Senior AI Programmer Leeds, England

Sumo Digital Ltd

Full Time Leeds, England 26368 - 39968 GBP ANNUAL Today

Job description

Specialising in AAA PC and console development, Red Kite has a proven track record in the creation of cutting-edge games across varying genres.

Having set up home in the beautiful Grade-II listed Park Row House in Leeds city centre, Red Kite continues to develop top-quality games for multiple world-class AAA publishing partners such as Sony, Microsoft, Activision, 2K, SEGA, Epic, Warner Bros., 505, Rare, Codemasters, Mediatonic and Remedy.

Several titles include Hogwarts Legacy, Fall Guys, Mafia: Definitive Edition, Mafia III: Definitive Edition, Control Ultimate Edition, Two Point Hospital, Knockout City, Battletoads, Crackdown 3, Payday 2, Team Sonic Racing, DiRT 4 and God of War III: Remastered.

It’s a very exciting time to join Red Kite; not only are we working on multiple high-profile games for gen 9 platforms, we're also developing our own IP. Here’s what we can tell you about:

We’re partnered with Mediatonic working on the smash-hit, Fall Guys
We’re working on a high-profile AAA 1st person shooter in UE5
We’re working on Red Kite’s first original game

One of the most interesting aspects to working at Red Kite is the diversity of projects present within the studio. It's certainly never boring and we constantly find ourselves pushing the boundaries when it comes to the gameplay that we're creating and the technologies that we're engineering.

The Role @ Red Kite Games

We are looking for a Senior AI Programmer to join us on an exciting new and recognised titles. This is a fantastic opportunity to play a pivotal role in directly contributing to the game's "behaviour."

In this highly collaborative role, you will develop AI features and systems from the ground up. You will contribute to the programming team's collective knowledge and help to architect, plan and troubleshoot development, in order to deliver on the high-level vision for the game.

As an AI Programmer working with the project’s Technical Leadership, you will help to create and maintain best practices for the AI systems. In this role, you will champion quality across the project and collaborate with all disciplines in the delivery of an exciting AAA games.

You will join an experienced group of talented developers who share a passion for creating AAA quality games. Your skills and perspective will complement a team built on transparency, trust, and integrity; a team who are not afraid to challenge ourselves in the pursuit of excellence.

In your new role you will:

Work closely with Code Leadership to plan, estimate, and write high-quality performant AI code
Work closely with Game and Level Designers, reviewing gameplay feature specifications and provide AI-specific insights where possible
Prototype and implement impactful and intelligent NPC and Bot gameplay features and systems (path finding, movement, team logic, goal planning, memory, knowledge, crowds, targeting, etc.)
Design, write and test efficient code that meets and exceeds internal quality criteria
Contribute to regular code reviews, championing code quality and best practices

To be successful you will have:

3+ years games industry experience
Excellent working knowledge of C++
Experienced in developing advanced AI features and systems on at least one published title
Experience with Behaviour Trees, Knowledge Representation, Pathing & Traversal Algorithms, Animation Blend Trees, etc.
Understanding of what makes a game feel “smart”
Be receptive to feedback, evolving Designs and iteration
Excellent communication skills

Experience in any of these areas may be advantageous but not essential:

Think critically and apply analytical skills in resolving complex issues
Author technical designs
Mentor less experienced programmers
Have a deep interest in the field of game Artificial Intelligence

Red Kite is located in central Leeds, a major European city connected to London by rapid rail links and the M1 motorway – plus the rest of the world via Leeds Bradford airport. It's home to some of the best restaurants, bars and museums in the North of England, and is within easy reach of spectacular countryside (the Yorkshire Moors and Bronte Country), historical York and the Yorkshire East coast (you should definitely check out Whitby and Runswick Bay).

We offer a superb flexible benefits package – which includes but is not limited to:

Flexitime – Including work from home on Fridays
35 hour working week
Early finish Fridays
Annual Bonus
27 Days Holiday (Minimum) – Including your birthday, Duvet Days and Christmas Eve
5 Learning & Development Days per year – Including Udemy Access
Employee Assistance Programme – Including health, mental health and wellbeing support
Enhanced Maternity/Paternity/Adoption pay
Life Assurance, Income Protection and Critical Illness
Relocation Support & Visa Sponsorship

Nurturing Red Kite's studio culture is at the heart of everything we do and has been proudly recognised by the following awards:

GI.biz – Best Places to Work 2022
Best Companies – A World Class, 3 Star place to work for 2023
TIGA STAR Award for excellence

Red Kite is a social studio – the team regularly gather for drinks, game nights, film nights, to play sports etc. – making this a great place to build a career whilst making friends...and let's not forget Red Kite's legendary Summer BBQ and our epic Christmas party – plus much more!

Red Kite's studio is relaxed and friendly. Every team member has the opportunity to shine and we pride ourselves on providing a positive social atmosphere, facilitated by shared interest groups, after-work clubs and charity fundraising events. Red Kite are proud supporters of the gaming charity SpecialEffect.

Come join the team, build a rewarding career, and help to make great games with a lovely bunch of people!

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