Lead Programmer

Engineering · Fully remote · Nova Scotia or PEI · Full-time
You're responsible for the code, the architecture, and the effectiveness of the programmers and AI agents who write it. Seventy percent building and solving hard problems, thirty percent leading and improving a small team.
A lead's job is to keep the codebase and the people who work in it healthy at the same time. You will spend most of your week writing code and taking on the problems nobody else can, and the rest making the programmers around you better and keeping production honest about what is possible.
You will be the first programming lead at the studio, so you will set the standards you then hold everyone to: how code is reviewed, how systems are designed, how human-first AI tooling is used, and how a small team ships without burning out.
You report to the Studio Director and, on client work, to the client's stakeholders.
What you'll do
Your camera's always on, even if theirs isn't
Split your time roughly 70/30: writing code and taking on hard problems, then mentoring and managing a small team of programmers
Work well with Production team members and settle issues between programmers and stakeholders before they become problems
Design and build game systems and gameplay, and own the architecture they sit in
Oversee and coordinate a team of programmers and the project-level processes around them
Define and maintain the team's coding standards, review process, and technical documentation
Own a project's technical direction: engine and package choices, project structure, and the architecture of core systems
Break features down with production into estimates the team can actually hit, and flag risk early
Run code reviews and pair with programmers so the standard is taught, not just enforced
Own performance and stability targets across shipping platforms
Take part in hiring: interviews, work-sample review, and onboarding new programmers
Set how the team uses AI coding agents and tooling, and keep the output to the same standard as hand-written code
What you bring
Five or more years of Unity experience
At least three shipped commercial titles
Familiar with SOLID principles, with a strong leaning toward producing high-quality code
You're excited about AI tooling and agentic workflows, and you embrace them
You enjoy mentorship and encouraging other developers
Good-humoured, optimistic and adaptable
A servant-leader
Expert C# and a working knowledge of Unity internals: the player loop, the job system, Burst, addressables, and URP
You've led or mentored programmers before, formally or otherwise, and can describe what you would do differently
You can design a system on paper, explain the trade-offs in plain language to a producer, and then build it
You are comfortable in the hot seat, talking to a client about what you're doing and why
You're unafraid of profiling and fixing frame-time, memory, and GC problems on a real target
Fluent with git branching strategies, code review, and CI for game builds
You've shipped through at least one platform submission: Steam, console certification, or mobile store review
You're notable for your excellent communication skills;
most of our decisions are made in text
Resident of Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island
Nice to have
Multiplayer or networking experience: Netcode for GameObjects, Photon, FishNet, or client-server authority in general
Console development and certification experience (Xbox XR, PlayStation TRC, Switch lotcheck)
Experience with Unity editor tooling and designer-facing workflows
Some C++ or another engine, for perspective
You've worked in a fully remote team before
What we offer
Fully remote within Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
Health and dental benefits
The hardware you need to do the job
Three weeks' vacation plus the Christmas holidays
Punk was never about who you are .It was about what you made.
To put it simply, we want you to be proud that you work for Punk Science and eager todo your best work every day.
If you need an accommodation at any point in the process, say so in yourfirst email. It will be arranged without fuss.
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