Senior Game Developer & Team Lead

Are you an ambitious game developer with a passion for creating engaging experiences—and the leadership skills to drive a team to success? Do you aspire to see your work reach millions of players worldwide while directly influencing project outcomes?

About the job

We are looking for a Senior Game Developer & Team Lead to join our dynamic team in the heart of Amsterdam. In this role, you’ll not only craft high-quality games but also take charge of technical leadership on projects, manage direct reports, and help steer our development team to achieve exceptional results.

About CoolGames

Founded in 2010, CoolGames is a leading HTML5-specialized studio based in the historic center of Amsterdam. We’re known for developing high-quality casual games. With the evolving landscape of web based game distribution—spanning Facebook, Discord, Netflix, and beyond—our games are played by millions each month. Our ambitious roadmap for new projects means you’ll have the opportunity to significantly influence our growing portfolio and global success.

About the role

As a Senior Game Developer & Team Lead, you will:

• Mentor & Manage: Directly manage a team of developers (across different game projects), providing mentorship, conflict resolution, and performance management to foster a collaborative and high-performing work environment.
• Lead by Example: You take on the technical lead on a project, ensuring standards, overseeing architecture decisions, and facilitating best practices throughout development.
• Drive Innovation & Ship value: Collaborate with multidisciplinary team members—including game designers, artists, and QA engineers—to develop new titles, evolve existing games, and enhance our internal tooling.
• Ensure Quality & Stability: Write robust, maintainable code while managing your schedule to meet deadlines. Conduct code reviews, optimize performance, debug, and resolve issues across platforms to keep our games stable and performant.
• Champion Solid Game Development Practices: Drive efficiency, accountability, and continuous improvement within the team.

What we’re looking for

The ideal candidate is a proactive leader with a proven track record in both game development and leadership responsibilities. You are passionate about delivering high-quality experiences, possess excellent communication skills, and have the ability to give direction effectively while boosting overall team output.

Essential Experience and Skills:

• Technical Expertise: Strong and varied professional programming experience with a strong command of best practices in software development.
• Experience with Relevant Technologies: Experience with web technologies, and proficiency in languages like JavaScript and TypeScript. Familiarity with web game technologies (e.g., PIXI, Phaser, Three.js) is a plus.
• Strong experience in other game engines (e.g. Unity, Unreal, Godot) could also be a fit as long as you’re looking forward to diving into 2d web games!
• Leadership & Mentoring: Demonstrated experience in leading development teams, managing direct reports, and delivering technical guidance on complex (game) projects.
• Soft Skills: Excellent communication, conflict resolution, and interpersonal skills. You are open to feedback, eager to learn, and thrive in collaborative environments.

Working at CoolGames

We are a company which believes it’s important to constantly improve and innovate as we strive to be the best. We work in an informal environment with enthusiastic and smart individuals from all over the world to design and create great games. We have a hybrid work schedule where we strike a balance between face to face collaboration and efficient remote work.

What we offer:

• A competitive salary.
• Health care insurance, travel compensation, and a company pension plan.
• Sports allowance.
• Opportunities for learning and professional growth.
• Flexibility to work remotely part-time.
• A prime office location in the historic center of Amsterdam.
• High-end work equipment (PC, MacBook Pro, or similar).
• A fun, informal, and globally diverse company culture.

* EU candidates only *