About the role
Company Overview
Kalank Games, founded in 2017 and based in Angoulême, is a growing video game development studio and publisher. The team consists of over 25 people, including a multidisciplinary artistic team, handling about ten projects per year across various platforms: VR, mobile, PC, and consoles. Production cycles range from 6 to 24 months. The studio engages in three modes of work: service for publishers and brands, co-development, and internal creation. Recent titles include Smurfs Flower Defense (VR) and Scan or Scam (VR). Studio culture emphasizes collective work, comfort, and openness to varied game formats.
Job Description
This is a newly created position intended to structure and support the programming teams. The role involves transverse involvement across all studio projects, managing 4 to 5 teams of 2 to 3 programmers directly, without intermediate levels. The role combines technical management with hands-on production and architectural oversight. Approximately 70% of the time is dedicated to management, architecture, and team follow-up; 30% is dedicated to direct production (features or tools) when technical constraints are high or project deadlines require support.
Responsibilities
Management of Programming Teams
- Supervise 8 to 12 programmers across 4 to 6 concurrent projects: daily follow-up, prioritization, and decision-making.
- Plan work and resources: load planning, milestones, and project dependencies.
- Conduct individual and annual reviews in coordination with the HR manager, and build skills development plans.
- Challenge technical choices, perform code reviews, and elevate collective standards.
- Drive technical recruitment: define needs, conduct interviews, and provide hiring recommendations.
Transverse Technical Direction
- Define project architecture and ensure long-term coherence.
- Establish and maintain studio standards: code conventions, systematic reviews, and technical debt management.
- Build and share common foundations: internal libraries, tools, and project templates.
- Pilot the technical production chain: CI/CD, build automation, and version control.
- Supervise online development: real-time multiplayer (replication, prediction, matchmaking, servers) and backend services (player accounts, saves, leaderboards, telemetry).
- Estimate technical workloads before projects, evaluate feasibility, and alert management to risks.
Production
- Develop features and tools to support teams on complex technical topics or projects under pressure.
- Serve as the technical interface with third-party teams for co-development and service projects.
Qualifications
Mandatory Experience and Skills
- At least 10 years of programming experience with a generalist approach (covering gameplay, networking, and tooling).
- At least 8 years of experience with a game engine (Unity preferred).
- Extensive experience with online feature development (client-side and services).
- Proven experience managing transverse technical teams across multiple simultaneous projects.
- Substantial experience in project architecture.
- Rigorous organizational skills and ability to maintain a clear direction.
- Fluent professional English for interaction with international publishers and partners.
Preferred "Nice-to-Have" Skills
- Console development and certification (Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox).
- Experience managing a studio growth phase (e.g., scaling from 10 to 50 people).
- Experience with VR development.
Compensation and Perks
- Salary starting at 45,000 EUR gross annually, scalable based on profile and commitment.
- Management health insurance (mutuelle cadre), meal vouchers (tickets restaurant), and mobility bonuses.
- Potential profit-sharing (intéressement) to be negotiated.
- Annual allowance of remote working days.
- Relocation assistance for those moving to Angoulême.
Working Environment
The studio is located in Angoulême, a major hub for digital imagery and video games in France, offering a high quality of life and lower living costs compared to major metropolises. Paris is less than two hours away by TGV, and Bordeaux is thirty minutes away. Starting in January 2027, the office will be located 2 minutes' walk from the Angoulême train station.
Application Requirements
- CV
- Cover letter
- References
- Website (if applicable)