Hiring: Audio Lead / Sound Designer

Title: Audio Lead / Sound Designer
Focus: Creating and implementing sounds, managing audio content
Type: Full-time, permanent
Last day to apply: Monday 15th of April 2019 /CLOSED
Location: Malmö, Sweden (Doing remote work from EU/EEA countries welcome)

You remember it: a faint rustle in your periphery, dragging footsteps around the corner, a raspy breath. You still break in cold sweat when you hear that high-pitched screech that means a monster is near. All the iconic soundscapes that make Frictional games what they are.

We are now looking for an experienced audio designer to work in-house and continue this tradition of keeping a new generation of gamers on their toes with lovingly designed, eerie and memorable soundscapes.

What will you work on?

We are quite a small team, but we consider that our selling point. As a sound designer you will get to work on everything from small effects to the overall mood of the project. This means your contribution will greatly influence how the final game sounds, feels and evokes emotions.

Here are some of the things you will be working on:

  • Collaborating with designers to create soundscapes, taking both artistic and gameplay aspects into account.
  • Being a part of designing the overall mood of the game.
  • Creating some of sounds used for our monsters, machines and other otherworldly noises using libraries, or from scratch if possible.
  • Creating sound effects timed with specific events and animations.
  • Refining events by working with both our map editor and scripting tools.
  • Researching various technical features needed to achieve certain effects.
  • Handling the music, either by creating it or working with a musician.
  • All in all, helping the game world come to life.

We also encourage working outside of your area of expertise, and always learning new things. The more areas of development you are willing and able to  take part in, the better! For example you are encouraged to participate in our fortnightly testing and leave feedback on other aspects of the game.

What are we looking for?

You have to be a European (EU/EEA) resident to apply.

The person we’re looking for is creative, driven and self-sufficient. With a remote team such as ours, the ability to organise your own work is a fundamental skill.

We have recently set up a central hub in Malmö, Sweden, and will help you move to our seaside city if it suits your situation.

Here are some essentials we require:

  • Hardware and equipment to work with.
  • We don’t expect you to have a fully equipped home studio, but enough to work on most of the sounds. Additional equipment can be provided if needed, but it is important that you have the hardware needed to start working.
  • At least one year of experience in audio production for games.
  • Good understanding of sound and music, and how they affect the player experience.
  • Ability to challenge yourself, make bold creative decisions, and try non-conventional things.
  • A critical approach to your work, with the ability to take a step back and reflect.
  • A strive for structure, efficiency, and clarity.
  • Strong self-drive and ability to organise your own work.
  • Interest in and ability to do research for interesting sound and music solutions.
  • Love for working on a variety of tasks.
  • Fluency in English.

And here are some more techie skills:

  • Familiarity with FMod or Wwise.
  • Basic knowledge in programming.
  • Basic knowledge of creating maps in a level editor.

If you want to impress us:

  • Love for horror, sci-fi, and narrative games.
  • A major role in completing at least one game.
  • Experience in level design.
  • Strong game design skills.

What do we offer?

We make games, because that’s what we love. But we know there are other things we love, like playing games, taking part in sports, or spending time with our families. We believe a healthy balance between work and life reflects positively on your work, which is why we don’t encourage crunch.

We also offer:

  • Flexible working hours.
  • Opportunities to influence your workflow.
  • Variety in your work tasks, and ability to influence your workload.
  • Participation in our internal game Show & Tell sessions, so you’ll have input into all aspects of the game.
  • Social security and holidays that are up to the Swedish standards.
  • An inclusive and respectful work environment.
  • An office in central Malmö you can use as much as you please.
  • Fun workmates, game and movie nights, and other outings!

Apply!

If all of the above piqued your interest, we would love to hear from you! Send us your application 15th of April the latest – but the sooner, the better!

Please attach your:

  • Cover Letter 
    • Why should we hire YOU?
  • CV
  • Link to your portfolio site
  • Link to a video reel demonstrating sound design abilities
  • A document describing a game soundscape you have worked on. Please write about the following:
    • What you worked on.
    • What you were going for with the design.
    • What went well in the project and what you would prefer to change in retrospect.

Please note that we require all the attachments to consider you.

Wonder how we hire? Read our blog on How we hire at Frictional Games.

What kind of application are we looking for? Read our blog on Writing the best application for a Frictional Games job.

Want to know how sounds were made in the days of Amnesia: The Dark Descent? Check out the video starring our old sound designer Tapio Liukkonen below.