Principal Systems Programmer - Dead By Daylight | Programmeur·euse systèmes principal·e - Dead By Daylight

Behaviour Interactive • Montreal, QC

7d • Onsite

About The Position

As a Principal Systems Programmer on Dead by Daylight, you will play a key role in shaping the technical foundation of one of the world's leading live multiplayer games. You'll provide technical leadership on complex systems, driving scalable, high-performance solutions that support both the development team and millions of players worldwide. Working closely with Technical Directors, programmers, and cross-disciplinary teams, you'll influence the technical direction of the project, solve challenging technical problems, and establish best practices that elevate the quality, performance, and maintainability of the game's systems. Your expertise will help ensure Dead by Daylight continues to evolve while remaining stable, performant, and ready for future growth.

At Behaviour Interactive, we believe in giving everyone a fair shot. We embrace a diverse and creative environment where everyone is celebrated. We value folks of all ages, sex, ethnicity, colour, ethnic or national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, civil status, disability, or any other protected characteristics as per applicable law.

Headquartered in Montreal, Behaviour Interactive is at the forefront of the gaming industry, crafting unforgettable experiences across PC, console, and mobile platforms. We’re a dynamic, independent studio of over 1200 passionate employees, with studios in Toronto (Behaviour Toronto), Rotterdam (Behaviour Rotterdam) and in the UK (Behaviour UK–North & South). Our day to day revolves around two core business focuses: Services and Original Games. Our Services team collaborates with gaming and entertainment giants like Disney, Sony, Activision, and Nintendo, delivering exceptional work-for-hire development and pioneering immersive location-based entertainment (LBE). Meanwhile, our Original Games unit pushes our creative limits, with our signature IPs, including the iconic Dead by Daylight. Join us and be a part of the future of interactive entertainment!

Requirements

• 15+ years of experience in game development, with a proven track record of designing and delivering high-quality, scalable systems for shipped AA/AAA titles games.
• Expert-level proficiency in C++, with deep knowledge of software architecture, performance optimization, multithreading, memory management, and debugging.
• 2+ years of recent experience working with Unreal Engine.
• A true generalist who is comfortable tackling a wide variety of technical challenges, leading complex initiatives, and driving programming excellence across multiple systems.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to mentor programmers, influence technical direction, and work effectively with cross-disciplinary teams.

Nice To Haves

• Multiplayer/live service game experience is a strong asset.

Responsibilities

• Architect, develop, refactor, and optimize scalable C++ systems that power Dead by Daylight, ranging from engine improvements to platform-specific implementations and developer tools.
• Lead complex technical initiatives while profiling, identifying, and resolving performance, memory, and stability issues to ensure the game remains optimized as it continues to evolve.
• Investigate, troubleshoot, and resolve bugs introduced through ongoing feature development, helping maintain the quality and reliability of a large-scale live service game.
• Ensure new features, improvements, and fixes are delivered consistently across all supported platforms, from PC to current and previous-generation consoles.
• Collaborate with Technical Directors and cross-disciplinary teams to align technical solutions with the project's technical vision.
• Mentor programmers, promote programming best practices, and contribute to technical decision-making across the project.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: No Education Listed