The Tools Engineer creates tools and applications to facilitate the work of artists, producers, and game designers on Stardock projects. Tool work covers the entire gamut of improving the game development process from pipeline development, data editors, and debugging information. The ideal candidate isn't just satisfied that tools merely "work", but that the tool creates an ideal experience for its user. This is a full-time, salaried position that reports to our Plymouth, MI office.
Primary Responsibilities Include:
- Apply solid UI/UX principles to ensure tools are intuitive, efficient, and well-received by end users
- Evaluate artists’ needs, identify issues, and create tools, scripts, and documentation to support the art creation and implementation process using our proprietary engines
- Collaborate with different teams to gather requirements, develop designs, and ensure tools meet real user needs
- Support the art team with tool setup, deployment, troubleshooting, and keeping pipelines operational
- Exhibit a strong understanding of current industry content workflows, tools, and pipelines
- Work with producers to accurately schedule, coordinate across teams, and deliver polished, user-friendly tools
Education and/or Experience Desired:
- 4+ years of professional C++ experience
- Bachelor’s degree in related field
- Knowledge of Qt, WPF, C#, LUA, JSON, XML/XSD, and any games or simulation experience are a plus
- Effective communication, teamwork and collaboration skills with different audiences: artists, engineers, managers, designers, etc.
- Must be able to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and balance priorities with good time management
- Familiarity with tools commonly used in art production pipelines (e.g., Maya, Blender, Substance Painter) to better understand and support their integration
- Experience developing tools for proprietary game engines
The salary for this position ranges from $80,000 to $110,000 annually, depending on your qualifications, experience, and expertise. Stardock is committed to offering a competitive compensation package tailored to the right candidate.
Top Skills
What We Do
HISTORY
Initially a developer for the OS/2 platform, Stardock was founded in 1991 and incorporated in 1993 as “Stardock Systems.” We grew to become a leader in development for Windows® customization software that lets you modify or extend your graphical user interface like Fences® , Start10™, Deskscapes™, among others. A long time lover of games, CEO Brad Wardell also devotes the company’s time to producing PC games in the 4X and RTS genre. Our most noted titles include Galactic Civilizations® (I, II, III), Sins of a Solar Empire® : Rebellion, Ashes of the Singularity™: Escalation, Sorcerer King™, and more.
Headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan, Stardock employees people worldwide and continues to specialize in consumer software development and publishing.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit www.stardock.com and follow @Stardock