Salary: £65,000 - £75,000
Location: Remote, but within the UK
Please note: We are unable to sponsor international visas at this time.
About Nexus Mods
Established in 2001, Nexus Mods is the largest video game modding platform on the internet - a household name in the PC gaming ecosystem.
- 80M+ registered members
- 980K+ mods for 5,500+ games
- 26B+ mod downloads
We’re currently focused on product modernisation, driving growth and building infrastructure for the next 10 years of community-powered modding.
Our Role
We’re looking for a Linux gaming specialist to join our Engineering team, working on the Linux experience for Vortex, Nexus Mods’ flagship desktop mod manager. Your main focus will be SteamOS and Steam hardware such as the Steam Deck, helping bring Vortex to Linux gamers and delivering on Nexus Mods’ commitment to SteamOS.
Vortex is a desktop application, currently Windows-first with Linux support on the roadmap. It runs on Linux today but is some way off parity with Windows, and most of the remaining problems come from gaming on Linux, such as Wine and Proton, game store compatibility and game-specific workarounds. You’ll also help us build a support strategy for Linux players and triage Linux issues as they come in. We’re looking for someone who knows how Windows games and modding tools behave on Linux and can make the changes themselves.
What You’ll Be Working On
- Developing and improving the Vortex experience on SteamOS and Steam hardware.
- Adapting existing functionality, particularly Windows functionality, to work with games running through Proton and Wine.
- Taking existing solutions and implementing them for Linux rather than reinventing everything from scratch.
- Shaping our Linux support strategy and triaging Linux issues from players.
- Establishing standards for Linux development and making it easier for our engineers to work on Linux.
- Build and maintain Linux-specific features and platform integrations across the frontend, backend and integration layers of a desktop app used by more than a million people every month, across SteamOS, Steam hardware and desktop distros.
- Adapt Windows-first functionality (file system, permissions, case sensitivity, and running Windows modding tools under Proton) to work reliably on Linux.
- Make game discovery and launching work across Steam, other stores and third-party launchers.
- Work out game-specific fixes and workarounds, and keep them maintainable as the list grows.
- Tackle hard technical problems like platform-specific bugs, performance regressions and race conditions.
- Work across the delivery lifecycle, from prototyping to multi-sprint delivery of Linux support and parity work.
- Support packaging and distribution for Linux (e.g. Flatpak, AppImage, or equivalent).
- Triage incoming Linux issues and work with our community and support teams to set up a proper support process for Linux players.
- Diagnose field issues using crash reports, telemetry and logs across SteamOS and other Linux environments.
- Collaborate with other teams and review contributions from community contributors and internal engineers.
- Write clean, well-tested code and uphold high standards across CI/CD, packaging and documentation.
- Share Linux knowledge and support other engineers across pods.
Senior Desktop Engineer (Linux Gaming) employer: Black Tree Gaming
Nexus Mods is an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant work culture that thrives on innovation and collaboration within the gaming community. With a focus on employee growth, you will have the opportunity to lead technical initiatives and shape the future of modding for millions of users, all while enjoying the flexibility of working from the UK or Europe. Join us to be part of a passionate team dedicated to empowering creators and enhancing the gaming experience.
