Lead Backend Engineer

Company Description

People Can Fly is one of the leading independent AAA games development studios with an international team of hundreds of talented individuals working from offices located in Poland, UK, US, and Canada, and from all over the world thanks to our remote work programs.

Founded in 2002, we made our mark on the shooter genre with titles such as Painkiller, Bulletstorm, Gears of War: Judgment, and Outriders. We are one of the most experienced Unreal Engine studios in the industry and we are expanding it with in-house solutions called PCF Framework.

Our creative teams are currently working on several exciting titles: Gemini is our new project being developed with Square Enix; Maverick is a Triple-A game developed in collaboration with Microsoft Corporation; Bifrost, Victoria and Dagger are projects we're growing in the self-publishing model. We also have one project in the concept phase – Red; as well as two projects in VR technology – Green Hell VR and Bulletstorm VR - an exciting VR version of our cult-classic shooter.

With over 20 years of experience, PCF sets out to explore new horizons. We aim to combine our expertise with creativity of the best and most forward-thinking talents in the industry to work together on the new generation of action games for the global gaming community.

If you decide to accompany us on this journey, you’ll have a chance to perfect your craft and expand your knowledge, working alongside leaders in the industry on bringing a brand-new unique experience to the players worldwide.

Job Description

Core:

• Assigns, delegates, and supports individuals in their tasks, monitoring and reviewing the progress of their work.
• Provides constructive feedback and clear communications to enhance behavior and performance, ensuring a continuous improvement approach. Takes responsibility for evaluating their direct reports during periodic performance reviews, providing valuable insights and assessments toward their career development.
• Fosters an engaging atmosphere within their team, as well as ensuring a healthy work-life balance by setting clear expectations and scope of work, empowering individuals to propose solutions, and express their opinions. Utilizes data such as pulse checks and satisfaction scores.
• Collaborates and communicates effectively with other Leads, Directors, departments and project stakeholders on a continuous basis in order to notably build trust and work toward the project’s objectives and ambitions.
• Follows the Director’s guidance/vision and implements it. Contributes to the Director’s direction by providing important data, raising issues, seeking advice and relays them to relevant project leaders.
• Autonomously complete tasks and features in a timely fashion.
• Collaborating with PCF Framework to integrate and develop shared components, and augment stability/features of shared modules.
• Work closely with Principal(s) and project Architect to implement high quality features and code, proactively identify and address risk with the team.
• Proactively participate in code reviews to share knowledge and learn from other team members.
• Stay informed of best practices and technical solutions used at the company.

Backend:

• Design and implement backend services for the PCF Online Services Platform, tailored for online gaming.
• Provide tools and frameworks for smooth backend service integration with game clients and servers.
• Implement protective measures against threats and ensure adherence to data protection laws.
• Regularly refine the performance of online services, focusing on server efficiency and user load management.
• Resolve technical issues and continuously support and update online services for stable performance.

Qualifications

• 8+ years experience working in console / PC games including prior experience in any leadership capacity
• 5+ years of experience developing high-scalability online services in various domains, emphasizing handling large user bases.
• Involved in the full production cycle of at least 2 titles
• Strong mentoring and leadership skills.
• Excellent primary programming language skills.
• Proficient with Source Control and Code Review tools (Swarm, Perforce, Git, etc.).
• Proficient with Project Management Software (JIRA, Confluence, etc.).
• Ability to work autonomously.
• Familiarity with Kotlin, Java and Go, or willingness to learn these languages. 
• Expertise in Python, Ruby, and C#, or willingness to learn these languages. 
• Skilled in Docker, Kubernetes, and at least one major cloud platform (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Experience with SQL databases (like Postgres) and Redis, focusing on scalability and efficiency.
• Experience managing backend systems that handle high volumes of traffic and data, ensuring efficiency and stability under load.
• Solid understanding of client-server methodologies and technologies.
• Good knowledge of scalability, security, and code maintainability.
• Ability to produce secure, reliable, and readable code.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English.

Nice to have:

• Understanding of Unreal Engine for game development
• Experience with OpenAPI and code generation tools
• Experience with monitoring stacks: Prometheus, InfluxDB, Loki, Grafana
• Video Game-specific experience
• Knowledge of OpenTelemetry for application monitoring

Additional Information

• A competitive salary and performance-based annual bonuses.
• Private medical healthcare (Vitality) and BUPA dental insurance for PCF's employees and their families.
• Access to wellbeing platform - Gympass for employees and family members.
• Online Polish and English language classes.
• Access to the pension scheme.
• Flexible working hours.
• Free virtual health and mental wellbeing sessions included in the plan for members and their dependents.
• Personal development opportunities and ability to work in a global environment.
• Work in a creative team with people full of passion for what they do.