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.

Current job openings:

Director of Finance
Producer
Software Engineer (AI)
Software Engineer (UI)

 

 

Software Engineer (UI)

    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?

    Undead Labs engineering team is looking for a UI software engineer. Our games are known for their wide variety of systems-based mechanics, from combat noise simulation to base-building and community management. We want you to help us build the user interface for those systems, push their boundaries, and help create polished and engaging gameplay experiences for our millions of players.

    The Job

    • Work closely with fellow developers to build runtime UI systems and expose gameplay functionality to players.
    • Develop the UI content pipelines, processes, and tools that will power our next game.
    • Collaborate with peers on the prototyping and development of new features. Typical Traits
    • Proficient in C++, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
    • Ability to self-manage and make progress in the face of ambiguity.
    • Experienced software 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.
    • Experience with UI solutions such as Coherent Gameface.

    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 (AI)

      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?

      Undead Labs engineering team is looking for an AI software engineer. Our games are known for
      their wide variety of systems-based mechanics, from combat noise simulation to base-building
      and community management. We want you to help us create the artificial intelligence that brings
      those systems to life in a compelling and believable fashion for our millions of players.

      The Job

      • Develop runtime systems that drive game characters to exhibit engaging and
        challenging behaviors.
      • Work with members of the team to create tools that allow for diagnostics and tuning of AI
        behavior.
      • Collaborate with peers on the prototyping and development of new features.

      Typical Traits

      • Proficient in C++.
      • Ability to self-manage and make progress in the face of ambiguity.
      • Experienced software 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.

      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!

      Director of Finance

        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?

        Undead Labs is seeking a Director of Finance to lead our financial planning, analysis, and reporting. This role will work closely with the Lab’s leadership team and with our finance partners at Microsoft.

        The Job

        • Conduct strategic business planning for the Lab, including long-range planning and development plus assessment of business-planning scenarios based on various modeling inputs.
        • Create financial statements and supporting analysis to reflect the state of the business and highlight segments or subject that require monitoring or action.
        • Partner with leaders throughout the organization to present a realistic perspective on our financial opportunities and the business targets required to achieve them.
        • Oversee day-to-day financial stewardship of the business.
        • Mentor and develop finance staff.

        Typical Traits

        • Experienced planner and rigorous reporter.
        • Curiosity backed by the analytical, modeling, and forecasting skills necessary to discover answers.
        • Demonstrated communication skills and ability to develop interpersonal relationships.
        • Profound commitment to the highest standards of ethics and integrity.

        Bonus if You Have

        • MBA degree and relevant hands-on experience.
        • Industry experience in entertainment.
        • Corporate tax payments and management experience.

        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!

        Producer

          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?

          Undead Labs is looking for a Producer to help us build new processes, track progress, facilitate communication, and generally bring order to the chaos of building ambitious games.

          Development can feel risky and dangerous. A good production team finds ways to define and contain that risk. If you like organizing the unknown and breaking down complex challenges into bite-sized pieces, then Undead Labs might have just the job for you.

          The Job

          • Work collaboratively across the whole studio to create shippable products.
          • Own and drive cross-discipline meetings, from invites through follow-ups.
          • Set up playtests and gather / respond to feedback in a meaningful manner.
          • Regularly communicate with the Lab’s development and leadership teams on project progress.
          • Own and manage our product releases and updates; collect necessary approvals and drive the release process through external certification and publishing.
          • Work with quality assurance groups to ensure adequate testing for gameplay tuning, functional performance, and hardware compatibility.
          • Manage communication with external partners.

          Typical Traits

          • Experienced producer or project manager with proven skills in organization, time management, and prioritization.
          • Experienced scheduler and manager of multiple development teams, from concept and pitch through development to post-launch support.
          • Skilled organizer and motivator who can encourage team members to work efficiently, effectively, and enthusiastically to meet project goals.
          • Strong communicator in verbal, written, and visual channels.
          • Demonstrated interpersonal skills and ability to collaboratively solve problems.
          • Self-starter who is happy to be in the driver’s seat rather than the passenger’s seat.
          • An attitude of service with the ability to lead.
          • A relationship-builder who balances drive for results and diplomacy.

          Bonus if You Have

          • Previous experience in game development with one or more shipped titles.
          • Experience with the Atlassian suite of tools for Agile-style development.
          • Certified Scrum Master or other project management certification.
          • Experience with supporting a live product.
          • Experience working with outsourced talent.
          • Comfortable addressing large groups of people, which may include publishing partners or other industry professionals.

          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!