Principal Graphics Programmer

OUR STUDIO

At Housemarque, we believe gameplay always comes first. With technical excellence and compelling narrative, spiced with our trademark neon flair and top-notch audiovisual feedback, we want our players to always feel actively engaged with the worlds we have created for them.

Our latest Award-Winning game Returnal, released on PS5 in 2021, embraces all these qualities. THIS is our DNA!

We value Nordic work-life balance by growing sustainably and ensuring our employees have the time and means to develop personally and professionally during work time.

We were established in 1995 with strong roots in the Finnish demoscene. In June 2021 we joined the PlayStation Studios, after years of partnership.

If you wish to join us for our next journey, apply today!

THE JOB

As the Principal Graphics Programmer on the team behind Returnal and Saros, you will work closely with the Technical Art Director, Technical Director, and Graphics Architect to help drive the next evolution of Housemarque games.

You already understand the realities of large-scale production: how to balance visual quality with performance, and how to judge what truly serves the project versus what is just novelty. Your comfort zone is at the crossroads of design, rendering, and engine code. You are just as comfortable tuning performance deep in the pipeline as you are shaping new visual features.

Together with the team, you will push innovation in ray tracing, lighting, and shading, turning fresh ideas into practical solutions, whether through GPGPU techniques or real-time ML and tensor computing.

What will your day-to-day look like?

• Enjoy breakfast and coffee in our cafeteria to prepare for the day ahead.

• Work with the team to design and implement advanced rendering features on PlayStation 5, with a strong focus on ray tracing (reflections, global illumination, shadows, ambient occlusion).

• Develop and optimize lighting solutions (real-time and baked), ensuring top-tier quality and stable performance on PS5 hardware.

• Research, prototype, and implement physically based shading models (BRDFs) to improve realism and artistic direction.

• Profile and optimize shaders, GPU workloads, and memory usage for RDNA2 architecture.

• Collaborate with art directors, graphics programmers, and technical artists to balance performance and visual quality.

• Guide and mentor other graphics programmers, setting technical standards for the rendering team.

• Stay up to date with graphics research and push new technology into production pipelines on PlayStation platforms.

What will help you to be successful in this role?

• Proven experience (8+ years) in graphics programming for consoles or high-end real-time applications, with at least one shipped AAA title.

• Solid understanding of GPU architecture (AMD RDNA2), performance optimization, and console memory systems.

• Deep expertise in ray tracing APIs (DXR-like models, Sony’s PSR pipeline, or Vulkan RT concepts).

• Experience with PlayStation-specific graphics APIs (GNM/GNMX) or equivalent low-level rendering frameworks.

• Strong background in lighting theory, global illumination techniques, and next-gen rendering pipelines.

• Advanced knowledge of shader programming (HLSL/PSSL) and BRDF models.

• Experience applying machine learning techniques to graphics, including but not limited to texture upscaling, denoising, or super-resolution.

• Strong math skills (linear algebra, geometry, calculus) applied to real-time graphics.

• Excellent problem-solving skills, autonomy, and ability to lead technical initiatives.

• Passion for pushing visual fidelity on PlayStation hardware.

Bonus skills

• Knowledge of custom ray tracing pipelines on PS5.

• Familiarity with GPU-driven rendering and task/mesh shaders.

• Background in procedural rendering workflows (geometry, materials, lighting).

• Contributions to graphics research, publications, or open-source rendering projects.

What do we offer to you?

• Competitive salary, benefits, healthcare & Nordic work-life balance

• Tailored immigration and relocation package to help you get settled into Finland

• State-of-the-art studio facilities in the heart of Helsinki

• Freedom, flexibility and openness in a collaborative culture

• Brilliant, diverse and empathetic colleagues to work with

• Exciting and ambitious projects executed with the best tools

• Access to PlayStation Studios collaboration, games and more!

This is a permanent, full-time position based in Helsinki, Finland.

We will start interviewing promising candidates immediately so please apply as soon as possible.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Housemarque is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to a culture of inclusion and mutual respect for all employees from every walk of life, reflecting the community we make games for. We welcome and encourage applications from all suitable candidates regardless of age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race and ethnicity, religion or belief, and marriage and civil partnerships. We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees and embrace diversity.