Is Squad actively hiring/accepting applications? Maybe someday?

[Ursine]

Hello Squad, and fellow Kerbonauts!

I decided to register and ask up front about this, as it's been bugging me now for a quite a few weeks and after researching it for most of today on these forums, the KSP subreddit, Squad's own page (http://www.squad.com.mx/SquadSite/index.htm) and elsewhere, I'm still no closer to a definitive answer.

Also as a little disclaimer; sorry to make my first post here one that's so seemingly self-serving, but I'm sure there are others wondering the same thing, so hopefully this can be considered a question on behalf of the community and not just myself! Also, for those wondering the same thing I am, you can consider this a mini-compilation of what I managed to piece together throughout today's digging.

So! What I'm wondering is how one might land a job with Squad?

Obviously, this would partly depend on what someone brings to the table. From my research it seems like some skills/abilities lend themselves to opportunities via mod development. For example, programmers and 3D artists/modelers might take the path that others have previously and land a job by developing first-class mods and addons. From the research I've done it seems there are a handful of modders who've gone from player to developer by creating great content (the C7 Aerospace / Space plane stuff appears to have started as a player-made mod, for example, and now C7 is an in-house developer, it seems!). It's great to see something like this, and that there are "meritocratic" (work-based) opportunities for skilled programmers and artists to make themselves known to the studio via their work.

Looking at this page gives some idea as to the current (or fairly current) team: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/content/187-An-Update-on-the-Team?page=3

And this comment by Harvester (from the link above) sheds some good further insight into the average Squad member:

...our titles are deliberately vague actually, because none of us are exempt from doing stuff outside the 'job description'. No one is a "programmer" or a "modeller", because everyone is supposed to be able to do a bit of everything. So instead, we have "developers" (doing mostly code) and "content designers" (doing mostly art).

Also, of course, as a small and growing team, I imagine things right now would be fairly pragmatic - meaning that Squad is likely only looking for absolutely essential staff? That's the impression I got, anyhow. Modellers and Programmers seem to be the core but there are other positions listed in the above thread including PR/Community management, producers, tech support and so on. Presumably PR/Community managers come at least partially from the community too (so perhaps as an active community member you can work your way into a volunteer moderation job, and perhaps from there into a paid one in PR/CM?).

How does Squad fill the other positions, though? What about future positions, too, that might not be something that can grow "organically" out of the community?

For those of us who can't program or model, but who may have other skill sets that Squad might find useful down the line, it'd be great to have a "Jobs" page listing vacant/upcoming positions to keep tabs on. Perhaps it would be in Squad's interest to set something like this up down the line too? I couldn't see anything like that on their webpage (again, as a young, growing company that's not all that surprising) but perhaps in the future we can hope for something like this?

Purely as an example, check out this page: http://www.riotgames.com/careers - That's the jobs page for Riot Games (makers of League of Legends). There you can see what a fully-grown, "AAA" studio does when seeking talent. Lots of different positions, and not all of them would arise from community work. For people who love the game and dream of one day being part of making it, it's a great landing page for them to keep tabs on, should their skills overlap someday with a job the studio is after. Has Squad given any thought to creating something like this, or is it just too "early days" still for the studio to be needing such things?

Anyways, it's mostly idle curiosity for me as I don't bring much to the table in terms of "core" skills (I'd make a bad duck! No programming or modelling skills! ) but perhaps others have gone in search of the Squad jobs page and came up similarly empty-handed and curious. If any Moderators or Squaddies would care to comment it'd be much appreciated, and anyone else who might have some thoughts on the matter.

...and now that I'm registered, I guess it's time to stop lurking and join the community proper! See you in space, and thanks in advance for any input!

[Vanamonde]

They are a tiny company that doesn't do much hiring. Several of their current staff were mod-makers who made things which impressed the guys and were incorporated into the game, though, so that seems to be the most successful approach; make something terrific and wait to hear from them.