Engine Programmer

Kepler Interactive; London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in interactive entertainment is seeking an Engine Programmer to enhance workflows and optimize projects. The role involves collaboration across studios to improve shared engine code and plugins, while ensuring technical excellence in game delivery. Ideal candidates will possess strong C++ skills and a passion for software development, alongside excellent communication and problem-solving abilities. The company values creativity and diversity, providing a supportive environment for all employees.

Benefits

25 days holiday plus public holidays

Personal training budget of £1,500 per year

Up to 5 days paid volunteering leave

Flexible working hours and location

Medical and health insurance

Pension contributions

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of UE4/UE5, experience of shipping games.
• Strong C++ programming skills.
• Excellent cross-team communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Help studios analyse and extract code that can be shared.
• Implement plugins in a test project at Kepler level.
• Work on engine optimisations and fixes.

Skills

Communication

Analytical

Problem Solving

Tools

UE4

UE5

C++

Job description

Kepler Interactive is a collective of creatives working together to bring bold, beautiful ideas and experiences to life. We believe in empowering creativity, championing diverse voices, and shaping what’s next in interactive entertainment. To hear more about who we are, check out our CEO Alexis’ recent article in GI.Biz.

Creativity is at the core of everything we do, it’s the backbone of how we work. We back artistic vision, push boundaries, and believe in doing things differently.

There is space for everyone to have a voice at Kepler, and we expect you to as well. Diversity in thought is where creativity flourishes, and we encourage different people to contribute to conversations they might not normally be. You’ll need to be comfortable operating outside your comfort zone, challenging others and being challenged, as this is where growth really happens.

Our Values

• Experimentation: We challenge the norm, stay curious, and move with confidence into the unknown.

• Kindness: We believe how we treat people matters. We empower and uplift with clarity and honesty.

• Excellence: We aim high. We think creatively, embrace feedback, and celebrate both wins and lessons learnt along the way.

Overview:

We are looking for an Engine Programmer to join our central technology team, where you’ll be working across Kepler and our studios, helping to improve our workflows and optimise our projects prior to launch.

Your work will be a blend of project support and maintaining and contributing to the code and developments shared between the different Kepler studios, finding solutions to common problems and helping the studios to share engine code and plugins.

We’re looking for someone with excellent communication skills, who enjoys building and developing relationships with people. Our goal is to improve the day-to-day experience of our people whilst offering technical optimisation across the games we deliver.

What you will be doing:

• Help studios analyse and extract code that can be shared (engine modifications, plugins, etc.)
• Implement plugins in a test project at Kepler level
• Create a validation pipelines for shared engine code and plugin: code compilation, automated tests
• Help the studios to integrate plugins or engine modifications
• Work on engine optimisations and fixes
• Work on production environment tools: ex maintain and improve fastbuild usage in production
• Help the studio ship games: profiling and optimization guidance, debugging low level issues

What we’re looking for from you:

• Strong knowledge of UE4/UE5, have experience of shipping games
• Strong C++ programming skills
• Excellent cross-team communication skills for collaboration.
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Self-proritisation, with the ability to work autonomously.
• You are known for your passion and aptitude for practical software development.
• Good project management skillset, able to prioritise and de-prioritise as needed.

What can you expect during the Interview Process:

For the Engine Programmer role, we plan to have 3 stages of interview, below we have outlined what you can expect from, each:

Introduction: You’ll meet with Jess, People Partner, for an initial intro call. This is the space to get to know each other better and get answers to any questions you have.

Stage 1: Initial call with Olivier Gartner, Head of Technology who will be the line manager for this role and Marko Kostic, Engine Programmer to deep dive into your skills and experience with key tools for the role.

Stage 2: For your final interview you’ll meet with two people from Kepler who do not sit within the direct team, where we’ll talk more about our values, whilst giving you a chance to see Kepler through a different lens.

Please be aware that there may be some slight changes to the interview teams and order of interviews depending on availability; we will give you full details with ample time ahead of each conversation.

How can we support you?

We want to set you up for success and make our recruitment process as accessible as possible for you. In your application, feel free to let us know if you need anything to make your experience or environment more comfortable. We'll do our best to support you!

What we can offer you

All employees will receive:

• We believe your salary should reflect the work you deliver, the skills you bring and the value you add, therefore we offer a competitive salary, 20% bonus and potential for stock option plans.

• 25 days holiday plus public holidays and end of year shutdown.

• We trust our people and therefore give them the flexibility to manage their own working hours and office location to best suit their needs.

• Personal training budget equivalent to £1,500 GBP per year, as well as access to conferences and formal training.

• Up to 5 days paid volunteering leave per year and £100 to a charity of your choice on your birthday and as an end of year gift.

• We also offer a range of personalised wellbeing support systems including Spill, Mental Health First Aiders and more.

Other benefits are offered subject to country of residence including:

• Medical and health insurance.

• Pension contributions.

Don't meet all the requirements?

We care more about outcomes than ticking boxes, and we know the perfect person for the role often has a CV that's a little different.

Research shows that women are particularly less likely to apply if they don't meet all the criteria in a job listing. If you're second guessing yourself, we encourage you to get in touch anyway.

Don't quit before you've started!