Are you passionate about video games? Want to create software that makes a difference? At the Virtual Heroes Division of Applied Research Associates, our goal is to improve your safety, security, and way of life. Join us!

We’re looking for dedicated, hard-working programmers with a passion for using game technology to develop state-of-the-art training applications. As a Staff Serious Games Programmer you will be a key member of a team that is solving real-world problems for customers in the military, medical, education, and space industries. Ideal candidates will have broad programming experience on one or more published/deployed projects. You must be able to serve multiple projects simultaneously with agility, poise, and focus. The job location is our game studio in the Research Triangle in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Our games are award-winning, reflecting the creativity, dedication, and vision of every member of our studio. You can be part of our team!

Why Work For Us?

• The opportunity to make a real impact. Virtual Heroes has been making quality serious games for fifteen years. Everyone who works here is important, from new faces to those who have worked here since the beginning. Your contribution matters—you won’t be just a number!
• Flexible, reasonable hours. We encourage all employees to have a good work/life balance. We do not believe in burning you out! We invest in our people and want you to be happy with us for the long-haul.
• Competitive salaries and outstanding benefits. We provide generous retirement contributions; medical, dental, and vision coverage; company-paid life and long-term disability insurance; and annual performance bonuses.

Staff Serious Games Developer Requirements:

• Candidates selected may be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
• BS (or higher) in Computer Science, Game Development, or a similar discipline, plus at least 2 years of related work experience. Equivalent professional experience (at least 8 years) will be considered for talented candidates without a degree.
• Unreal Engine 4 programming experience.
• C++ experience and demonstrated knowledge of good software engineering practices.
• Ability to quickly understand existing code and enhance and build on an existing architecture.
• Ability to work constructively with artists, designers, QA staff, programmers, and producers.
• A passion for using state-of-the-art game technology to rapidly prototype systems and produce finished products with quick turnaround times and tight deadlines.

Preference to applicants with one or more of the following:

• Unreal Engine 4 blueprint experience.
• Experience developing multiplayer game/training applications.
• Experience with mobile platform development (iOS, Android).
• Familiarity or experience with web applications built on the Microsoft stack (Windows Server, IIS, MSSQL, C#, ASP.NET) and other web technologies (HTML, JavaScript).
• Experience performing UE4 technical support and training.
• Experience with tools development and infrastructure maintenance.
• Experience with DirectX pipeline and modern 3D rendering techniques such as shaders, lighting models, and HLSL.

Additional Requirements:

Following a successful phone interview, candidates will be required to take a code exam to demonstrate a variety of development proficiencies.

Company Information:

At Virtual Heroes, we leverage simulation and digital-games-based paradigms to create applications that teach critical skills. As a division of Applied Research Associates (ARA), we work with scientists and engineers of many disciplines and diverse backgrounds to enhance the creativity and innovation of the mission-critical solutions we provide to our customers.

ARA is an employee-owned international research and engineering company recognized for providing technically superior solutions to complex and challenging problems. Founded in Albuquerque, NM in 1979, ARA currently employs over 1200 professionals and is rapidly growing. Our culture supports our exceptional staff of valued employees and encourages professional growth through continued higher education, participation and publication at technical conferences, and membership in professional organizations. As an ARA employee you are encouraged to generate new ideas and bring those ideas to life. ARA offers competitive salaries (DOE) and outstanding benefits including stock ownership, medical and dental coverage, long-term disability insurance, life insurance, a 401(k) profit-sharing plan, and annual bonuses. For additional information and an opportunity to join this unique workplace, please visit our website at http://careers.ara.com.