Grinding Gear Games is Hiring
Grinding Gear Games is looking to urgently hire for a wide range of development roles to support the development of Path of Exile and Path of Exile 2 from our office in Auckland, New Zealand. While we are ideally looking for applicants from New Zealand and Australia, please contact us anyway if you're a perfect fit for one of the roles and are based outside of these countries. Borders are finally opening up so there might be some opportunity for you to join the team in New Zealand in the coming months!
To apply for any of these roles, please email jobs@grindinggear.com with the information that the relevant role requests. All of these roles are full-time positions at our office in Henderson, Auckland. Any experience you have with Path of Exile is really helpful, so please detail it in your cover letter. In all cases, excellent written and verbal English communication skills are essential.
C++ Gameplay/User Interface Programmer
Requirements:
- A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or equivalent
- Strong knowledge of modern C++
- Excellent communication skills
- 6-months (minimum) of commercial game programming experience in a professional studio
- Must provide C++ code samples with application
- Must be able to pass our technical C++ programming test (approx one hour long)
To apply for this role, email us your resume, your best C++ code samples and a cover letter to jobs@grindinggear.com with your name and the role you are applying for in the subject line.
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Visual Effects Artist
Requirements:
- Three years of experience creating visual effects for games
- Experience creating real-time game effects in a wide range of software
- Superior eye for lighting, value, colour, details, and the ability to use them in creating efficient and impactful visual effects
- Self-motivation, excellent communications skills, and able to work within a team
- Positive attitude and able to receive and provide objective feedback
- Passion for creating dark and gritty spells and microtransactions
- Showreel or Portfolio of examples demonstrating relevant artistic skills required
- Must be willing to complete a visual effects test if requested to do so
To apply for this role, email us your resume, a cover letter and links to your portfolio/reel to jobs@grindinggear.com with your name and the role you are applying for in the subject line.
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Linux Server Administrator
Requirements:
- Linux server administration (3 years minimum experience)
- Assembling computer hardware and diagnosing hardware faults
- SQL database administration experience
- Configuration management (e.g. salt, chef, etc.)
- Monitoring systems (e.g. zabbix, nagios, etc.)
- Continuous integration (e.g. buildbot)
- Scripting and automation
- Reasonable familiarity with bash, python and SQL.
- Willing to be on call on rotation
Experience with the following is helpful:
- Zabbix
- Salt
- Buildbot
- Postgresql
- Berkeley DB
- NGINX
- C++
- PHP
To apply for this role, email us your resume and a cover letter to jobs@grindinggear.com with your name and role you are applying for in the subject line.
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Audio Engineer
Requirements:
- 2+ years of experience in a related field (Studio work or Film/TV)
- Experience with Pro Tools software
- Basic experience with FMOD or other audio engine tools.
- Self-motivation and self-reliance; ability to research and learn new tools quickly.
- Excellent communications skills, and able to work within a team.
- Passion for creating 'dark and gritty' sounds.
To apply for this role, email your resume, a cover letter and links to your portfolio/reel to jobs@grindinggear.com with your name and position you are applying for in the subject line.
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3D Technical Artist - Rigging
Requirements:
- Intermediate to advanced knowledge of rigging using the Maya rigging tools
- Ability to create clear, non-destructive, user-friendly rigs
- Knowledgeable in proper anatomy and body mechanics
- Good general knowledge of Maya with regards to modelling and texturing
- At least one year of character rigging experience in a professional studio
- Good self-management, with a positive attitude and ability to receive and provide constructive and objective feedback
- A showreel
- Must be willing to complete a rigging test if requested to do so
Experience with the following is helpful:
- Experience working in the game industry
- Experience in scripting and tool development using MEL, Python or PyQt
- Experience using various simulation plugins like nCloth, bullet or pulldownit
- A tertiary qualification related to 3D art or game design
- Strong understanding of math
To apply for this role, send us an email with a cover letter, your resume and links to your portfolio/reel to jobs@grindinggear.com with your name and position you are applying for in the subject line.
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Senior 3D Animator
Requirements:
- 7 years of animation experience in a professional studio.
- Solid body mechanics and experience animating general combat, melee weapons and magic for human characters and creatures.
- Proven experience in a professional game production pipeline and the ability to create high-quality animation.
- Fluent in Maya.
- The ability to take constructive criticism and maintain a professional attitude.
- Independently self-motivated team player with excellent communication skills.
- Must have examples of human and creature animation, as well as examples of hand-keyed combat animation on your Reel
- Must be willing to complete an animation test if requested to do so.
Experience with the following is helpful:
- Experience leading and/or mentoring
To apply for this role, send us an email with a cover letter, your resume and links to your portfolio/reel to jobs@grindinggear.com with your name and position you are applying for in the subject line.
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Level Designer
Responsibilities:
- Create immersive and replayable gameplay that supports and enhances the core mechanics and aesthetic.
- Ensure a high level of quality through close collaboration with the Creative Director, Art Directors, Game Designers, Environment Artists, Sound Designers and other disciplines.
- Integrate the content produced by other disciplines for your designs into the game engine (new gameplay elements, AI, sound, etc)
- Quickly learn to master our internal tools, and assist in making them better.
- Conduct gameplay evaluations with the team, providing feedback and suggestions to help fine-tune the game Locate and fix bugs in both your own and your colleagues' work
Requirements:
- 2+ years (minimum) of game industry experience
- Game design sensibilities
- Experience using Maya or a high level of proficiency in a similar 3D modelling tool
- Proactive and self-reliant
- Ability to work within a team environment
- Portfolio, and/or reel demonstrating relevant artistic skills required
- Must be willing to complete an art/design test if requested to do so
To apply for this role, send us an email with a cover letter, your resume and links to your portfolio/reel to jobs@grindinggear.com with your name and position you are applying for in the subject line.
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Game Lighting Artist/Environment Designer
Responsibilities
- Use artistic and technical skills to create in-game cinematic lighting, maintaining a consistent aesthetic across your work in all the areas in the game and related material, like trailers.
- Take direction from the Art Director and Lighting Lead
- Ensure your lighting assets meet runtime and disk budgeting requirements.
- Work collaboratively with other departments, especially Environment, Animation, Visual Effects and production.
- Work in and maintain an efficient organisational structure for all lighting assets.
- Be aware of project/task schedules and deliver work to deadlines
- Attend regular team meetings, providing updated status and progress of your deliverables.
Requirements:
- A minimum of one year of experience in a professional video game studio production pipeline.
- Experience with level or room creation in games.
- Understanding how to create efficient and impactful lighting that enhances narratives.
- Working knowledge of Maya and real-time game authoring environments like the Path of Exile hideout creation tool.
- A firm grasp of colour, materials and light as it relates to level design and lighting in games.
- Passion and ability to light realistic, dark and gritty visually-appealing scenes and environments like dungeons and ancient ruins.
- Good understanding of lighting fundamentals.
- Sound knowledge of colour theory and a strong sense of light and shadow.
- Sound technical skills and organisation
- Ability to take constructive criticism and maintain a professional attitude.
- Proactive and self-reliant with good problem-solving skills
- Excellent communications skills with the ability to work within a team environment
- Portfolio, and/or reel demonstrating relevant artistic skills required.
- Must be willing to complete a lighting test if requested to do so
Experience with the following is helpful:
- Photography enthusiast/hobbyist
- Bachelor's degree, or equivalent art/photography portfolio
- Experience leading and/or mentoring
- TD skills
To apply for this role, send us an email with a cover letter, your resume and links to your portfolio/reel to jobs@grindinggear.com with your name and position you are applying for in the subject line.
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3D Game Art Generalist
Requirements:
- Good general knowledge of Maya when it comes to modelling, texturing and basic rigging.
- Good understanding of import/export processes using .obj/.fbx file formats.
- Self-motivation and self-reliance; ability to research and learn new tools quickly.
- Proficiency in Maya and Photoshop.
- Familiarity with Substance and PBR materials is a plus.
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to evaluate time requirements
- Proactive and self-reliant
- Ability to work within a team environment
- Portfolio, and/or reel demonstrating relevant artistic skills required
- Must be willing to complete an art test if requested to do so
Experience with the following is helpful:
- Experience working in the game industry
- Experience leading and/or mentoring
- Ability to light and render 3D objects
- A traditional arts background and/or a BA/Diploma in Fine Art or 3D/Game Art
- TD skills
To apply for this role, send us an email with a cover letter, your resume and links to your portfolio/reel to jobs@grindinggear.com with your name and position you are applying for in the subject line.
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Senior Materials Artist
Responsibilities:
- Create high-quality work using a variety of software programs
- Maintain a consistent aesthetic across your work in the game and related mediums such as trailers and web
- Collaborate across disciplines sharing ideas and articulating visions.
- Show initiative, push ideas and innovate within your duties
- Be aware of project/task schedules and be capable of delivering work to deadlines
- Take direction from the Art Director, Creative Director and engage with Producers
- Attend regular team meetings, providing updated status and progress of your deliverables.
Requirements:
- Experience as a Materials Artist
- 4 years experience as a 3D Art Generalist or Environment Artist in professional AAA video games or cinematics, animation or VFX studios
- Solid grasp of colour and other physical material properties as they relate to games
- Proficient at creating both stylized and PBR materials using Substance Designer, Substance Painter and Photoshop
- Expert knowledge in node-based material editors, tiling layered materials, shader networks and procedural texturing.
- You are inspired by growth and excellence and thrive on sharing your knowledge with your teammates while continually honing your craft.
- Iterating, communicating and creating together is what drives your passion for art and games.
- Knowledgeable in the key professional tools, techniques and asset creation pipelines: Maya, Zbrush, game engine (eg UE/Unity/proprietary), Marvelous Designer, modeling, baking, texturing, UV creation, unwrapping.
- Proactive and self-reliant with good problem-solving skills
- Excellent communications skills with the ability to in a team environment
- Kickass portfolio showcasing your Environment assets as well as your ability to create and apply high-quality materials to assets
- Must be willing to do an art test as part of the application process if requested
Experience with the following is helpful:
- Experience working in the game industry
- A traditional arts background and/or a BA in Fine Art or 3D/Game Art
- TD skills
- Experience leading and/or mentoring
To apply for this role, send us an email with a cover letter, your resume and links to your portfolio/reel to jobs@grindinggear.com with your name and position you are applying for in the subject line.
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3D Environment Artist
Responsibilities:
- Use artistic and technical skills to create and modify digital sets and props, maintaining a consistent aesthetic across your work
- Create high-quality work using a variety of software programs
- Show initiative, push ideas and innovate within your duties
- Be aware of project/task schedules and be capable of delivering work to deadlines
- Take direction from the Art Director and engage with Producers
- Attend regular team meetings, providing updated status and progress of your deliverables.
Requirements:
- 3 years of industry experience creating quality 3D environments and other assets
- Strong proven ability using Photoshop, Maya, Substance
- Ability to research and learn new tools quickly
- Proven 3D modelling expertise in organic matter and also hard surface
- Ability to take direction and work well within a team-focused environment
- Solid artistic skills with a strong understanding of real-world materials are essential and must be demonstrated in your portfolio
- Willing to help mentor less experienced artists if required
- Passion and ability to drive realistic, dark and gritty visually-appealing environments, items, characters and monster designs.
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to evaluate time requirements
- Proactive and self-reliant
- Excellent communications skills, and able to work within a team environment
- A strong portfolio
- Must be willing to complete an art test as part of the job application process if requested to do so
Experience with the following is helpful:
- Experience working in the game industry
- Experience leading and/or mentoring
- Ability to light and render 3D objects
- A traditional arts background and/or a BA in Fine Art or 3D/Game Art
- Technical art skills
To apply for this role, send us an email with a cover letter, your resume and links to your portfolio/reel to jobs@grindinggear.com with your name and position you are applying for in the subject line.
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Concept Artist - Environment
Responsibilities:
- Develop concept art, maintaining a consistent aesthetic across the game
- Show initiative, push ideas and innovate within your duties
- Be aware of project/task schedules and deliver work to deadlines
- Engage with the Creative Director, Art Directors and Producers
Requirements:
- 3+ years experience as a game concept artist
- Experience in 2D/3D artistic modelling or texturing in game development
- Superior eye for lighting, value, colour, texture and details
- A firm grasp of composition and anatomy as it relates to games
- Passion and ability for creating realistic, dark and gritty visually-appealing environments, items, characters and monster designs.
- Ability to take direction and work well within a team environment
- Problem-solving skills and the ability to evaluate time requirements
- Proactive and self-reliant
- A strong portfolio demonstrating relevant artistic skills required
- Must be willing to complete an art test if requested to do so.
Experience with the following is helpful:
- A traditional arts background and/or a BA in Fine Art or 3D/Game Art
To apply for this role, send us an email with a cover letter, your resume and links to your portfolio/reel to jobs@grindinggear.com with your name and position you are applying for in the subject line.
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