Jessica Goodson

Service Developer : Kirkland, WA : Temporary

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 21:00:03 EDT

The game services development team Studio is looking for a qualified SDE candidate for data architecture and web services development. We are specifically looking for candidates with a technical background and an aptitude for big-data storage and large-scale, cloud-based systems. The candidate will be responsible for owning the development of feature areas, implementing and executing automated testing, writing design documentation, and debugging and investigating issues.

Position requirements:
• At least 2 years’ experience with C#, Java, Python or some other high-level programming language
• 2+ years of software development experience in web applications or services
• Strong coding, debugging, algorithm design and problem solving skills
• A passion for creating quality gaming and entertainment experiences
• Strong problem-solving skills, with a knack for solving difficult technical challenges
• Familiarity with (No-SQL) big-data storage concepts
• A working knowledge of Relational databases (preferably MSSQL)
• BS degree in Computer Science (or equivalent)
• The ideal candidate will also have:
• Extensive experience with Hadoop and Hive
• Experience with Windows Azure (and Azure Storage) or other cloud computing platforms
• Experience with data presentation platforms: sharepoint, Excel PowerView, SSRS
• Experience building large-scale services and/or client-server applications
• Experience building RESTful Web Services

User Research Recruiting Coordinator : Redmond, WA : Temporary

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 19:00:05 EDT

User Research Recruiting Coordinator
The User Experience workgroup provides logistical and technical support to the user research community. This team sources, screens and schedules participants for user research studies. These studies shape the next iteration of software, hardware or service offering. This position is a combination of two key areas responsible for supporting the sourcing of participants and enhancing/maintaining database records of participants used in user research studies.
Responsibilities include (but are not limited to):
• Manage leads who have responded to tactical recruiting methods (responses from social media postings) into the User Research program
• Enter profile information of participants who have been scheduled for studies into the database
• Call and/or email those who were not scheduled and ask new recruits to opt into our program
• Collect and enter additional profile information on those who were not scheduled for studies but have opted to participate in future studies
• Report metrics to Participant Recruiting PM
• Accurately track metric information (weekly)
• Submit in expected format to Participant Recruiting PM deadline
• Special projects as needed

Support recruiting events
• Partner with team members to research and recommend venues for recruitment
• Organize logistics and attend agreed upon venues (this is a shared responsibility with team members)
• Create and manage paper copy enrollment form creation
• Data enter participant information into database from enrollment forms as needed
• Recommend swag (branded give away items) options, order approved items, maintain inventory

Manage weekly data updates
• Create weekly form for those who have participated in a User Research studies
• Enter data updates into database
• Ensure those who have opted out are properly noted in the database

Qualified candidates will have:
• 1+ Years of experience working with a database
• 2+ Years working in a professional environment
• Very strong attention to accuracy and detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to learn quickly; make correct correlations; use inferential thinking
• Strong customer service skills
• Flexible schedule for attending evening and weekend events
• Ability to work in a fast paced environment
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a collaborative team
• Focus on delivering results
• Strong working knowledge of email, excel and word
• Proven track record of excellent judgment, problem resolution, team work, analytical and decision making skills as well as the ability to work under pressure
• Knowledge of local community is a plus

Marketing Assistant : Mississauga, Ontario : Temporary

Thu, 09 May 2013 20:00:02 EDT

Essential Job Duties/Responsibilities:
• Identify social media opportunities and develop an actionable plan for execution
• Manage company presence in social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other similar community sites
• Develop strategies for growing and leveraging our social media follower base including using promotions, contests, polls, ads, surveys and referral programs
• Become an advocate of the company in social media spaces by responding to customer comments, participating and posting on relevant blogs and forums
• Identify, interpret, and capitalize on existing or new social media trends, tools, and applications
• Create and monitor benchmarks for measuring the impact of social media programs and campaigns and report on their effectiveness
• Create, maintain and execute a social media editorial calendar and posting schedule
identify and use social listening tools or other methods to monitor and participate in industry related online conversations across multiple channels
• Work with PR team to aggregate unique content that can be distributed to mainstream media and other social media influencers
• Work with the local and global team to ensure integrated communications
• Work with internal departments such as Marketing, PR, Legal, and Product Management, to coordinate and execute on the social media plan.
• Work with external marketing agencies to help implement programs and strategies

Requirements Qualifications:
• Demonstrated ability to lead social media programs for a brand
• Demonstrated ability to increase customer engagement and follower base across multiple social media platforms
• Strong copywriting skills with ability to produce copy of varying tone and messaging based on target audience and medium
• Experience with integrating social plugins such as registration, comments, share, activity feeds, and apps
• Experience with managing blogs and media outreach
• Proven track record of listening & engaging with the online community and acting on company’s behalf
• Experience with web reporting tools
• Experience with digital marketing, and data analytics an asset
• Strong computer skills including proficient knowledge of MS Office (Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, Word)

Experience/Education:
• 5+ years of online marketing including 2+ years in social media space
• Bachelor degree in marketing, communications or related field
• Interest / experience in gaming/entertainment industry

Media Author : Redmond, WA : Temporary

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:00:02 EDT

You have experience interpreting designs into fully functional interactive experiences and do the job quickly and efficiently. You have experience working in and with new technologies, and can quickly and smoothly learn to use new tools, languages and processes. You must “get” designers and have a clear understanding of the design process – information architecture, interaction design, usability, visual design, brand integration, content creation and motion graphics – and demonstrate an ability to merge this with established engineering processes. Candidates should excel in the implementation, production, and shipment of highly polished user interfaces.

Expert-level knowledge of the following technologies:
• HTML/CSS

Experience with the Following Applications/Concepts:
• Javascript
• Expression Blend
• Visual Studio
• Source Control
o TFS
o Product Studio
o VSS
o SVN

Experience with the following technologies/environments, a plus:
• Javascript
• Silverlight/WPF/XAML/C#
• Flash/Actionscript

Associate Producer : Vancouver, BC : Temporary

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:30:05 EDT

Our Game Studio is looking for a dynamic and experienced Associate Producer. The Associate Producer will be responsible for many aspects of production of game features.
The Associate Producer will perform the following responsibilities and duties:
• Research and evaluate a variety of game features in order to suggest modifications to game features and assist in the development of logical and physical specifications;
• Monitor and evaluate performance of game features, system and customize performance through operating systems and parameters as necessary;
• Gather data and document user requirements in order to assess project development;
• Work with cross functional teams to develop game content, production and services;
• Act as team lead by coordinating teams of game feature developers in order to ensure that teams deliver their assets in a timely and efficient manner;
• Contribute to client satisfaction by assisting in the definition, integration, analysis and testing of computer games and software defects by working in a multiple cross platform project development environment;
• Specifying requirements and advising clients on application specifications technology by verifying that the solutions, systems and tools are incorporated and integrated so that the game features meet client expectations and requirements;
• Create and update status and information to provide real-time visibility of shared development efforts; and
• Cross collaboration with development teams to create the best possible user experience.
Requirements:
• Minimum 2 years’ experience with game console products
• Shipped a minimum of 1 console product
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, technology or a related discipline
• Experience overseeing and working with cross functional teams
Candidate profile:
• Strong organizational and communication skills
• Demonstrated leadership and problem solving skills
• Game design background a plus
• Consistently improving the efficiency of team skills
• Directs resources and process towards a defined vision
• Resourceful and thoughtful decision making

Service Developer : Kirkland, WA : Temporary

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 21:00:02 EDT

We're looking for a long term engagement with a qualified developer to help build the next generation of backend services for the AAA game franchise.

Qualifications/Skills:
• At least 4 years’ experience with C# (preferred), or other high-level programming language such as Java or C++
• 3+ years of software development experience in web services and/or client-server applications
• Strong coding, debugging, algorithm design and problem solving skills
• A passion for creating quality gaming and entertainment experiences
• Strong problem-solving skills, with a knack for solving difficult technical challenges
• BS degree in Computer Science (or equivalent)

The ideal candidate will also have:
• Experience building large-scale, RESTful web services
• Knowledge of game design concepts
• Experience with Windows Azure or other cloud computing platforms
• Familiarity with (No-SQL) big-data storage concepts

FRENCH Search Editor : Toronto, Canada : Temporary

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:45:02 EDT

Seeking a smart self-starter with excellent editorial skills and judgment to fill the role of Search Editor in the Canadian market. Experience in an online publishing environment is required. Experience working on a consumer Web site covering news, current events and popular culture is a strong plus.

The successful candidate will be familiar with search. He/she will be capable of using search trends to drive content programming. The Editor will perform a variety of editorial functions including: writing engaging text, editing, programming content, evaluating page quality, crafting an editorial calendar, researching dynamic photography, and working closely with a variety of partners to ensure the highest quality experience for our customers.

You must be able to handle multiple editorial and programming responsibilities concurrently, and work well under regular deadline pressure in a constantly evolving environment. Some weekend hours are required in this position. Maturity, accountability, and decisiveness are requirements. This position is located in thee Company's Toronto office.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Select visually appealing images and write short, engaging text that entices users to click through to great results.
• Edit photos using advanced Photoshop techniques to enhance the image where necessary.
• Work closely with the US homepage team and other project editors to ensure high-quality, relevant content is surfaced.
• Maintain an editorial calendar of events relevant to the Canadian audience.
• Use search trends to identify content programming opportunities.
• Make on-the-fly decisions about daily content programming priorities.
• Contribute to a variety of projects that require writing, editing and publishing.
• Work with content partners to improve content quality and audience metrics.
• Evaluate page quality and use editorial tools to improve user experience.
• Track, measure and optimize the effectiveness of programming efforts.

Candidate Profile:

• College or university degree
• Minimum 3-5 years’ experience creating or editing online content for consumers.
• Excellent writing skills including headline and caption writing with flawless spelling and grammar.
• Ability to convey features and functions in concise meaningful words.
• Proven ability to learn and effectively use online publishing tools.
• Excellent written, oral and online communication skills in both English and French.
• Proactive, organized, easily able to multitask and comfortable making decisions in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience tracking online metrics and identifying opportunities / successes.
• Ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment, work independently, and become familiar with new topics quickly.
• Well-versed in current Web trends and concepts.

UI Developer : Kirkland, WA : Temporary

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:45:02 EDT

Looking for a UI developer to to work on one of the most exciting and creative intellectual properties in the Gaming industry.

Responsibilities :
• You will be a part of the team developing the UI system that will provide the tools and technology to allow UI content creators to express their vision.
• You will have responsibility for prototyping, extending existing systems, and implementing new features that power this experience, while maintaining a high level of quality throughout your work.
• You will work with content creators to ensure that they are able to deliver a AAA experience using this UI system.

Qualifications/Skills:
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent
• At least 3 years of professional C++ experience
• Professional UI development experience
• Experience with data-driven UI development is a plus
• Strong communication and problem solving skills

SDET 2 : Redmond, WA : Temporary

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:45:02 EDT

Looking for a test-focused programmer, with plenty of experience in test automation. You will be helping design and implement the automation harness and interfaces as well as the test cases themselves. You will be building and supporting technology that automates the game across multiple platforms, and runs automated validation of content creation tools.

Responsibilities:
As a test developer, your responsibility will be to work with new and existing technology to support automating the game, verifying game behavior, validating the processing of game content. You will be building the test harness, and extending the applications being automated. You’ll be working with programmers and content creators to provide a robust, informative system which is usable by all members of the studio, and allows them to verify the quality of their work, ensuring quality of the game and pipeline.

Qualifications/Skills:
• Strong communication and problem solving skills
• Able to maintain strong focus and consistently drive for top quality results
• Passion for quality, and passion for creating systems to ensure quality
• At least 2 year of professional C++ experience
• At least 3 years of professional C# experience
• Strong debugging and optimization skills in a multi-threaded, networked environment
• Experience shipping a current generation AAA console game

Programmer Writer : Redmond, WA : Temporary

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:15:03 EDT

Seeking an experienced programmer writer for a 12 week assignment with the possibility of extension.

As part of our fast-paced team, the writer will own an API documentation set from specs to publish, and will also have the chance to write, edit and provide feedback on web content for a new developer website. This includes creating content that connects and summarizes existing APIs.

Delivering a cloud platform to enable programmatic access to the world’s knowledge, building on a deep understanding of the web and how users interact with it. Delivering highly compelling user experiences by combining natural language understanding, augmented reality and geo-spatial capabilities, advanced speech recognition, and other intelligence services with the client’s knowledge platform.

For this exciting opportunity, we have the following requirements:
• 3 years + writing API developer documentation including conceptual and reference documentation
• Experience reading XAML, C#/VB, and experience writing code samples
• Experience writing and editing API-related conceptual content (Q&A, case studies, etc.)
• Experience writing and editing web content (for a new developer website)
• Experience working independently with minimal supervision
• Experience owning an API from specs to final documentation
• Experience running tech reviews
• Proficiency with DxStudio
• Careful writer with good judgment
• Experience with Visual Studio is a plus

Programmer Writers : Redmond, WA : Temporary

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:15:03 EDT

The Technical/Programmer Writer delivers a major portion of a complex documentation set (i.e. reference guides, online help, user guides, UI text) that complies with documentation plan requirements.
Responsibilities include developing and testing complex user scenarios that show how to use the product being documented, working effectively with program management, product marketing, and other internal customers as needed, writing and helping implement documentation plan for major component of a project. We are in the midst of changing from a documentation group formed under the terms of the antitrust consent decree and writing for the regulators to a group focused on highly technical end users.

Requirements
• Three or more years of experience creating developer content.
• Must be able to read C++, C#, and IDL code.
• Familiarity with basic network concepts and terminology required.
• Bachelor's degree in Technical Communications, Journalism, English or related field preferred. Work related experience may substitute for degree.
• Code (C++, C#) reading.
• Familiarity w/ RPC, COM, and Web services.

Tasks:
• Resolve documentation issues filed against existing documents by users and internal testing
• Review drafts from product groups for accuracy and completeness,
• Manage the process of moving documents through reviews and revisions.
• Protocol documentation work—fixing documentation issues discovered by testing and users, and ensuring the accuracy of new protocol documents.

Programmer Editors : Redmond, WA : Temporary

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:15:03 EDT

The Programmer Editor will verify fixes for bugs. In addition, there are occasionally new documents that require editing.

Skills required:
The ideal candidate will need to have prior experience editing developer (programming) content and should have experience working with XML/HTML coding.

Art Specialist : Redmond, WA : Temporary

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:15:05 EDT

The creators of the top selling and critically acclaimed car game franchise is seeking an experienced and passionate Video Editor. The ideal candidate brings a wealth of editing experience & knowledge, and can execute against a vast array of editorial styles through the use of visual content, audio elements, voice and text. A strong technical knowledge-base is required, along with a keen understanding of narrative, pacing and storytelling. This position calls for someone who is capable of executing at a high level alone and is also comfortable working in a collaborative team environment. A general understanding and/or experience in cinematography (including shot composition, lighting and camera movements) is critical to this role. A background in automotive culture is ideal, but not required.

Responsibilities
- Execute world class edits that meet and exceed the director’s creative vision
- Help direct in-game cinematic capture to achieve the emotional & visual goals of the director
- Balance quality with efficiency while working under tight deadlines
- Follow creative process and maintain pipeline & technical requirements

Essential Skills and Experience
- A deep understanding of storytelling, narrative, pacing, editing, lighting and cinematography
- A minimum of 5 years of production experience with the Adobe Creative Suite (primarily Premiere and After Effects)
- Ability to transform creative direction & feedback into well-articulated results
- Must be responsive to deadlines and work well under pressure
- Solid work ethic as an individual and team player
- Self-motivated with excellent communication & interpersonal skills
- Ability to quickly learn new/proprietary software
- Knowledgeable in video compression and codecs (audio creation/editing is a plus)

Preferred Skills and Experience
- Experience working on automotive videos and/or creating video game cinematics
- Passion for cars and video games (especially racing games)
- Experience with conventional cameras (DSLR, HD, Red, etc.)
- Experience creating motion graphics
- Experience with other video editing software/tools (Final Cut Pro, Avid, etc.)

Please submit a demo reel/portfolio & breakdown with relevant examples of your work.