets.
SOE has developed and/or published a number of ground-breaking and genre-defining games, including EverQuest, EverQuest II, Star Wars Galaxies, PlanetSide, The Matrix Online, EverQuest Online Adventures, Champions of Norrath, Untold Legends, Field Commander, Vanguard, and the newly announced FreeRealms, DC Universe Online and The Agency.
Based in San Diego, California, with development studios in Austin, Seattle, Denver, Tucson and Taiwan, SOE strives to push the envelope of online entertainment quality, innovation and delivery, thus maintaining a leading position on the cutting-edge of technology.
Position Title: Technical Director Department: SOE Tucson Reports To: Director of Development Location: Tucson
POSITION SUMMARY We’re looking for a skilled Technical Lead to head up the code side of Sony Online Entertainment’s new Tucson gaming studio. The Technical Lead will be responsible for all game technology and systems, and will lead a team of programmers, liaising between that team and other SOE studios. He or she will provide high-level technical direction and supervision, but will still be expected to work on code, especially with early prototypes and building infrastructure.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES • Lead the entire studio in crucial technical decisions and provide guidance for the development team • Create technical designs for all projects, including designing game infrastructure from the ground up • Create gameplay prototypes from design documents • Provide leadership and oversight to offsite programming if necessary • Evaluate and recommend tools and middleware for game creation • Work closely with Studio Director, Art Lead, and Design Lead • Estimate feature weight and timelines • Identify and review project risks, recommend and implement solutions and contingencies • Ensure good coding standards and review code • Design and help create a robust and re-usable codebase around Facebook and other social network APIs • Design and implement load testing
WORK EXPERIENCE • Minimum of 7 years programming and game experience • Familiarity with social networks and browser-based games • Successful track record in managing programmers • Experience as the technical decision-maker for large projects • Proven experience in creating web game infrastructure • An impressive stable of games launched as a programmer • Experience building and scaling systems with significant load
SKILLS • Expert level with Java, ActionScript 3, and server-side languages • Intimate knowledge of socket servers such as Smartfox Server and existing Flash engines • Excellent written and verbal communication • Ability to work under tight deadlines • Ability to manage the demands of a large offsite team • API Design • Experience in tuning performance both on the client and server side • Expert familiarly with the capabilities and limitations of Flash and other browser-based clients • Familiar with Facebook and MySpace APIs • Database design and programming
EDUCATION • Bachelor’s degree required, advanced degrees a plus
SOE is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace.
