Remote Principal Physics Engine Architect

Placements24; Southampton; Remote; GBP 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Home office stipend

Conference attendance

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead the physics systems of our game engine. This fully remote role invites you to shape advanced simulations, mentor engineers, and drive technical strategy across teams.

You will design, implement, and optimize real-time physics, collaborate with graphics and AI teams, and ensure robust, high-performance code while working from anywhere in the world.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of software engineering experience, with 7+ years in physics programming for game engines or real-time sims.
• Expert C++ and OO design; deep physics knowledge (Newtonian mechanics, rigid/soft bodies).
• Experience with PhysX or Havok or custom physics solutions; strong debugging and profiling skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, implementation, and optimization of physics simulation systems for a proprietary game engine.
• Develop high-performance C++ code for physics calculations, collision detection, and dynamics.
• Mentor engineers and drive technical strategy; collaborate with graphics, AI, and gameplay teams.
• Profile and optimize physics code for scalability across platforms; write maintainable code.
• Stay up-to-date with latest game physics developments and real-time simulation techniques.

Skills

C++ proficiency

Physics programming

Real-time simulation

Multithreading

Mentorship

Communication

Education

Master's degree or PhD in CS/Physics

Tools

PhysX

Havok

Custom physics engine

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead the physics systems of our game engine. This fully remote role invites you to shape advanced simulations, mentor engineers, and drive technical strategy across teams.

You will design, implement, and optimize real-time physics, collaborate with graphics and AI teams, and ensure robust, high-performance code while working from anywhere in the world.