Principal or Lead Backend Game Engine Developer

The Pixel Movement; España; On-site; PHP 4,920,049 - 7,380,074; Full time

Job summary

The Pixel Movement, a global gaming technology company, is looking for a Principal or Lead Backend Game Engine Developer. This role focuses on developing backend engines for RNG-based games and involves mentoring other engineers for code quality and performance optimization.

The ideal candidate will have over 7 years of experience in similar environments and strong abilities in PHP, MySQL, and game systems. The position offers flexibility for remote work and collaboration with diverse technical teams.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of backend development experience in high-performance environments.
• Strong proficiency in PHP with solid OOP and adherence to SOLID principles.
• Extensive experience with MySQL, including database design and performance tuning.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of backend game engines for RNG-based games.
• Own the technical direction for backend systems ensuring code quality.
• Mentor and support backend engineers on architecture and debugging.

Skills

Backend development experience

PHP proficiency

MySQL experience

Technical decision-making

Game systems development

Linux environment familiarity

Team collaboration

Tools

Symfony

Laravel

Docker

Redis

RabbitMQ

Git

PHPUnit

Codeception

Job description

Studio: A global gaming technology company is building high-performance platforms that power real‑money experiences across casino, live, and instant‑play games. With a focus on scalability, reliability, and secure integrations, the studio supports millions of users daily and partners with hundreds of operators worldwide. As the business continues evolving its core architecture and expanding into new markets, they’re seeking experienced engineers to drive the next phase of platform growth and innovation. Location: Europe (Remote)

Responsibilities

The team is looking for a Principal or Lead Backend Game Engine Developer to act as both a hands‑on contributor and a technical mentor within the backend engineering group. In this role, you’ll become the go‑to expert on game logic and engine architecture—driving scalability, optimising performance, and supporting junior and mid‑level engineers in writing production‑grade code.

You’ll work closely with product owners, designers, and cross‑functional technical teams to deliver backend systems that are robust, efficient, and ready to scale to millions of concurrent players.

• Lead the development of backend game engines for RNG‑based games (such as slots, crash, and table games)
• Own the technical direction for backend systems—ensuring code quality, performance, and reusability
• Mentor and support backend engineers, offering guidance on architecture, debugging, and clean coding standards
• Act as a subject matter expert and technical advisor for decisions affecting platform‑wide architecture
• Collaborate with Product, QA, DevOps, and Architecture teams throughout the full feature lifecycle
• Optimise database design, service communication, and overall engine performance to meet high‑scale demands
• Promote best practices in testing, documentation, and secure coding

Skills & Qualifications

• 7+ years of backend development experience in high‑performance environments (ideally gaming or real‑time platforms)
• Strong proficiency in PHP (preferably with Symfony or Laravel), with solid OOP and adherence to SOLID principles
• Extensive experience with MySQL, including database design and performance tuning
• Proven track record of making senior‑level technical decisions and mentoring other developers
• Experience building backend systems for iGaming or similar (e.g. RNG engines, crash games, or table mechanics)
• Comfortable working in Linux environments, with Git and modern PHP testing tools (PHPUnit, Codeception)
• Excellent team collaboration and communication skills

Desirable

• Experience with Redis, RabbitMQ, Docker, or CI/CD tools like Jenkins
• Familiarity with TDD, DDD, and structured API development
• Exposure to cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud)
• Understanding of regulatory compliance and security standards in gaming or other licensed environments