Senior Experience Engineer

Shorefields; Benfleet; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent pension provision

Annual Staff Awards

CPD days

Hybrid Working available

Eye care vouchers

Onsite Starbucks & Restaurant

Job summary

XR Studios is seeking a Senior Experience Engineer to lead architecture, development and ongoing improvement of immersive XR experiences and technical platforms. You will shape projects across curriculum innovation, research and commercial client work, including demonstrations and workshops in motion capture, photogrammetry and content capture.

You will build a consistent, scalable, high-performing technical foundation, mentor early-career teammates and promote a collaborative, high‑performing

Qualifications

• Relevant degree-level qualification and at least five years' experience in a comparable technical development role.
• Advanced Unity, C# and XR development experience, including Quest, OpenXR and XR Interaction Toolkit.
• Proven ability to design and deliver scalable interactive experiences, game systems and multi-system technical platforms.
• Strong knowledge of 3D production, software engineering standards, accessibility, performance and quality assurance.
• Excellent technical leadership, planning, communication and stakeholder-management skills, with a collaborative and inclusive approach.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical design, development and ongoing improvement of XR Studios' immersive experiences and core platforms.
• Build scalable, reusable Unity-based systems, including interaction frameworks, user interfaces and modular game systems.
• Set and maintain high standards for coding, version control, testing, documentation, security and technical quality.
• Develop and optimise 3D content pipelines, supporting motion capture, photogrammetry, modelling, animation and deployment.
• Research, test and introduce emerging technologies, including AI, APIs and development frameworks, where they add value.
• Develop backend services, API integrations and reusable prompt-engineering approaches to support AI-enabled experiences.
• Ensure all technical outputs meet accessibility, performance and deployment standards, including WCAG 2.1 AA where relevant.
• Support project planning and delivery through scoping, sprint planning, milestones, risk management and progress reporting.
• Contribute to commercial growth through prototypes, demonstrations, client training, workshops and business development.
• Build strong relationships with clients, partners and colleagues while mentoring early-career team members.

Skills

Unity

C#

XR development

Architecture design

Technical leadership

Education

Degree-level qualification

Tools

Unreal Engine

Shader development

Graphics optimisation

Multiplayer frameworks (Normcore/Photon Fusion/Unity Netcode)

Job description

Position Start Date: Immediate Contract Type: Full-time Contract Term: Permanent

Application Close: 22/10/2026 Midnight Date of Interviews: TBC

XR Studios is looking for a skilled and creative Senior Experience Engineer to lead the technical development of immersive learning experiences.

You'll work at the heart of a growing studio that brings together extended reality (XR), simulation, 3D content and emerging technologies to create meaningful learning, research and commercial projects.

Working closely with the Studio Lead, you'll take ideas from early concept and prototype through to high-quality deployment and ongoing improvement. You'll build reusable technical platforms, set clear development standards and help ensure every experience is accessible, reliable and engaging.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who combines strong Unity development skills with technical leadership, creative problem-solving and a passion for helping others learn and grow.

About the role

As our Senior Experience Engineer, you'll lead the architecture, development and continuous improvement of XR Studios' immersive experiences and technical platforms.

You'll help shape projects across curriculum innovation, research and development, and commercial client work. You'll also support demonstrations, workshops, client projects and studio activity involving motion capture, green screen, photogrammetry and content capture.

You'll play a key role in building a consistent, scalable and high-performing technical foundation for the studio's future work.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the technical design, development and ongoing improvement of XR Studios' immersive experiences and core platforms.
• Build scalable, reusable Unity-based systems, including interaction frameworks, user interfaces and modular game systems.
• Set and maintain high standards for coding, version control, testing, documentation, security and technical quality.
• Develop and optimise 3D content pipelines, supporting motion capture, photogrammetry, modelling, animation and deployment.
• Research, test and introduce emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, APIs and development frameworks, where they add value.
• Develop backend services, API integrations and reusable prompt-engineering approaches to support AI-enabled experiences.
• Ensure all technical outputs meet agreed accessibility, performance, quality and deployment standards, including WCAG 2.1 AA where relevant.
• Support project planning and delivery through scoping, sprint planning, milestone setting, risk management and progress reporting.
• Contribute to commercial growth through prototypes, demonstrations, client training, workshops, consultancy and business-development activity.
• Build strong relationships with clients, partners and colleagues while mentoring early-career team members and promoting a collaborative, high-performing culture.

The Right Candidate Will Have

Essential skills and experience

• Relevant degree-level qualification and at least five years' experience in a comparable technical development role.
• Advanced Unity, C# and XR development experience, including Quest, OpenXR and XR Interaction Toolkit.
• Proven ability to design and deliver scalable interactive experiences, game systems and multi-system technical platforms.
• Strong knowledge of 3D production, software engineering standards, accessibility, performance and quality assurance.
• Excellent technical leadership, planning, communication and stakeholder-management skills, with a collaborative and inclusive approach.

Desirable skills and experience

• Postgraduate qualification or professional certification in XR, games development, immersive technology or a related field.
• Experience with multiplayer or co-location frameworks, such as Normcore, Photon Fusion or Unity Netcode.
• Experience using Unreal Engine, shader development and graphics optimisation for mobile XR hardware.
• Experience integrating AI or machine-learning APIs into Unity applications, including learning-data standards such as xAPI or SCORM.
• Understanding of instructional design and experience mentoring or developing early-career colleagues.

Why choose us?

Our strategy is to create a Career Focused, Digital Learning environment, ensuring that the learner experience and our relationship within our community, local and regional employers, are at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to be selected as finalists for the AoC Beacon awards for effective use of digital Technology in FE. Providing a high achieving, focused learning environment allowing our students to achieve the grades they need for higher educations, or the skills and aptitude required to secure a suitable role in their chosen career. Our college is set in the leafy suburbs of Essex, with easy access to surrounding areas and amenities, we are based in a well-connected location both by road and rail.

What we offer

• A dedicated and friendly team of professionals who are keen to develop and learn
• Excellent pension provision
• Annual Staff Awards
• CPD days - opportunities to grow and development through mentorship and coaching
• Free onsite parking
• Staff appreciation days
• Eye care vouchers
• Onsite Starbucks & Restaurant
• Well-being days & activities
• Electric Vehicle Scheme*
• Discounted gym membership
• Hybrid Working available
• Fully immersive teaching rooms allow simultaneous online teaching at multiple locations
• Free Employee Assistance Programme available 24/7, 365 days offering legal & financial advice, as well as general support & guidance

* subject to terms & conditions

This role is considered exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. Which means that when applying for certain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are 'protected', so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide. It is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.

Shortlisted candidates will be required to complete a self-declaration of their criminal record or information that would make them unsuitable to work with children. Self-declaration is subject to Ministry of Justice guidance on the disclosure of criminal records, further information can be found onGOV UK

USP College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, we therefore expect all staff to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be required to undertake an enhanced disclosure via the Disclosure and Barring Service, and any other checks that the role requires to ascertain suitability for working with children and/or vulnerable adults, which may include online searches.

We will hold and process any personal data, including sensitive (special category) personal data, relating to you in accordance with our legal obligations, in the manner set out in the Privacy Notice for staff and in accordance with our Data Protection Policy, which is set out on the College's website,found here. You should familiarise yourself with our Data Protection Policy (and all other subsidiary policies to it) and comply with them at all times. Neither the Privacy Notice for Staff nor those policies form a part of your contract of employment.

All appointments are subject to safer recruitment requirements to ensure the safeguarding of children and young people. All positions will involve appropriate checks and clearances.