Lead Programmer C++ UE4/5

JR United Kingdom; Guildford; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative studio is seeking a Lead Programmer to take technical ownership of their in-house open-world multiplayer game creation framework. This hybrid role requires a seasoned technical leader with over 10 years of experience, particularly in Unreal Engine, to guide a small team in developing scalable systems. You'll be at the forefront of shaping the technical vision while actively contributing to coding and mentoring. Join a dynamic environment where your expertise will directly influence the success of ambitious projects and empower creators through extensibility and clean architecture.

Benefits

Pension

Healthcare

25 days minimum holiday

Possible future bonuses

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in game/engine programming with technical leadership.
• Deep expertise in Unreal Engine, including networking and gameplay systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor the engineering team while actively coding.
• Oversee systems across gameplay, networking, tooling, and DevOps.

Skills

Unreal Engine Expertise

Game Programming

Technical Leadership

Multiplayer Architecture

DevOps Pipelines

CI/CD

Performance Optimization

Web Technologies (HTML/CSS/JS)

Job description

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Lead Programmer to take technical ownership of this studio's in-house open-world multiplayer game creation framework.

The role is hybrid, involving 2 days a week at their Guildford studio. Benefits include – Pension, Healthcare, possible future bonuses, 25 days minimum holiday.

Applicants must hold current eligibility to work in the UK; there’s no Visa sponsorship available.

About the role -

They’re seeking an experienced, product-focused technical leader to take charge of the technical vision and execution of their open-world multiplayer game creation framework. You’ll operate as a founding engineer or technical cofounder, helping scale their modular, multiplayer-first sandbox framework built on Unreal Engine 5.

This is a hands-on leadership position: you’ll be actively coding while also working closely with production to manage a small core team of engineers and scripters, guiding the development process, and ensuring their systems meet the scale and ambition of the platform.

The ideal candidate would have 10+ years of experience with deep Unreal expertise (including networking, plugins, and tools), and a passion for building powerful and extensible systems. You’ll work directly with leadership to ensure the product ships on time, on spec, and with excellence.

What you will be doing

1. Acting as technical owner setting the direction and standards across all technical systems.
2. Leading and mentoring the engineering team, providing code reviews, technical guidance, and architectural oversight.
3. Contributing code daily—this is a hands-on leadership role.
4. Overseeing and implementing systems across gameplay, networking, tooling, UI, online services, backend, and DevOps.
5. Collaborating with other departments (gameplay, art, production) to ensure engine features meet evolving needs.
6. Spearheading the adoption of AI/ML-driven workflows and tooling across the engineering org.
7. Recruiting, onboarding, and mentoring technical team members.
8. Maintaining a high level of responsiveness, adaptability, and technical excellence in a fast-paced environment.
9. Championing engineering culture, team cohesion, and sustainable development practices.
10. Supporting with hiring to grow the engineering team according to project needs and studio values.

What we will need from you

• 10+ years of professional experience as a game/engine programmer, including technical leadership on shipped titles or platforms.
• Deep expertise in Unreal Engine—including networking, gameplay systems, Lyra framework, motion matching, custom plugins/tools, and engine extensions.
• Proven experience building and scaling engineering teams.
• Strong background in gameplay programming, multiplayer architecture, and online subsystem integrations (e.g., EOS, Steam, etc).
• Competence in backend systems, scalable services, and DevOps pipelines.
• Proficiency in CI/CD, debugging, and performance optimization.
• Familiarity with web technologies (HTML/CSS/JS) for platform or dashboard/launcher related features.
• Passion for empowering creators through extensibility, modularity, and clean systems architecture.

Nice to have

• Experience with UGC platforms, modding frameworks, or live service ecosystems.
• Experience building or contributing to game development tools for teams or communities.
• Previous work in fast-moving startup or small team environments.
• You thrive in fast-paced, collaborative environments where efficiency, agility, and a strong team culture lead to significant and meaningful impact.
• You enjoy working closely with other disciplines, wearing multiple hats, and iterating quickly.
• You’re excited by ambitious creative tools and believe in enabling others through technology.