Zenimax Online Studios
We're Hiring
Capture Art Intern (starting January 2024)
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking smart, motivated, and enthusiastic interns for our ESO Capture Art team. This is an incredible opportunity to learn from a successful team of industry veterans. To be considered, candidates should have a strong educational background demonstrated in an exemplary portfolio of work and a serious willingness to learn.
*Must be available for a full-time internship for a 3-month period, beginning January 2024.*
Responsibilities
- Work directly with the Development, Marketing, Community, and Web teams to create a wide variety of video assets from script to delivery
- Work on a collaborative video team that must be agile to a constantly evolving market; work will include gameplay capture, live action filming, video editing, visual effects, and motion graphics
- Gameplay capture, including not just the player experience, but using the game engine to set up unique scenes with cinematic lighting and camera
- Create cinematic screenshots/images through creative use of in-engine game tools
- Support the studio and marketing teams to deliver world-class visual assets
- Help capture imagery for print, online media, ads, and in-game UI
- Receive and provide feedback in a constructive and collaborative manner
- Critique one’s own work, be self-motivated, and meet set deadlines
Qualifications
- Portfolio that demonstrates an understanding of cinematic language through use of camera framing, lighting, blocking, composition, and editing
- Proficiency in the Adobe Suite, particularly Premiere Pro and After Effects
- Passion for MMOs and gaming
- Playing Elder Scrolls Online and knowledge of its various zones, races/culture, and Elder Scrolls lore is a huge plus
- Excellent composition, lighting, and camera angle choices, exceptional eye for color theory in a visual media
- Artistic and creative vision
- Must have a positive attitude, be a team player, and have excellent communication skills both verbally and written
- Ability to adapt to changing creative direction
- Proficient user of Photoshop
Salary Range
Capture Art Intern- The typical base pay for this position at the start of employment is $17.00 per hour.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Capture Artist
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a creative and energetic Capture Artist to join our Creative Services team. The Capture Artist will help create in-game promotional art for one of the most beloved, award-winning franchises in history, and will bring to life action or story sequences through control of lighting, characters, and props while maintaining the look, feel, and essence of the game experience.
Responsibilities
- Create cinematic images through creative use of in-engine game tools
- Support the studio and marketing teams to deliver world-class visual assets
- Help capture imagery for print, online media, ads, and in-game UI
- Receive and provide feedback in a constructive and collaborative manner
- Critique one’s own work, be self-motivated, and meet set deadlines
Qualifications
- 2+ years of relevant experience in the industry or educational equivalent
- Strong understanding of cinematography, design intent, and character narrative
- Excellent composition, lighting, and camera angle choices; must have a portfolio demonstrating excellence in composition, color theory, and narrative; photography examples are a plus
- Exceptional eye for color theory in a visual media
- Artistic and creative vision
- Must have a positive attitude, be a team player, and have excellent communication skills both verbally and written
- Ability to adapt to changing creative direction
- Proficient user of Photoshop
Preferred Skills
- An understanding of video games and gamer communities
- Working knowledge of current 3D software or game engine (e.g. Unity, Unreal)
- Worldbuilding and Environment Art production experience
- Familiarity with video editing tools (Premiere preferred)
- Training in anatomy and animation fundamentals is a plus
Salary Range
Capture Artist - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $55,000 - $140,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Outsourcing Manager
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is looking for an experienced Outsourcing Manager. The role involves critiquing and managing work from various 3D art disciplines while providing benchmark examples and documentation for external teams to follow. They will also coordinate with internal Artists to prepare assignments, then refine, export, and troubleshoot asset deliveries from external teams. The ideal candidate is an experienced 3D modeler with management experience.
Responsibilities
- Support the preparation of assignments for external teams
- Review deliverables for quality and accuracy and provide feedback as required
- Create benchmark documentation and asset examples based off of the Art Director’s and/or Lead Artists' feedback and direction
- Revise and adjust models and textures as needed in an effort to achieve the best quality possible
- Maintain an outsource production schedule and manage multiple deliveries from different Artists/teams on a daily basis
- Coordinate daily with our internal Artists, Tech Artists, Animators, and Leads to process and export assets into the game engine and troubleshoot as needed
Qualifications
- Provide a portfolio of work demonstrating excellence in modeling and texturing 3D assets while maintaining technical restrictions and guidelines
- 2+ years of experience in a leadership position, and at least one year of experience in outsource management
- Well-developed communication, negotiation, and personal skills
- Highly organized with an eye for quality and the ability to review deliverables for quality and accuracy
- Experience in industry standard software packages including 3ds Max, Maya, Photoshop, Zbrush, and Substance Painter
- Experience with project management and delivering to required schedules and deadlines
- Strong aptitude for art software including proprietary tools
Preferred Skills
- Experience with 2D concept art, illustration, and figure drawing
- Experience with Houdini, 3D character modeling, animation, skinning, and rigging
Salary Range
Art Outsourcing Manager - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $55,000 - $140,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Senior Character Rigger
Overview
We are looking for a wildly talented and experienced Senior Character Rigger to help us develop a robust studio level rigging system. As the Senior Character Rigger, you will be involved in the design and implementation of the system from the earliest stages. You will work with Animation to determine features, needs, and desires. You will also work with Engineering to develop an efficient pathway between the tools and the game.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, Madison, WI, San Diego, CA, or Seattle, WA. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Build a rigging system that can support many characters and machines
- Build and maintain high-quality, high-performance animation rigs
- Expand upon the current rigging system with new features and modules
- Work closely with Modelers and Animators to ensure all disciplines are getting what they need
- Develop tools to support Animation
- Document system and advocate best practices
Qualifications
- 5+ years of industry experience in character rigging (Maya/3ds Max)
- Solid understanding of Python, C#, or another object oriented scripting language
- Solid understanding of anatomy and kinematics
- Ability and interest in rigging biomorphics and mechanics
- Solid understanding of animation pipelines
- Ability to develop animation tools to support rigs
- Ability to work collaboratively with technical and creative team members
- Excellent communication and time management skills
- Self-sufficient, independent, and proactive
- Familiarity with common data formats: XML/JSON/etc.
- Familiarity with common 3D data formats: USD/OBJ/FBX/ALEMBIC/etc.
- Experience working with third party animation tools (Havok, Granny, etc.)
*Please include links to your work and clearly indicate your contributions. Resumes without work samples will not be considered.
Preferred Skills
- MotionBuilder
- PyQt or PySide
- Perforce
- Understanding of core game data pipelines
- Experience with special effects and shaders
- General interest in contemporary CGI techniques
Salary Range
Senior Character Rigger - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $75,000 - $165,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Senior Technical Artist
Overview
The Senior Technical Artist works in conjunction with the Art team to help provide technical solutions, techniques, and processes for art production.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, Madison, WI, San Diego, CA, or Seattle, WA. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Author, document, and enforce technical standards for asset creation such as 3D modeling, FX, and lighting
- Author, document, and enforce production standards such as file structure, naming conversions, rules, and guidelines
- Develop and maintain advanced artist facing tools in 3ds Max as well as problem-solve issues involving the art pipelines
- Create, propose, design, and improve artist workflows
- Communicate technical concepts to develop optimal tools
- Communicate problems, risks, and obstacles to the team on pipeline matters; actively work to improve pipelines and workflows related to user experience
- Collaborate with leadership to execute product vision
Qualifications
- 5+ years of related industry experience as a Technical Artist
- Expert knowledge of 3ds Max and Max scripting
- Experience in game art generation and implementation
- Strong communicator and collaborator, with excellent organizational skills
- A strong understanding of asset creation pipelines and workflows
- Experience communicating with programming departments to develop proprietary tools
- An aptitude for learning new systems quickly
- Adept at taking a technical approach to problem solving
Preferred Skills
- MaxScript
- Python scripting knowledge
- Perforce
- PyQt or PySide
- Understanding of game data pipelines
- Documentation practices for developers and users of tools
- Basic Code development practices and management
- MMO experience is a plus
Salary Range
Senior Technical Artist - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $75,000 - $165,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Senior Technical Artist (Animation)
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a Senior Technical Artist with a focus in animation to join our studio for the development of our next AAA game. This is a chance to join an experienced group of developers in pre-production for a new IP.
The ideal candidate is a skilled Technical Artist with experience in rigging and animation. You will be working with small, multidisciplinary groups of artists, designers, and engineers to develop efficient, intuitive workflows, build production tools, and identify performance metrics parameters.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, Madison, WI, San Diego, CA, or Seattle, WA. Will consider remote. Please apply for more information.
Responsibilities
- Work within a multidisciplinary team to develop efficient, maintainable workflows capable of supporting a large, complex project with a wide range of animation needs
- Develop tools and workflows to support animators
- Develop and maintain runtime animation graphs
- Provide direct support to the animation team
- Work with Engineering to develop best practices, technical guidelines, and performance metrics for animation
- Document workflows and advocate best practices
Qualifications
- Fluent in one or more programming language (Python, C#, C++, etc.)
- Solid technical background with ability to design and implement systems
- 5+ years of relevant industry experience
- A Bachelor’s degree in an art-related discipline
- Solid understanding of kinematics, animation principles, and ability to translate this into tangible production tools and processes
- Experience with runtime animation tools, techniques, and capabilities (Unity, Havok Behavior, Natural Motion, or proprietary systems, etc.)
- Experience working with an animation graph or similar system
- Experience rigging characters for animation
- Understand differences between production and runtime animation requirements
- Strong troubleshooting skills
- Familiarity with common data formats: XML/JSON/etc.
- Familiarity with common 3D data formats: OBJ/FBX/ALEMBIC/etc.
Preferred Skills
- Mocap Experience
- Experience working with 2 or more animation pipelines
- Linear algebra
- Perforce
- PyQt/PySide
- General interest in contemporary CGI techniques
Salary Range
Senior Technical Artist - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $75,000 - $165,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Technical Animator
Overview
We are seeking a skilled Technical Animator to help further develop our animation pipeline. The focus of this position will be on runtime animation integration and animation handling in the pipeline.
You will work with animators to develop blend graphs that produce smooth, AAA quality animation, seamlessly combining animated motion with various runtime input sources. You’ll help define animation related workflows and systems, and you’ll assist animators in all technical aspects of animation production. Working with multiple disciplines to identify effective solutions, you will serve as a communicator with the goal of ensuring all involved parties have a common understanding of the system and our shared goals.
Preference will be given to candidates who have experience writing animation authoring tools (in Max, Maya, etc.), though this is not the primary area of coverage. If you have experience programming in any form, this is a huge plus. If you have experience with MOCAP that is also beneficial. If you are technical, highly motivated, and passionate about animation, please apply for this position.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, Madison, WI, San Diego, CA, or Seattle, WA. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Work closely with Animation, Design, and Engineering to develop the means by which these groups interact with animation data
- Play a positive, proactive role in communication between all involved departments
- Advocate for Animation while maintaining attention to performance issues
- Provide ongoing support and training to Animation throughout production cycle
- Communicate, promote, and document animation related processes and best practices
- Help to identify tools that will make managing large amounts of animation possible
Qualifications
- 5 or more years of industry experience
- 3-5 years of runtime animation system experience (can overlap with industry experience)
- Professional experience working with 2 or more animation pipelines
- A Bachelor’s degree in an art-related discipline
- Strong technical skillset and a love for being hands-on
- Strong understanding of kinematics and eye for animation
- Experience with runtime animation tools, techniques, and capabilities (Unity, Havok Behavior, Natural Motion, or proprietary, etc.)
- Familiarity with rigging
- Some familiarity with MOCAP workflows
- Understand differences between production and runtime animation requirements and data
- Clear, demonstrable understanding of animation data and how it moves through the pipeline
- Self-sufficient, motivated, and independent
- Strong communication and time management skills
- Familiarity with common data formats: XML/JSON/etc.
- Familiarity with common 3D data formats: HVK/GR2/OBJ/FBX/ALEMBIC/etc.
Portfolio: Please include links to your work and clearly indicate your contributions. Resumes without work samples will not be considered.
Preferred Skills
- Some understanding of shaders
- Any programming experience
- Pyside/PyQt
- Perforce
- Experience with special effects and non-character animation
- General interest in contemporary CGI techniques
Salary Range
Technical Animator - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $55,000 - $140,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Senior Voice Over Supervisor
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a Senior Voice Over Supervisor to aid the VO development cycle. They will collaborate with our content teams, recording vendors, and sound designers to create high quality, polished VO while working under demanding deadlines.
Responsibilities
- Become an expert in the content to be recorded
- Supervise VO sessions
- Ensure VO scripts have the info needed to get the right performance out of each actor
- Gather/provide reference materials for agents, studios, and actors
- Maintain VO related databases
- Work with proprietary tools to setup VO data for proper playback and script generation
- Integrate, test, and troubleshoot VO files
- Help train and support content developers and localization
- Assist with the casting process
Qualifications
- 3+ years of VO experience
- 4+ years of game development experience
- Excellent attention to details
- Proficient in MS Excel and Windows work environment
- Strong organization, verbal, and written communication skills
- Ability to thrive within a collaborative environment, and both give and receive constructive feedback
- Good ear for VO and VO-related issues
- Confidence working in a high-pressure recording studio environment
- Experience with standard audio tools
Salary Range
Senior Voice Over Suprvisor - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $75,000 - $165,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Cinematic Pipeline Manager
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a Cinematic Pipeline Manager to join our studio for the development of our next AAA game. This is a chance to join an experienced group of developers in pre-production for a new IP.
The Cinematic Pipeline Manager is critical to the success of the Cinematic Content team. An experienced Shotgrid expert and/or Producer in this role will be responsible for establishing a Shotgrid pipeline. Once the pipeline is established, the Cinematic Pipeline Manager will continue to improve and expand our Shotgrid setup to track a wide range of deliverables, organize information related to cinematic work, and efficiently communicate needs, statuses, and problems to individuals both inside and outside the Cinematic Content team. In the short-term, the Cinematic Pipeline Manager will establish detailed tracking, efficient tasking, and clear review and approval processes within Shotgrid. In full production and post-launch, the Cinematic Pipeline Manager will continue to expand and optimize our Shotgrid setup, improving efficiency and quality while safeguarding developer well-being.
Responsibilities
- Set up Shotgrid for cinematic workflows, automating as many info-sharing steps as possible
- Collaborate with the Lead Cinematic Designer and Senior Cinematic Producer on best practices
- Support tracking of cross-team dependencies
- Provide clear and digestible view configurations to support various disciplines
- Establish efficient review procedures, approval gates, and feedback loops within Shotgrid
- Help identify workflow improvements to streamline the content creation process
- Provide tutorials, documentation, and troubleshooting for users when needed
- Perform any other related tasks
Qualifications
- Experience managing projects in Shotgrid
- Strong knowledge of cinematic pipelines
- Comfortable with technical setup for production tracking tools
- Understanding of individual discipline needs within the cinematic sphere
- Adapts quickly to new production methodologies and software
- Excellent communication, organization, and problem-solving skills
- Empathetic and insightful, able to identify potential QoL improvements
Preferred Skills
- Experience producing cinematic content for video games, especially AAA
- Experience configuring interfaces for varied user groups
- Experience with Shotgrid plugins and DCC integration
- Experience coordinating between internal and external resources
Salary Range
Cinematic Pipeline Manager - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $120,000 - $245,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Lead Combat Designer
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a Lead Combat Designer to join our studio for the development of our next AAA game. This is a chance to join an experienced group of developers in pre-production for a new IP.
This role will collaborate with the Creative Director, Lead Game Designer, Lead Engineer and Lead Systems Designer to plan foundational combat systems, flesh them out with fun mechanics, and hone them to industry-leading quality. This role will also work extensively with AI, animation, and gameplay engineers to build all the combat systems needed to fill the game with a wide range of challenging enemies and fun combat setups.
Responsibilities
- Own the vision for combat on the project
- Lead the combat design team in the development of mechanics, player abilities, weapons, and enemy designs to deliver a thrilling yet approachable combat experience
- Work with the level design team to determine how combat spaces are built
- Help define tool needs for scripting and laying out combat encounters, building combat systems, and tuning combat data
- Collaborate with all development disciplines to bring gameplay systems from early vision to industry-defining final implementations
- Establish standards for documentation and implementation practices
- Mentor combat designers and help them grow in their careers
Qualifications
- Deeply creative with a great sense of what makes for fun gameplay
- Excellent leadership skills, and ability to work collaboratively in a cross-discipline development environment
- Expert proficiency integrating imagery and text to deliver thorough, easy to understand design documents
- Comfortable with a development schedule that is playtest-driven and focused on iteration and polish
- Strong understanding of the discrete elements that game systems are built upon, and the ability to problem solve both holistically and on a per-component basis
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Working knowledge of scripting or programming
- An online portfolio which clearly demonstrates relevant work experience
Preferred Skills
- Experience developing Open World games
- Experience in level design
- Strong public speaking skills
Salary Range
Lead Combat Designer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $90,000 - $200,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Principal Combatant Designer
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a Principal Combatant Designer to join our studio for the development of our next AAA game. This is a chance to join an experienced group of developers in pre-production for a major new IP.
This role will serve under the Lead Encounter Designer to design, implement, and tune best-in-class enemy combatants and factions, and to guide their usage in combat encounters. A developer in this role will shepherd the development of multiple combatants from initial concept to completion by collaborating with teams across all development disciplines. They will be a primary driver for the creation and assembly of the building blocks of our AAA action combat experience.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, Madison, WI, San Diego, CA, or Seattle, WA. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Work with the Lead Encounter Designer to develop compelling enemy AI combatants including their weapons, their abilities and attacks, their weaknesses, and their behaviors
- Work with AI engineers to develop supporting AI systems
- Design, create, and maintain documentation for enemy combatants
- Take ownership of one or multiple areas of the combatant development effort and help drive the team toward the game’s design goals
- Collaborate with all development disciplines to bring combatants from early vision to industry-shaping final implementation, especially but not limited to character, animation, and visual effects teams
- Mentor combatant designers and help them grow in their careers
Qualifications
- Deeply creative with a great sense of what makes gameplay fun
- Ability to work collaboratively in a cross-discipline development environment
- Experience working with animators to bring a character or move set to life
- Comfortable with a development schedule that is playtest-driven and focused on iteration and polish
- Strong understanding of the discrete elements that make second-to-second PvE combat both easily digestible and endlessly engaging
- The ability to problem-solve both holistically and on a per-component basis
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
- Working knowledge of scripting or programming
- An online portfolio which clearly demonstrates relevant work experience
Preferred Skills
- Experience developing Open World games
- Strong public speaking skills
Salary Range
Principal Combatant Designer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $90,000 - $200,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Principal Encounter Designer
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a Principal Encounter Designer to join our studio for the development of our next AAA game. This is a chance to join an experienced group of developers in pre-production for a major new IP.
This role will serve under the Lead Encounter Designer in crafting best-in-class combat encounters while also shaping the development of the enemy combatants featured in them. A developer in this role will help steer the development of encounter systems and philosophies, as well as drive by example the creation of combat encounters that expertly showcase good enemy composition, pacing, intensity, challenge, and moment-to-moment fun. Additionally, they will collaborate with teams across all development disciplines to bring together the building blocks of our AAA combat experience.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, Madison, WI, San Diego, CA, or Seattle, WA. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Work with the Lead Encounter Designer to develop best practices and guidelines for combat encounter creation
- Design, create, and maintain documentation for combat encounters
- Focus and grow into a project specialist in one or more areas of encounter design
- Collaborate with all development disciplines to bring combatants and encounters from early vision to industry-shaping final implementation
- Mentor encounter designers and help them grow in their careers
Qualifications
- Deeply creative with a great sense of what makes gameplay fun
- Ability to work collaboratively in a cross-discipline development environment
- Expert proficiency integrating imagery and text to deliver thorough, easy to understand design documents
- Comfortable with a development schedule that is playtest-driven and focused on iteration and polish
- Strong understanding of the discrete elements that make second-to-second Player-versus-Environment combat both easily digestible and endlessly engaging
- The ability to problem-solve both holistically and on a per-component basis
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
- Working knowledge of scripting or programming
- An online portfolio which clearly demonstrates relevant work experience
Preferred Skills
- Experience developing Open World games
- Experience in level design
- Strong public speaking skills
Salary Range
Principal Encounter Designer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $90,000 - $200,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Product Manager (ESO)
Overview
As a Product Manager for The Elder Scrolls Online, you will work cross-functionally to create plans, products, features, and experiences that drive engagement and monetization. Successful candidates have a passion for great gameplay paired with successful monetization strategies, and the ability to leverage data to inform product decisions. We are seeking a self-starter who relishes the challenge of finding innovative solutions to enhancing KPIs. This individual is player-focused but also understands and can deliver on business goals.
Responsibilities
- Co-lead the planning, creation, and implementation of multiple components of Live Operations for The Elder Scrolls Online, including the Crown Store, with business forecast goals; measure and communicate results to help improve game health and determine solutions to improve results
- Help to develop and manage economy and monetization components of The Elder Scrolls Online
- Identify opportunities through data analysis and cross-functional collaboration; propose and help to drive solutions with meaningful impact to KPIs
- Provide development teams with guidance to ensure core monetization, retention, and engagement KPI goals are met
- Work with teams to ensure success of offerings, updates, events, and features; define measurable business objectives and KPIs; analyze, communicate, and memorialize results
- Work with Business Intelligence and Data Science teams to determine high value reports and analyses to facilitate better decision making
- Capture learnings and present findings and best practices for LiveOps within the studio
Qualifications
- 2+ years in product management, monetization design, or a similar role in the gaming industry
- Knowledge and understanding of game design and monetization fundamentals
- Outstanding data analysis skills
- Ability to identify and drive initiatives within the Product Management team and as part of a deeply collaborative team
- Excellent organization skills and ability to multi-task priorities
- Strong communication, writing, and interpersonal skills
- Ability to work in a fast-paced and confidential environment
- Passion for making great games
Preferred Skills
- Experience with live games across mobile and/or PC/Console
- MBA or bachelor’s degree in a quantitative or design discipline, or equivalent experience
Salary Range
Product Manager - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $85,000 - $160,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Senior Combat Designer (ESO)
Overview
The Senior Combat Designer works with the Combat Lead and the rest of the development team in the creation and maintenance of core combat mechanics, character abilities, and combat itemization. They are responsible for maintaining and improving the health of the combat experience including balance, bug fixing, system improvements, and development of new features.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, or Madison, WI. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Assist the Lead Combat Designer in developing and executing plans to improve and expand the combat experience
- Adhere to guidelines and restrictions for combat gameplay as defined by the Lead Combat Designer and Creative Director
- Take ownership of the development of specific combat features and improvement efforts, from ideation through delivery to players
- Maintain clear and concise documentation for all mechanics, balance, and systems they are responsible for
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of the state of combat on the live servers and incorporate that knowledge into development effort
- Mentor other designers on the Combat team to improve their design, technical, and communication skills
- Actively seek internal and external feedback regarding the Combat product, and work with leadership to identify response actions
- Specific areas of responsibility include:
- Maintenance and iteration of combat-centric systems such as character stats, progression, itemization rules, and player onboarding
- Creation and maintenance of character mechanics, abilities, and items with an eye toward game balance
- Proposing and shepherding the development of new gameplay systems
Qualifications
- Minimum 3+ years combat design experience on a shipped or live online multiplayer game
- Deep expertise in action and RPG combat systems, and what makes them satisfying
- Experience designing for both a casual and competitive audience
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to thrive within a collaborative environment, and both give and receive constructive feedback
- Ability to think logically and break down complex problems, with a strong focus on attention to detail
- Confidence working in an environment where specific processes are in place to maintain live game integrity
- Experience with scripting tools or languages
- Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word
Salary Range
Senior Combat Designer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $75,000 - $165,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Senior Technical Designer
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a Senior Technical Designer to join our studio for the development of our next AAA game. This is a chance to join an experienced group of developers in pre-production for a new IP. This role will work closely with technical leads to help determine scripting and content authoring workflows with the intention of supporting a live service game. Aside from building foundational gameplay elements, a developer in this position will be a role model for how to build content using nascent tools and pipelines.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, Madison, WI, San Diego, CA, or Seattle, WA. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Collaborate with feature teams on designs of systems and mechanics with a focus on implementation approach
- Prototype modular gameplay pieces to be used to propagate gameplay features throughout the world
- Evaluate production content authoring workflows for usability and extensibility
- Provide direction for tools and pipeline development as an advocate for end-users
Qualifications
- Deep experience working with scripting environments and suites
- Broad hands-on experience implementing gameplay elements and game content
- Experience evaluating tools and workflows with end-users in mind
- Ability to work collaboratively in a cross-discipline development environment
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
Preferred Skills
- Familiarity with programming languages and environments
- Experience working in popular industry content editors (Unity, Unreal)
- Experience developing a live service and/or open-world game
- Experience working with nascent toolsets
- Wide experience working with various areas of design, including combat, narrative, and level design
Salary Range
Senior Technical Designer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $75,000 - $165,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Technical Designer
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a Technical Designer to join our studio for the development of our next AAA game. This is a chance to join an experienced group of developers in pre-production for a new IP. This role will work closely with technical leads to help determine scripting and content authoring workflows with the intention of supporting a live service game. Aside from building foundational gameplay elements, a developer in this position will provide support to a multitude of feature teams on how to build content using nascent tools and pipelines.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, Madison, WI, San Diego, CA, or Seattle, WA. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Collaborate with feature teams on designs of systems and mechanics with a focus on implementation approach
- Prototype modular gameplay pieces to be used to propagate gameplay features throughout the world
- Provide support in determining usability and extensibility of production content workflows
Qualifications
- Experience working with scripting environments and suites
- Hands-on experience implementing gameplay elements and game content
- Ability to work collaboratively in a cross-discipline development environment
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
Preferred Skills
- Familiarity with programming languages and environments
- Experience working in popular industry content editors (Unity, Unreal)
- Experience developing a live service and/or open-world game
- Experience working with nascent development tools
- Wide experience working with various areas of design, including combat, narrative, and level design
Salary Range
Technical Designer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $55,000 - $140,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Associate Database Engineer
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is looking for an Associate Database Engineer to maintain and implement new data system connections for character and account data between live service games and the data itself to ensure business continuity. This position will work closely with gameplay, backend and content game feature systems and occasionally live ops to ensure consistent data and feature availability.
Responsibilities
- Works under general direction from leadership
- Writes software using golang which provides and maintains data connectivity to live service games and third-party consumers of game data
- Maintain database schemas for high-volume databases with differing performance requirements (volume, latency, availability, etc.)
- Collaborate with gameplay, systems and content teams
- Maintain interfaces in golang for RabbitMQ, Redis, MySQL and more
- Proactively respond to monitoring alerts
- Work with any or all aspects of the full software life cycle on RedHat-based linux systems
- Create new alerts and manage existing ones as needed (in Golang)
- Support game engineers in troubleshooting feature bugs which impact data
- Implement and maintain customized endpoint for data services for real time game world consumption
- Migrating data from legacy platforms to new platforms
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
- 1-3 years of previous experience with Linux/UNIX based database technologies
- A general understanding of replication, caching, and scaling; understands database optimization techniques; understands the SQL and various server-side database languages
- Golang, Shell/script programming proficiency
- Strong interpersonal and communications skills
- Ability to solve problems and automate processes
- Comfortable experience with VMWare, AWS, Azure VM Instances setting up, maintaining, and troubleshooting MySQL, Redis, RMQ, and RedHat based Linux installations
Preferred Skills
- Experience with C++
- MMO-related database administration experience
- Programming background in any applicable language
- Experience with Memcached, and/or other significant add-ons and tools
- Knowledge of and passion for MMO games
- Enjoy playing online video games
Salary Range
Associate Database Engineer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $60,000 - $115,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Azure Cloud Engineer
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios seeks an experienced Azure Cloud Engineer to work in a team environment that will help build, automate, and monitor the infrastructure platform for the studio’s next AAA project.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, or Madison, WI. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Configure, monitor, and optimize Azure Services to achieve high availability, scalability, and cost-efficiency
- Review proposed architectures, providing feedback or identifying constraints
- Provide delivery of cloud architecture solutions, configuration, and support
- Review and create policies for cloud environments for security, cost, and efficiency
- Monitor system performance, identify bottlenecks, and proactively take necessary actions to ensure optimal performance and availability
- Enforce and audit policies for Azure Services
- Develop solutions integrating Microsoft Azure clouds with services hosted on-premise
- Help monitor Azure cloud-based systems for availability, performance, reliability, security, etc. using tools like Azure Monitor, Azure Log Analytics, Azure Trusted Advisor, Science Logic, Dynatrace, AppDynamics, or similar
- Utilize automation tools such as Azure Resource Manager (ARM), Terraform, or similar
- Maintain cloud network configurations and network diagrams
- Help automate the management and enforcement of policies using cloud governance platforms
- Support our systems via an on-call rotation
Qualifications
- 5+ years of engineering experience
- 2+ years of Azure cloud experience
- B.S. (or higher) in Computer Science, Azure Certifications, or equivalent work experience
- Prior experience working with Azure cloud
- Comfortable creating and administering an IaC cloud environment
- Prior experience working with Azure
- Technically proficient in Azure, CAF, IaaS, PaaS, PowerShell, Azure Resource Manager (ARM), Terraform
- Solid understanding of monitoring, alerting, and observability philosophies and best practices
- Ability to analyze, design, and integrate systems architectures
- Understanding of cyber security products and concepts
- Extensive troubleshooting/debug experience
Preferred Skills
- Demonstrated expertise in Azure cloud technologies and services
- Experience designing and developing Azure computing infrastructure, data implementation, networking implementation, security and identity solutions, and solutions by using Azure platform services
- History of performing hands-on Azure work to solve complex technical problems
- One or more Azure cloud certifications
- Experience with scripting and automation using PowerShell, Python, or similar languages
- Experience implementing and managing DevOps pipelines for cloud-based workloads
- Experience working in an Agile environment
- Ability to work on a team as well as independently to achieve team goals
- Ability to communicate clearly both verbally and in written communications and documentation
- Desire to understand how things work
Salary Range
Azure Cloud Engineer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $75,000 - $160,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
DevOps Kubernetes Engineer
Overview
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, Madison, WI, San Diego, CA, or Seattle, WA. Will consider remote.
ZeniMax Online Studios seeks an experienced DevOps Engineer to work in a team environment that will help build, automate, and monitor the infrastructure platform for our next AAA game.
The DevOps Engineer will be responsible for:
- Continuing to engineer the Backend Runtime Environment, using code, tools, and pipelines
- Maintaining the lifecycle management and operability/uptime of the Backend Runtime Environment, with multiple development streams/environments
- Ensuring that ZOS is able to reliably build and deploy new product versions, deliver new features to our customers, and introduce change into those systems in a safe way
Must also be to support our systems via an on-call rotation.
Responsibilities
- Help create and support a reliable, secure, scalable environment to provide the best gaming experience for our end users
- Work closely with other engineering teams to better understand their software enabling you to adapt the platform to their needs
- Exemplify a passion for producing quality deliverables in a timely manner
- Comfortably and confidently work with and learn from an experienced team as a self-starting engineer (who may have demonstrated significant specialization in previous positions)
- Participate in a 24/7 on call rotation supporting business critical processes and systems
Qualifications
- 5+ years of engineering experience
- B.S. (or higher) in Computer Science or equivalent work experience
- Must possess experience in supporting mission critical live environments with:
- Operating/Engineering a Backend Runtime Environment Hosted in Azure, set for Auto scaling for an MMO Client Environment
- Leveraging/Engineering Kubernetes Infrastructure
- Strong in Kubernetes
- Containers/Backend Services
- Multiple Development Streams/Environments
- Xbox & PC Builds/Players
- Observability of Infrastructure
- Logging/Reading Logs/Troubleshooting
- Splunk, JSON
- Logging/Reading Logs/Troubleshooting
- Infrastructure Lifecycle Management
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
- Packer, Ansible, Terraform, Kotlin DSL
- CI/CD Platform Operability
- Build Server
- Data
- Configs
- Build Agents
- IaC
- Build Server
- Leveraging Job Runners to leverage Source Code programmatically
- On Prem/Cloud Hybrid Infra Management
- Virtual Machine Management (Team City Agents):
- Vsphere
- Source code management
- RedHat or Debian package creation and repository management
- Must have some experience automating system tasks and monitoring infrastructure deployment using a scripting language (Python, Ruby, Bash)
- Understands the value of continuous testing
- Must be available for a 24/7 on call rotation supporting business critical applications or systems
Preferred Skills
- Clear communicator and active listener
- Curious Developer/Engineer
- Self-Starter
- Able to learn new technologies/tools
- Experience with public cloud deployments (Azure, AWS, GCP) and containers (Kubernetes, etc.)
- A passion for security tools and best practices:
- OS hardening, vulnerability scanning, system auditing
- Understands the responsibility of owning Team City (as a Platform), and always ensuring we always have enough supply for the demand (of jobs/builds that will use TC as consumers)
- Understands the responsibility of owning the Backend Runtime Environment
- Linux networking experience is a plus- this includes routing, NAT, VLAN, bridging, and prior experience with Cisco or Juniper network routers and switches
- Microservices
- Continuous learning and improvement
- Automation
- Testing/Quality
- Willing to ask questions
Salary Range
DevOps Engineer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $75,000 - $160,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Gameplay Engineer
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is looking for a Gameplay Engineer to help implement gameplay systems in our new engine for the studio’s next AAA project.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, San Diego, CA, or Madison, WI. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Design and architect new game systems
- Refine systems throughout the development cycle of the project
- Collaborate with designers, artists, and other engineers for feature development
Qualifications
- 3+ years experience in game development in the capacity of a Gameplay Engineer
- Robust programming skills/experience in C++
- Solid architecture, system design, and analytical skills
- Self-motivated with strong collaborative and communication skills
- Ability to write clear, maintainable, portable code
- Strong debugging skills
Preferred Skills
- Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
- Knowledge of Modern C++ standards
- Strong math skills related to development of gameplay systems(Linear Algebra, Vector Math, Probability)
- Prior experience with developing content creation tools from the ground up while working in close collaboration with other tools engineers and designers
Salary Range
Gameplay Engineer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $75,000 - $160,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Gameplay Technical Architect
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is looking for a Gameplay Technical Architect to lead a team of Engineers and develop systems in our new engine for the studio’s next AAA project.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, San Diego, CA, or Madison, WI. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Design and architect gameplay systems
- Continuously refine and optimize systems within the project's development cycle
- Collaborate with project leadership and game teams to make sure their needs are being met
- Identify and mitigate technical risks and challenges, proposing effective solutions to ensure project success
- Establish and enforce coding standards, best practices, and development guidelines to maintain code quality and consistency across the project
Qualifications
- 10+ years of software development experience, demonstrating deep expertise in the field
- Excellent programming skills and extensive experience in C++
- Solid architecture, system design, and analytical skills
- Experience with multi-threaded programming
- Code to clearly defined performance and memory usage specs
- Effective communication skills, enabling clear and efficient collaboration with team members and stakeholders
- Prior experience with developing proprietary technology while working in close collaboration with other engineers and designers
Preferred Skills
- Experience developing for multiple platforms (Windows, Xbox, etc)
- Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
- Knowledge of Modern C++ Standards
- Strong math skills related to development of gameplay systems (Linear Algebra, Vector Math, Probability)
- Experience with network game client/server architecture
Salary Range
Gameplay Technical Architect - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $150,000 - $265,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Graphics Engineer
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a Graphics Engineer to join our team. The ideal candidate will be passionate about rendering technology, have excellent problem solving skills and a desire to work in a creative and collaborative environment.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, Madison, WI, San Diego, CA, or Seattle, WA. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Work closely with artists and engineers to design, research, schedule and implement rendering features
- Help optimize and polish existing graphics features
- Finding solutions to rendering problems and maintain our current systems
- Continue development on our in-house graphics engine
- Implement new post launch graphics features for expansions packs
Qualifications
- 3+ years game industry programming experience
- Strong knowledge of C++, graphics engine & shader programming models & dedicated languages such as HLSL
- Familiarity with global lighting methods, dynamic lighting, shadow rendering and similar concepts
- Excellent 3D math skills
- Passion for graphics programming and staying on top of current techniques
- Ability to write clear, maintainable, portable code
- Must be a self-motivated and energetic team player with a very strong work ethic and cooperative attitude
- Degree in Computer Science or equivalent work experience
Preferred Skills
- Knowledge of modern rendering APIs (D3D12, Vulkan)
- Experience with MMOs, as a player or developer
- DirectX or OpenGL development experience
- Strong debugging skills
Salary Range
Graphics Engineer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $75,000 - $160,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Lead Animation Engineer
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is looking for a Lead Animation Software Engineer to develop a robust in-game animation system in our new engine for the studio’s next AAA project. In this position you will work side-by-side with Technical Artists, Animators, and Gameplay Engineers. You will own the animation pipeline from artist workstation all the way to fluid and responsive in-game characters.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, or Madison, WI. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Work with the animation systems team to help architect animation technology
- Integration of new technologies into the engine and pipeline
- Work with gameplay and provide an interface for them to interact with animation
- Work with the Tools team to create animation tools and pipelines
- Develop core animation components
- Mentor other engineering team members
Qualifications
- 7+ years game industry software development experience
- Expert level knowledge of real-time animation systems
- Extensive experience with one or more real-time animation middleware (e.g.: Havok Animation, Granny, Morpheme) or equivalent custom/in-house solutions
- Experience developing or working with animation blend graphs, real-time IK, animation compression, and/or advanced animation memory management (streaming)
- Self-motivated and energetic team player with a very strong work ethic and cooperative attitude
- Enjoys working daily with animators and technical artists to help craft solutions to complex problems
- Prior experience acting as an owner of animation systems
- Excellent 3D math skills
- Robust programming skills/experience in C++
- Ability to write clear, maintainable, portable code
- Strong technical knowledge of Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC
Preferred Skills
- Experience with animation systems in network games
- Generalist experience or prior experience in other core areas of game development, such as UI or gameplay programming
- Degree in Computer Science or equivalent work experience
Salary Range
Lead Animation Engineer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $125,000 - $240,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Lead Gameplay Engineer
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is looking for a Lead Gameplay Engineer to lead the combat related gameplay teams and develop game systems in our new engine for the studio’s next AAA project.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, or Madison, WI. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Lead the Combat Gameplay programming team
- Design and architect new game systems
- Refine systems throughout the development cycle of the project
- Collaborate with designers, artists, and other engineers for feature development
Qualifications
- 7+ years of experience in game development in the capacity of a Gameplay Engineer
- 2+ years of lead programmer experience
- Robust programming skills/experience in C++
- Solid architecture, system design, and analytical skills
- Strong math skills related to development of gameplay systems (Linear Algebra, Vector Math, etc)
- Self-motivated with strong collaborative and communication skills
- Experience with network game client/server architecture
Preferred Skills
- Experience developing for multiple platforms (Windows, Xbox, Playstation)
- Knowledge of Modern C++ standards
- Experience developing combat related gameplay systems
- Experience with AI in an open world game client/server architecture
Salary Range
Lead Gameplay Engineer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $125,000 - $240,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Lead Server Engineer
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is looking for a Lead Server Engineer to lead the server development team in a new engine for the studio’s next AAA project.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, or Madison, WI. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Lead the server engineering team in the design and implementation of server technology
- Define and maintain the overall technological design for all server systems
- Design, architect, and refine backend game systems throughout the development cycle of the project
- Work directly with messaging and database frameworks to provide base level functionality for feature development
- Work with Technical Producer to prioritize and schedule work for engineers on your team
Qualifications
- 7+ years of software development experience
- Proficient in C++
- Experience with network game client/server architecture
- Strong communication skills
- Solid architecture skills and attention to detail
- Ability to write clear, maintainable, portable code
- Strong debugging skills
Preferred Skills
- Previous management experience
- Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
- MMO development experience a plus
- Experience in a "Live" environment (ongoing support of a product after launch)
- Experience with cloud development and Kubernetes
- Experience with Linux development
Salary Range
Lead Server Engineer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $125,000 - $240,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Senior DevOps Engineer
Overview
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, or Madison, WI. Will consider remote.
ZeniMax Online Studios (ZOS) seeks an experienced Senior DevOps Engineer to work in a team environment that will help extend, automate, and monitor the infrastructure platform for The Elder Scrolls Online and future projects.
You will help create and support a reliable, secure, scalable environment to provide the best gaming experience for our end users. You will also work closely with other engineering teams to better understand their software, enabling you to adapt the platform to their needs. You will be responsible for ensuring that ZOS is able to reliably build and deploy new product versions, deliver new features to our customers, and introduce change into those systems in a safe way. Must be able to support our systems via an after-hours on-call rotation.
You should have a passion for producing quality deliverables in a timely manner. You will be working in a fast paced (Agile) environment, following a structured build and publishing process.
Responsibilities
- Help create and support a reliable, secure, scalable environment to provide the best gaming experience for our end users
- Work closely with other engineering teams to better understand their software enabling you to adapt the platform to their needs
- Exemplify a passion for producing quality deliverables in a timely manner
- Work in a fast paced (Agile) environment, following a structured build and publishing process
- Comfortably and confidently work with and learn from an experienced team as a technology generalist (who may have demonstrated significant specialization in previous positions)
- Participate in a 24/7 on call rotation supporting business critical processes and systems
Qualifications
- 6+ years’ experience
- Proficient with Python
- Must possess experience in supporting mission critical live environments with:
- Core system services: BIND, Sendmail, Samba, Rsync, NTP, NFS, etc.
- Web servers (Apache, Nginx, etc.) and application frameworks (PHP, Tomcat, JBOSS, etc.)
- System and Application Logging: syslog-ng, rsyslog, Splunk, etc.
- Source code management: Git, Perforce, etc.
- RedHat or Debian package creation and repository management
- SQL or NoSQL databases: MySQL, MariaDB, etc.
- Configuration Management Tools: Chef, etc.
- Continuous Integration: TeamCity, etc.
- Must have some experience automating system tasks and monitoring infrastructure deployment using a scripting language: Python, Ruby, Bash, etc.
- Must have experience programmatically working with APIs: REST, etc.
Preferred Skills
- Knowledge of Akamai CDN, Go, PowerShell, vSphere/VMware
- Experience with virtual machine and template tooling: Packer, Vagrant, etc.
- Hobbyist programming background
- Author a technical blog or Github page with code samples
- A passion for security tools and best practices: OS hardening, vulnerability scanning, system auditing
- Linux networking experience is a plus, this includes routing, NAT, VLAN, and bridging
Salary Range
Sr. DevOps Engineer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $100,000 - $215,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Senior Gameplay AI Engineer
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is looking for a Senior Gameplay AI Engineer to help implement gameplay systems in our new engine for the studio’s next AAA project.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, San Diego, CA, or Madison, WI. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Design and architect new game systems
- Refine systems throughout the development cycle of the project
- Collaborate with designers, artists, and other engineers for feature development
- Mentor and guide associate engineers, providing technical expertise and promoting best practices
Qualifications
- 5+ years’ experience in game development in the capacity of a Gameplay Engineer or AI Engineer
- Robust programming skills/experience in C++
- Strong debugging skills
- Solid architecture, system design, and analytical skills
- Strong problem-solving ability geared towards creating solutions for creative AI scenarios and challenges
- Self-motivated with strong collaborative and communication skills
Preferred Skills
- Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
- Knowledge of Modern C++ Standards
- Experience with influence maps, goal-driven behaviors, or similar decision-making systems
- Experience with Havok AI or other movement behaviors and pathfinding systems
- Experience with AI in an open world game client/server architecture
- Prior experience with developing proprietary technology while working in close collaboration with other tools engineers and designers
Salary Range
Sr. Gameplay AI Engineer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $100,000 - $215,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Senior Gameplay Engineer
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is looking for a Senior Gameplay Engineer to help implement gameplay systems in our new engine for the studio’s next AAA project.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, San Diego, CA, or Madison, WI. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Design and architect new game systems, including authoring technical design documents
- Refine systems throughout the development cycle of the project
- Collaborate with designers, artists, and other engineers for feature development
- Mentor and guide associate engineers, providing technical expertise and promoting best practices
Qualifications
- 6+ years’ experience in game development in the capacity of a Gameplay Engineer
- Robust programming skills/experience in C++
- Solid architecture, system design, and analytical skills
- Self-motivated with strong collaborative and communication skills
- Ability to write clear, maintainable, portable code
- Strong debugging skills
Preferred Skills
- Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
- Knowledge of Modern C++ Standards
- Strong math skills related to development of gameplay systems (Linear Algebra, Vector Math, Probability)
- Prior experience with developing proprietary technology while working in close collaboration with other tools engineers and designers
- Experience developing for multiple platforms (PC, Xbox, etc.)
Salary Range
Senior Gameplay Programmer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $100,000 - $215,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Senior Server Engineer
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is looking for a Senior Server Engineer to lead the server development team in a new engine for the studio’s next AAA project.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, or Madison, WI. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Design and architect new backend game systems
- Refine systems throughout the development cycle of the project
- Work directly with messaging and database frameworks to provide base level functionality for feature development
- Collaborate with designers and other engineers for feature development
- Optimize code to improve CPU utilization and reduce memory footprint
- Troubleshoot and respond to internal and live server issues as needed
Qualifications
- 5+ years of software development experience
- Proficient in C++
- Experience with network game client/server architecture
- Experience with Linux development
- Strong communication skills
- Solid architecture skills and attention to detail
- Ability to write clear, maintainable, portable code
- Strong debugging skills
Preferred Skills
- Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
- MMO development experience a plus
- Experience in a "Live" environment (ongoing support of a product after launch)
- Experience with cloud development and Kubernetes
Experience with core debugging using GDB
Salary Range
Senior Server Engineer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $100,000 - $215,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Senior Server Engineer (ESO)
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is looking for a Senior Server Engineer for The Elder Scrolls Online to implement and maintain backend game systems across our client/server architecture. This position will work closely with game designers to implement and iterate on game features.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, or Madison, WI. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Design and architect new backend game systems
- Refine systems throughout the development cycle of the project
- Work directly with messaging and database frameworks to provide base level functionality for feature development
- Collaborate with designers and other engineers for feature development
- Optimize code to improve CPU utilization and reduce memory footprint
- Troubleshoot and respond to internal and live server issues as needed
Qualifications
- 5+ years of software development experience
- Proficient in C++
- Experience with network game client/server architecture
- Experience with SQL
- Experience with Linux development
- Strong communication skills
- Solid architecture skills and attention to detail
- Ability to write clear, maintainable, portable code
- Strong debugging skills
Preferred Skills
- Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
- MMO development experience
- Experience in a "Live" environment (ongoing support of a product after launch
- Experience working with AMQP platforms
- Experience with core debugging using GDB
- Familiarity with Golang
Salary Range
Senior Server Engineer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $100,000 - $215,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Senior Tools Engineer
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is looking for a Senior Tools Engineer to design, develop, and maintain an assortment of tools in our new engine for the studio’s next AAA project. This position will work closely with various disciplines to further refine workflows for streamlining content creation and the art and data pipelines.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, or Madison, WI. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Design and architect new tools based on developer requirements
- Collaborate with artists, designers, and other engineers for feature development
- Embed within content teams and work with Product Owners to determine and fulfill workflow needs
- Identify and eliminate inefficiencies in the content creation workflow
- Is an example to junior engineers and can effectively mentor when needed
Qualifications
- 5+ years of software development experience
- Excellent programming skills/experience in C++ and C#
- Experience developing Qt and/or WPF applications
- Strong communication skills
- Solid architecture skills and attention to detail
- Ability to write clear and maintainable code
Preferred Skills
- Experience with game client/server architecture
- Experience with databases and large datasets
- UI and UX design skills
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
Salary Range
Senior Tools Engineer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $100,000 - $215,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Web Tools Engineer
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a talented and passionate Web Tools Engineer to join our Web Services team. As a Web Tools Engineer, you will play a crucial role in developing, maintaining, and enhancing the tools and systems that empower and drive our services development process. You will collaborate closely with frontend UI/UX, backend developers, QA and leadership to create efficient and user-friendly tools that enhance productivity and streamline workflows. You will contribute to the development of program and QA standards. This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to the creation of immersive and groundbreaking gaming experiences.
The preferred location for this role is Hunt Valley, MD, Austin, TX, or Madison, WI. Will consider remote.
Responsibilities
- Development and testing of new tools based on developer requirements
- Adhere to accepted coding best practices to deliver high quality tools
- Determine general and specific quality requirements for products
- Identify areas for improvement in existing processes and procedures
- Create and maintain automated software tests to identify functionality issues
Qualifications
- Proficiency in software development and testing
- Proficiency with at least two programming languages
- Experience with software debugging tools and processes
- Proficiency with SQL
- Proficiency with Jira
- Proficiency with Visual Studio (or other IDEs)
Preferred Skills
- Experience with ReadyAPI and BitBar
- Experience with testing tools (Selenium, Katalon, or similar)
- Proficiency with Git
- Experience with Jenkins
- Experience supporting/maintaining a product in a live environment
- Experience working in a distributed remote environment with teams in different time zones
- Ability to communicate effectively verbally and written with both technical and non-technical personnel
- Detail oriented
- Critical thinking
- Expert problem-solving skills
- Self motivated
- Work effectively in a remote and autonomous environment
Salary Range
Web Tools Engineer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $75,000 - $160,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Associate Live Producer
Overview
The Associate Live Producer works with multi-disciplinary teams to facilitate communication and solve problems related to promotions, integrations, and publishes of both internal and public products. Candidates will be comfortable influencing and negotiating priorities with other teams’ leadership, particularly emphasizing overall organizational success as the most highly desirable outcome.
Responsibilities
- Own the live services you are responsible for
- Take the lead during escalated outages and incidents
- Drive and own scheduling, testing, deployment, and communication of updates and hotfixes
- Drive procedures and uphold standards for our Live Ops team, ensuring minimal downtime and a consistent player experience
- Advocate on behalf of studios for features and processes that can lead to a more robust live service and better player experience
- Collaborate with QA, Engineering, and Development to triage issues found in the live environments
- Communicate product health/status with a leadership group regarding product risks and challenges
- Coordinate technical projects that require collaboration with different business disciplines
- Manage and grow external partner relationships
Qualifications
- 2+ years in a position where you were involved in the operation of an online title
- Demonstrated ability to plan, track, and deliver on complex, multi-disciplinary projects
- Exceptional attention to detail
- Ability to communicate effectively with anyone at any level in the organization to ensure a good customer experience
- Ability to thrive under pressure
- Familiarity with the ZeniMax family of games
- Previous work history with Customer Service, Operations, or Quality Assurance is a plus
Salary Range
Associate Live Producer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $50,000 - $100,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Lead Content Producer
Overview
ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a highly experienced Lead Content Producer to join the team developing our next AAA game. This is an opportunity to join a veteran group of developers and contribute to the development of a new, original IP and help create something great.
Responsibilities
- Manage costs at the departmental/multi-team segment level; staffing and budgeting
- Manage and drive the development process for a large, multi-team segment of the project within project guidelines; ensure that work is getting done within established constraints and quality bars within established project processes
- Own the schedules for their area of responsibility; organize, manage, and maintain project schedules and roadmaps
- Coordinate with other teams and departments to make sure teams are aligned for the overall schedule
- Proactively identify project risks and issues; establish actionable mitigation and contingency plans as needed
- Track and analyze team metrics to help make informed decisions on project scope and priorities
- Work to achieve improved predictability across multiple, feature-based teams using agile development methodologies
- Manage and mentor Producers in their area of responsibility
- Coordinate with Game Directors, Product Owners, and stakeholders in their area of responsibility to ensure clarity of direction
- Manage a Production team working with the various Content teams on the project; maintain a deep understanding of all aspects of their area of responsibility
Qualifications
- Must have 7+ years of development experience as a Senior or Lead Producer, having been through multiple product lifecycles and having managed and produced cross-functional content teams from conception to launch
- Experience and familiarity producing and working with Level Design, Narrative, Cinematics, Encounters, Worldbuilding, and Mission/Quest teams
- Demonstrable experience working with new IP; experience in helping to direct teams in pre-production where tools, pipelines, and workflows are just getting started
- Solid familiarity with Production in a live-services, MMO game
- Demonstrated ability to both delegate and manage up
Preferred Skills
- Proficient in Agile Development methodologies including Scrum, Kanban, and Lean Product Management
- Comfortable with Jira and Confluence
- Able to learn quickly and apply new concepts, principles, and processes to their daily work
- Proficient with professional communication and trained in interpersonal skills, including conflict resolution
Salary Range
Lead Content Producer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $110,000 - $200,000 per year.
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
General Application
Overview
ZeniMax creates and publishes original interactive entertainment content for consoles, the PC, and mobile devices. Its Bethesda Softworks division, founded in 1986, has a long history of success as a publisher of award-winning video games. In addition, the ZeniMax group includes some of the most acclaimed development studios in the world. The company's growing library of intellectual properties includes such major franchises as The Elder Scrolls®, Fallout®, DOOM®, RAGE®, Wolfenstein®, Prey®, Dishonored®, The Evil Within®, and QUAKE®.
Responsibilities
We are always looking for talented individuals! Even if we do not have an open position for your skill set at this time, we are continuing to grow and build a pipeline of candidates with various qualifications in Art, Design, Programming and etc.
Qualifications
If you would like to submit your resume, please click on the "Apply for this Job online" button and create a profile for our team to review. You can then import your resume along with any attachements sucha as a cover letter, writing samples, portfolio, and etc.
We will then keep your resume in our database and contact you if we have a new opening that meets your skill set.
Salary Range
ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.
At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.
Join a great team and start your massively multiplayer career with us!
ZENIMAX ONLINE STUDIOS is hiring for The Elder Scrolls® Online and an all-new AAA project. If you have a desire to make great games and wish to join a diverse, growing studio, check out our Careers page to see if there’s a role for you. Welcome to ZOS!