Lead Software Engineer
About the role
Panic Button is seeking a highly experienced and motivated Lead Software Engineer with a strong focus on game porting to join our growing team. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of leading software engineering teams in the video game industry, with recent and extensive experience in cross-platform console development.
Responsibilities
Lead and mentor a team of software engineers
Oversee the entire porting lifecycle, from initial analysis and feasibility studies to optimization, certification, and release across multiple platforms
Collaborate closely with internal development teams, external partners, and platform holders
Responsible for performance and stability across all platforms
Identify and resolve platform-specific technical challenges, memory and performance bottlenecks, and compatibility issues
Contribute hands-on to coding, debugging, and problem-solving
Participate in strategic planning and technical roadmap development
Requirements
Lead and mentor a team of software engineers
Oversee the entire porting lifecycle, from initial analysis and feasibility studies to optimization, certification, and release across multiple platforms
Collaborate closely with internal development teams, external partners, and platform holders
Responsible for performance and stability across all platforms
Identify and resolve platform-specific technical challenges, memory and performance bottlenecks, and compatibility issues
Contribute hands-on to coding, debugging, and problem-solving.
Participate in strategic planning and technical roadmap development
Bonus
Experience with Unreal Engine 4/5 or Unity
Salary Range
$150,000 - $220,000
Responsibilities
- Lead and mentor a team of software engineers
- Oversee the entire porting lifecycle, from initial analysis and feasibility studies to optimization, certification, and release across multiple platforms
- Collaborate closely with internal development teams, external partners, and platform holders
- Responsible for performance and stability across all platforms
- Identify and resolve platform-specific technical challenges, memory and performance bottlenecks, and compatibility issues
- Contribute hands-on to coding, debugging, and problem-solving
- Participate in strategic planning and technical roadmap development
Qualifications
- Experience with Unreal Engine 4/5 or Unity
Skills mentioned
About Panic Button
In late 2007, a small group of industry veterans got together and founded a new game company in Austin, Texas. The following January, they rented a small room in temporary office space and got to work. Spirits were high and the future was bright! Naturally, things didn’t go quite as expected. Such are the humble beginnings of Panic Button. For several years, Panic Button worked in quiet obscurity. We shipped a few low-budget titles. We made stealthy contributions to various games, big and small, under development by other studios in town. We helped Dragon Age: Origins fit in memory on consoles. We improved server stability for Star Wars: The Old Republic. We put character into the ReCore sand. We even helped Ms. Splosion Man have a blast online. Persistence, patience, planning, work, experience, talent, and a little luck allowed Panic Button to not only survive those early years but to quietly grow. We continued to work largely behind the scenes, until… In 2015, Panic Button began working with Psyonix. We brought Rocket League to the Microsoft Xbox One. We added 4K support to the Sony PlayStation 4 Pro version. And then, in 2016, we brought Rocket League to the Nintendo Switch. We toured hell (via Mars) in 2017 when Panic Button brought the critically acclaimed Doom to the Nintendo Switch. This release was repeatedly described as an “impossible port”. How could we top Doom? That would be Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and Warframe on the Nintendo Switch. Meanwhile, we’ve been incredibly busy in 2019: Hob: The Definitive Edition (Switch) Wolfenstein II: Youngblood (Switch) Doom 3 (PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch) Torchlight II (PS4, Xbox One, and Switch) And wait until you see what’s next! (Hint: It’s probably not Horizon: Zero Dawn for Switch.)