Undead Labs

using our brains to save yours

Jobs

We are Undead Labs, creators of hit survival-fantasy franchise State of Decay. We are a stable, professional environment where great minds and great talent build great products.

We believe that our success comes from our three company pillars:

We are all adults here. 

Undead Labs is not a lifestyle, a hangout space, or a college dorm. It is a company of adults with jobs who all work together to achieve common goals and create the best possible product. We trust each other to do our jobs well, because we are honest with each other about our successes and our failures. Everybody has the flexibility and autonomy to do their job however they see fit, and everybody is responsible for delivering on their personal commitments.

We get it done.

We strive to make the best games possible and we have plenty of lofty ideas, but at the end of the day: we ship. We set realistic goals, and we meet them or we adjust our plans. We are pragmatic, not idealistic, and we do not noodle around when there’s work to do.

We love games.

We love games — not just specific games, but the very idea of games. We believe wholeheartedly in making and selling interactive entertainment. We play, research, and discuss games because doing so makes our own products better.

We are proud of the company that we’ve built and we intend to keep making it better.

Here are some of the things that an employee can expect from Undead Labs:

  • You can expect to admire, respect, and trust your coworkers, and be treated equally in return.
  • You can expect ambitious challenges. We strive for excellence and we try to raise the bar.
  • You can expect autonomy to define and shape your job boundaries, not just be assigned work.
  • You can expect to live outside of work; our respect extends to our personal lives and families.
  • You can expect fair compensation. Undead Labs is a sustainable workplace, not a hobby.
  • You can expect candor, honesty, and transparency at all levels all the way up to our studio head.
  • You can expect to love your job. In fact, you should demand it.

Our current open positions can be found below. Unless otherwise stated, all positions are for full-time employment at the Undead Labs studio in downtown Seattle. If you see anything that feels like a potential match – whether perfect or imperfect – then please contact us! Email your resume and the job you’re applying for to jobs@undeadlabs.com, along with links to your online portfolio or any other supporting materials that you’d like to share.

Undead Labs is a dog friendly office.

We love our four-footed friends, and value the morale boost they grant the entire team. On any given day you may find a handful of well-behaved pups to play with. We look forward to meeting yours!

Looking to the future.

We are growing slowly and organically, so be sure to check back from time to time for new listings. Be assured that all job-related communication with Undead Labs will be held in the strictest confidence.

Again, to apply for any of these positions, please email your resume and any supporting materials to jobs@undeadlabs.com.

Open Positions:

Build Engineer

Principal Software Engineer

Senior Software Engineer

Software Architect (Networking)

Software Architect (Networking)

    Are you looking for a place where you can use all your skills in a culture where collaboration, responsibility, and dedication to getting things done are your day-to-day experience?

    The Undead Labs engineering team is looking for a software architect with a background in network programming and platform services in the games industry to help us create the next generation of multiplayer infrastructure for our franchise. Our games are known for their wide variety of systems-based gameplay mechanics, and we want your help to realize those mechanics in a richer online environment for our millions of fans.

    The Job

    • Shape the direction and architecture of our end-to-end online game technology, processes and policy, including making decisions about server models, middleware and development paradigms.
    • Provide guidance to game design teams in terms of how gameplay mechanics reflect or impact our online ecosystem.
    • Develop software systems and infrastructure to enable multiplayer gameplay and community features.
    • Mentor and guide the members of the engineering team in all aspects of your domain: drive the development of best-practices, bring a security mindset to projects, foster the development of online expertise in your fellow engineers and other technical developers.
    • Interface with internal and external cloud service middleware and partners.
    • Collaborate across disciplines on both prototype and production features.

    Typical Traits

    • Proficient in C++.
    • Extensive experience with the development of online infrastructure (such as session management, matchmaking, cloud storage, server architecture & provisioning, data center management, client-side systems, et cetera).
    • Experience with long-range planning of large software systems.
    • Ability to self-manage and make progress in the face of ambiguity, gathering data and performing analysis needed to justify decisions.
    • A willingness to investigate and engage with new and interesting problems.
    • Experienced game development professional with a track record of working through the full lifecycle of multiple software projects, including shipping and post-launch support.

    Bonus If You Have

    • Experience working with Unreal Engine 4.
    • Experience with console game development.
    • Experience with Xbox Live, PlayFab, or similar services.

     

    This is a full-time position at the Undead Labs studio in Seattle.

    Our company is founded on the belief that we are all adults. We believe in finding people who excel in their individual fields and allowing them the freedom to perform at their peak. We place an emphasis on work-life balance, interpersonal skills, trust, and respect.

    We hire people who excel at communicating their ideas to others in the studio and who are excellent listeners. At Undead Labs, you will operate in a highly collaborative environment with cross-discipline teams because we understand that the best ideas are ones we come up with together. We are creators of hit survival-fantasy franchise State of Decay played by millions, and operate independently as part of a network of studios now owned by Microsoft.

    Undead Labs is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances.

    To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to jobs@undeadlabs.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

    Senior Software Engineer

      Are you looking for a place where you can use all your skills in a culture where collaboration, responsibility, and dedication to getting things done are your day-to-day experience?

      The Undead Labs engineering team is looking for a highly experienced software engineer to join us as we create the future of State of Decay. We want you to help us lay the groundwork for new game features and work with your fellow developers to iterate and refine mechanics and bring our game worlds to life in a compelling fashion for our millions of players.

      The Job

      • Architect large, foundational gameplay and engine systems.
      • Work with other developers to prototype, build and iterate on gameplay features.
      • Provide mentorship and guidance to your fellow engineers, shaping development practices and standards in order to help the team deliver high-quality gameplay.

      Typical Traits

      • Proficient in C++.
      • Ability to self-manage and make progress in the face of ambiguity, gathering data and performing analysis needed to justify decisions.
      • A willingness to investigate and engage with new and interesting problems.
      • Experienced game development professional with a track record of working through the full lifecycle of at least one complete software project, including shipping and post-launch support.

      Bonus if You Have

      • Experience working with Unreal Engine 4.
      • Experience with console game development.

       

      This is a full-time position at the Undead Labs studio in Seattle.

      Our company is founded on the belief that we are all adults. We believe in finding people who excel in their individual fields and allowing them the freedom to perform at their peak. We place an emphasis on work-life balance, interpersonal skills, trust, and respect.

      We hire people who excel at communicating their ideas to others in the studio and who are excellent listeners. At Undead Labs, you will operate in a highly collaborative environment with cross-discipline teams because we understand that the best ideas are ones we come up with together. We are creators of hit survival-fantasy franchise State of Decay played by millions, and operate independently as part of a network of studios now owned by Microsoft.

      Undead Labs is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances.

      To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to jobs@undeadlabs.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

      Principal Software Engineer

        Are you looking for a place where you can use all your skills in a culture where collaboration, responsibility, and dedication to getting things done are your day-to-day experience?

        The Undead Labs engineering team is looking for a highly experienced software engineer to join us as we create the future of State of Decay. We want you to help us design and build the software architecture that will underpin new game and engine features, to help us mentor and grow our engineering team, and to work with your fellow developers to bring our game worlds to life in a compelling fashion for our millions of players.

        The Job

        • Shape the direction of our core software systems by designing and developing large, foundational pieces of gameplay- and engine-level technology.
        • Provide architectural vision and guidance to software systems in your domain.
        • Work with other developers to prototype, build and iterate on game & engine features.
        • Participate in the development of automation, testing and quality plans for the engineering organization.
        • Provide mentorship and guidance to your fellow engineers, shaping development practices and standards in order to help the team deliver high-quality features.
        • Propose guidelines and workflows that help everyone around you create the best product we can.

        Typical Traits

        • Proficient in C++.
        • Extensive experience with the long-range planning and development of significant gameplay or engine features.
        • Ability to self-manage and make progress in the face of ambiguity, gathering data and performing analysis needed to justify decisions.
        • A willingness to investigate and engage with new and interesting problems.
        • Experienced game development professional with a track record of working through the full lifecycle of multiple software projects, including shipping and post-launch support..

        Bonus if You Have

        • Experience working with Unreal Engine 4.
        • Experience with console game development.

         

        This is a full-time position at the Undead Labs studio in Seattle.

        Our company is founded on the belief that we are all adults. We believe in finding people who excel in their individual fields and allowing them the freedom to perform at their peak. We place an emphasis on work-life balance, interpersonal skills, trust, and respect.

        We hire people who excel at communicating their ideas to others in the studio and who are excellent listeners. At Undead Labs, you will operate in a highly collaborative environment with cross-discipline teams because we understand that the best ideas are ones we come up with together. We are creators of hit survival-fantasy franchise State of Decay played by millions, and operate independently as part of a network of studios now owned by Microsoft.

        Undead Labs is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances.

        To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to jobs@undeadlabs.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

        Build Engineer

          Are you looking for a place where you can use all your skills in a culture where collaboration, responsibility, and dedication to getting things done are your day-to-day experience?

          The Undead Labs engineering team is looking for an experienced build engineer to help us iterate on our build, automation and deployment pipelines. We believe in building great games and great work environments, and part of that involves making sure our games can build and deploy robustly without undue delay or downtime.

          The Job

          • Manage continuous integration (CI) platforms across multiple products, including developing product-specific build infrastructure on top of a CI platform.
          • Monitor the health trends of build and content processing jobs and work with the larger engineering team to develop optimizations and improvements.
          • Oversee the product packaging and deployment processes.
          • Implement tools, infrastructure, and documentation for automatic testing processes.
          • Implement tools, infrastructure, and documentation for branch management.

          Typical Traits

          • Experience with administration and management of CI products.
          • Proficiency in Python or a similar language.
          • Familiar with Unreal Engine 4 or similar game engines.
          • Aptitude for large-scale data-processing or pipeline problems.
          • Strong interpersonal and interdisciplinary collaboration skills.
          • Ability to self-manage and make progress in the face of ambiguity.
          • Highly experienced software professional with a track record of contributing to multiple titles.

          Bonus if You Have

          • Familiarity with C++, C#, Java or a similar language.
          • Experience with console game development.
          • Experience with packaging and deploying Unreal Engine 4 products.

          This is a full-time position at the Undead Labs studio in Seattle.

          Our company is founded on the belief that we are all adults. We believe in finding people who excel in their individual fields and allowing them the freedom to perform at their peak. We place an emphasis on work-life balance, interpersonal skills, trust, and respect.

          We hire people who excel at communicating their ideas to others in the studio and who are excellent listeners. At Undead Labs, you will operate in a highly collaborative environment with cross-discipline teams because we understand that the best ideas are ones we come up with together. We are creators of hit survival-fantasy franchise State of Decay played by millions, and operate independently as part of a network of studios now owned by Microsoft.

          Undead Labs is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances.

          To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to jobs@undeadlabs.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

          Software Engineer (Networking)

            Are you looking for a place where you can use all your skills in a culture where collaboration, responsibility, and dedication to getting things done are your day-to-day experience?

            The Undead Labs engineering team is looking for a software engineer with a background in network programming and platform services in the games industry to help us create amazing multiplayer experiences for our players. Our games are known for their wide variety of systems-based gameplay mechanics, from combat noise simulation to base-building and community management. We want your help to fully realize these systems in an online environment.

            The Job

            • Help define the direction and architecture of our game server and networking processes and technology, including informing decisions about server models, middleware and development paradigms.
            • Develop software systems and infrastructure to enable online game systems.
            • Bring a security mindset to engineering projects.
            • Interface with internal and external cloud services.
            • Collaborate across disciplines on both prototype and production features.

            Typical Traits

            • Proficient in C++.
            • Significant experience with the development of backend online infrastructure (session management, matchmaking, server architecture & provisioning).
            • Ability to self-manage and make progress in the face of ambiguity.
            • Experienced game development professional with a track record of successfully shipping multiple titles.

            Bonus If You Have

            • Experience working with Unreal Engine 4.
            • Experience with console game development.
            • Familiarity with Xbox Live, PlayFab, or similar services.

             

            This is a full-time position at the Undead Labs studio in Seattle.

            Our company is founded on the belief that we are all adults. We believe in finding people who excel in their individual fields and allowing them the freedom to perform at their peak. We place an emphasis on work-life balance, interpersonal skills, trust, and respect.

            We hire people who excel at communicating their ideas to others in the studio and who are excellent listeners. At Undead Labs, you will operate in a highly collaborative environment with cross-discipline teams because we understand that the best ideas are ones we come up with together. We are creators of hit survival-fantasy franchise State of Decay played by millions, and operate independently as part of a network of studios now owned by Microsoft.

            Undead Labs is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances.

            To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to jobs@undeadlabs.com. We look forward to hearing from you!