Senior Online Programmer

Hi 👋 I’m Oksanna, Talent Acquisition Partner here at Starbreeze, and I’m looking for a Senior Online Programmer to join our Shared Technology team here in our Crew.

You'll be a key player in our new Shared Technology team and will be crucial in shaping the future of our multiplayer experiences. You'll be the Product Owner for our Online team, leading and guiding the development of reliable and efficient online systems that power our multiplayer games.

So, if you're passionate about building online services that connect players and communities, then we want to hear from you!

Please note that this role is based onsite at our office in Stockholm 5 days per week.

What you'll be doing:

• 🏃 Lead the team: You'll be the one leading the design, build, and maintenance of the online systems and back-end services that power our multiplayer games.
• 🤝 Collaborate: You'll be a key voice in discussions with other teams, making sure we consider online needs when making design and production decisions.
• ⚖️ Balance constraints: You'll ensure a smooth player experience by balancing performance, reliability and technical constraints.
• ⚙️ Deployment systems: You'll set up the systems that let us roll out updates and new features with minimal player disruption.
• 🏅 Implement features: You'll implement secure and scalable features like leaderboards, player analytics, and other online services.
• 😅 For when things go wrong: You’ll ensure our multiplayer systems are robust, including error handling and fault tolerance.
• 🕵 Diagnosing and solving issues: You’ll diagnose and solve complex network-related issues across both development and live environments.
• 📈 Work with middleware: You'll find and use open-source or third-party tools to help us work smarter and make better games.
• 🫂 Mentor: You'll mentor less experienced developers, teaching them the ins and outs of online systems, tools, debugging, and working as part of a game team.

Our tech:

We thought you’d like to know what tech we’re using, but please note that these aren’t requirements:

• GIT and Perforce
• Pragma (Kotlin)
• Unreal Engine 5 (C++)
• Visual Studio and JetBrains Rider (but you’re welcome to use other developer tools, if you’d rather!)

What we're looking for:

• You have extensive experience as an Online Programmer and have shipped multiple AA+ games on PC and console.
• You have a deep understanding of all things back-end, from the tech itself to the workflows and dependencies.
• You know how to shape network features that improve the player experience, ensuring things like seamless multiplayer, low-latency responsiveness, and reliable services.
• You love solving complex online challenges, and you can adapt your solutions to fit production constraints and changing requirements.
• You're experienced in supporting and aligning online systems with the goals of gameplay, infrastructure, and live operations.
• You’re a great collaborator, experienced at contributing to and improving shared workflows and practices.
• You're a clear communicator who can influence and guide both technical and non-technical stakeholders toward alignment and smart decisions.
• You're not only eager to keep learning and developing your own skills, but you also love mentoring others to help the team get better.
• You have experience in a Product Owner or similar team lead position.

Bonus points if you have:

• Experience working in a game engine, especially Unreal Engine 4 or 5.
• Experience with network programming.

Interview Process:

• 30-minute Google Meet call with a member of our Talent Acquisition team.
• 1-hour interview with a Senior Online Programmer and Senior Tools Programmer.
• 1-hour interview with our CTO.

Perks of the Job

We know that great work comes from happy people, so we've levelled up our benefits package:

• Flexible hours: Our core hours of 09:30 AM to 15:30 PM CET helps you to structure your day that is best and most productive for your lifestyle and for your team.
• Time off: You'll get 30 vacation days, plus an extra 5 days to use as you please, and even a paid moving day. That's all on top of public holidays!
• Pension: We offer a generous occupational pension plan through Nordnet.
• Insurances: We've got you covered with comprehensive private healthcare, life, and accident insurance.
• Wellness allowance: We offer a 5000 SEK annual wellness allowance to put towards whatever helps you feel your best; whether that’s a gym membership, yoga classes, swimming lessons, or whatever else you do for you!
• Bike to work: Enjoy tax-free bike leasing through Lease a Bike.
• SL card: 12 month travelcard can be bought through us, and paid monthly through salary.
• Relax and recharge: We offer free monthly in-office massage sessions to help you unwind and recharge.
• Fun and games: We're a team that loves to hang out; whether that’s Monday breakfasts, frequent fika, or our weekly Dungeons & Dragons club.
• A great new office: Our new digs are right in the heart of Stockholm, surrounded by great restaurants, gyms, and awesome spots for Friday after-work drinks.

About Starbreeze

At Starbreeze, we believe games are more than just entertainment, they’re a way to bring people together. From the pulse-pounding, cooperative heists of PAYDAY to our upcoming Dungeons & Dragons adventure, we create experiences that thrive on teamwork, strategy, and the thrill of emergent gameplay. Our mission is to build vibrant games that offer infinite replayability, allowing players to forge their own stories and adventures together.

Every Starbreeze employee helps shape this vision. Whether you’re crafting intricate game worlds or developing the systems that bring players together, your creativity and passion will drive the future of cooperative gaming. Join us in our journey to create innovative, immersive experiences that unite players and redefine what gaming can achieve.

Starbreeze values diversity and inclusion, and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We welcome you as who you are, no matter where you are from or what games you play. If there are preparations or accommodations that we can make to help ensure that you have a comfortable and positive interview experience, please let us know.

Ready to Join the Crew?

If this all sounds good to you, then we can't wait to hear from you! Send us your CV and a cover letter in English. We review applications continuously, so the sooner you apply, the better.

P.S. A heads-up for our friends in the agency world: we're handling this one ourselves, so please don't send us any unsolicited CVs to our TA team or managers.

What more do we offer? We're glad you asked!

• Flexible working hours, with core hours of 09:30-15:30 CET, to allow you to structure your day in a way that best suits you;
• 30 paid vacation days per year, plus an extra 5 paid days off, plus 1 paid moving day - all on top of public holidays, of course!;
• A generous occupational pension via Nordnet, typically ~50% above the collective agreement standard;
• Private healthcare, life, and accident insurance;
• A wellness allowance of 5000 SEK per year towards your wellness; whether that's a gym membership, tennis lessons, yoga classes, or whatever else you do for you!;
• Bike leasing through Lease a Bike, with the cost deduced tax free from your gross salary;
• In office massage sessions monthly, free for all employees;
• A variety of fun events in office, from regular breakfasts and fika sessions, to our weekly DnD club;
• And let's not forget our new office itself - in the centre of Stockholm near a variety of excellent restaurants, gyms, and bars for those Friday after-works!

One Team. A Multitude of Skills.

Do you recognise yourself in the following description? If so you could be one of us!

Smarter Together – We utilise our diverse set of experiences, competences, and backgrounds to achieve the best results.

Accountability – We are committed to delivering excellence, including holding ourselves and others accountable. We get sh*t done.

Enable Creativity – We use fun, passion and play to explore new ideas and possibilities.

Learn and Develop – When we fail we do it quick and make sure to learn from it. Asking for and giving feedback is part of our daily routine