About the role
Company Overview
Mad Head Games is an unconventional creator of action games for PC and consoles. For over a decade, the studio has pioneered the local game development scene with an ambition to become the regional leader. Current projects include the sci-fi shooter Scars Above, the first-person action horror survival game Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, and an unannounced AAA title based on a famous and beloved IP. The studio operates out of offices in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Sarajevo, and remotely within EMEA.
Responsibilities
- Understand project game design and ensure technology alignment.
- Ensure code maintainability and control technical debt.
- Define team work processes, including code review, autotests, JIRA ticket granularity, and meetings.
- Take ownership of complex UI systems built on Unreal Engine.
- Plan and delegate team tasks based on priorities, capacity, and deadlines, ensuring a realistic workload.
- Track team progress and facilitate collaboration/communication with other departments.
- Provide mentorship and support individual growth via knowledge sharing and regular 1-on-1 meetings.
- Provide constructive feedback to guide performance and participate in evaluation processes.
- Keep the team informed on goals, priorities, and project changes.
- Ensure the technical design quality of gameplay features.
- Ensure a reasonable velocity for new feature production.
- Prevent bugs that interfere with game designer playtesting.
- Act as the primary point of contact for UI feature implementation, collaborating with producers and game designers.
- Assess roadmap feasibility for gameplay feature production and escalate risks.
- Plan team capacity and collaborate with the Recruitment team to hire new members.
Requirements
- Shipped at least one AA or AAA game for PC/Consoles as a Lead UI Programmer.
- 5+ years of experience in the AAA industry within a Gameplay Programming department.
- Proven experience leading a team of programmers in a relevant area.
- Experience with the design and implementation of UI systems.
- Strong knowledge of the C++ programming language (including experience outside Unreal Engine).
- Problem-solving mindset with the ability to anticipate risks and address issues proactively.
- Self-motivated, driven individual capable of identifying problems and executing solutions.
- Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working with UI animation systems.
- Unreal Engine experience (Blueprints, Unreal UI Systems, Common UI, Input system, GAS).
- Strong understanding of collaborative pipelines between design and programming teams.
Benefits and Perks
- Compensation: Competitive industry-standard salary.
- Work Environment: Hybrid, office-based, or remote options available.
- Flexible Schedule: Flexible working hours.
- Time Off: 25 days of vacation, company-wide annual leave in January, short-term sick leave, additional remote days, and leave for significant life events (births, weddings, bereavement).
- Return to Work: A month of 4-hour workdays for staff returning from maternity leave.
- Professional Development: Ongoing education and training, including conferences, classes, workshops, and courses.
- Support: Referral program for team strengthening.
- Health: Premium private medical insurance and fitness support allowances.
- Lifestyle: Team-building events, community/startup ecosystem involvement, and in-office perks including coffee, fruit, and snacks.
- Networking: Collaboration with senior professionals and teams from Sabre (the mother company) on projects like Space Marine, Warhammer, and WWZ.