Technical Director
The Company Torn Banner Studios is a Toronto, Canada-based independent game development studio founded in 2010. We first made our mark with Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, a multi-million copy selling title that redefined melee combat in gaming. Since then, we’ve continued to grow and innovate, releasing Chivalry 2 and, most recently, No More Room in Hell 2, currently in Early Access. Today, our team of around 100 developers is dedicated to creating unique, challenging, and fun gaming experiences. The Role We are seeking a Technical Director to define and drive the technical vision, architecture, and execution of our games across multiple platforms. This role partners closely with Art, Design, Production, and Leadership to translate creative goals into high-performance technical solutions. As the technical authority for the studio, you will own engineering standards, guide long-term technology strategy, and ensure our games are performant, stable, and built for ongoing evolution. Note: While this role can be carried out remotely, candidates are required to be current residents of Canada or willing to relocate to Ontario, Canada.
Responsibilities
Define and drive the overall technical vision and architecture of the studio, ensuring alignment with the studio’s creative vision. Own the technical quality of our games, including performance, scalability, stability, and maintainability. Lead and support the technical leadership team, including Technical Leads, Principals, and Senior Engineers, through weekly check-ins, performance management, career development, and goal setting. Guide technical decision-making across teams, balancing short-term delivery needs with long-term sustainability and tech debt management. Oversee the development and evolution of core systems, tools, pipelines, and engine technology (i.e. Unreal Engine). Partner with Production and Leadership to identify technical risks, define mitigation strategies, and ensure predictable delivery. Establish and enforce engineering best practices, coding standards, and development processes across the studio. Own technical resourcing and team structure, ensuring the right expertise is applied to the highest-priority challenges. Lead hiring, onboarding, and development of the programming department, building and retaining a high-performing team. Balance creative excellence, technical requirements, team sustainability, and production goals to deliver high-quality game experiences. Foster strong relationships across departments, breaking down silos and promoting collaboration to achieve studio-wide objectives. Drive a culture of continuous feedback, accountability, and growth.
Requirements
A strong “game feel” for competitive multiplayer games. A minimum of 8 years of programming experience in the video game industry with experience in a senior technical leadership role (Technical Director, CTO, Lead Programmer, Technical Lead, Technical Architect, or equivalent). At least 1 shipped title in a leadership capacity. Deep experience architecting and delivering complex systems for PC and console games. Demonstrated ability to make high-impact technical decisions and guide teams through complex technical challenges. Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills. Professional experience with Unreal Engine (UE4/UE5). Expert-level proficiency in C++. Expertise in at least one of the following areas; online/backend, system architecture, performance optimization, large-scale system design, and/or addressing technical debt. Experience building and mentoring high-performing engineering teams. Bonus A bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent. Experience working in small-to-mid-sized independent studios. A willingness to get hands on with programming. A keen interest in the developing AI trends and how to utilize new tools to help the team grow. Strong familiarity with online multiplayer FPS architecture, networking models, and performance considerations. A gamer! Benefits & Perks 6.5 weeks paid vacation. Eligible for Employee Stock Options Plan. Flexible schedule and work location, with your choice of remote, hybrid, or on-site. Healthcare & benefits plan, for you and your family. 100% parental leave top-up for 16 weeks, for Canadian employees. To see our team, our office and what we do as a company visit tornbanner.com/careers. Torn Banner Studios welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. Transparency on use of AI and position vacancy Our recruitment process does not use artificial intelligence to automatically screen, assess, or select applicants. All decisions on progressing, rejecting, and offering candidates are made by human reviewers. One AI–enabled tool that may be used during the interview process is that of interview recording, transcription, and summarizing. Again, this would not make decisions, but simply make reviewing the notes easier. We will always ask for the candidates approval before using such a tool. In compliance with Ontario regulations, the advertised posting is for a currently vacant position.