Principal Game Programmer Unreal Engine Expert & Tech Lead

DECK 13 Interactive GmbH; Germany (OH); On-site; USD 138,000 - 208,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Office in Frankfurt

Language courses

Remote work allowance

Gym membership allowance

Deutschlandticket benefit

Probonio vouchers

Bloom mental health access

Learning & development budget

Additional vacation days

Job summary

DECK 13 Interactive GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany is seeking a Principal Game Programmer to lead the programming team. You will own architecture, set technical standards across Unreal Engine and tools, and tackle the hardest gameplay systems with ownership and clarity.

Mentor engineers at all levels, contribute to hiring, and drive cross‑system optimization and tooling improvements. You will ship AA/AAA titles while guiding code quality and performance across CPU/GPU.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in the game development industry.
• Expert-level proficiency in C++, with deep understanding of programming principles, system design, and large-scale architectures.
• Extensive experience in game programming across engine-level work and tools development.
• Deep knowledge of Unreal Engine internals and major subsystems.
• Proven track record of shipping AA/AAA titles with significant ownership over core systems.
• Strong debugging, profiling, and optimization skills across CPU and GPU, including platform-specific work.
• Demonstrated mentorship experience: growing other programmers through pair programming, code reviews, and technical coaching.
• Excellent communication and documentation skills, with the ability to explain complex concepts to engineers and non-engineers.
• Sound judgment on when to build, refactor, and when to ship as-is.
• 2+ years of console programming experience (PlayStation, Xbox).

Responsibilities

• Drive technical and architectural decisions across major systems.
• Take ownership of the most technically demanding work: deep optimization, cross-system refactors, and high-risk areas of the codebase.
• Set and uphold technical standards and best practices.
• Mentor programmers of all levels through pairing, code reviews, and technical guidance, fostering growth and unblocking complex problems.
• Own documentation and knowledge sharing for the systems and domains you know best.
• Identify, evaluate, and prototype new tools and workflows to improve the team's output.
• Contribute to hiring through technical interviews and onboarding.

Skills

C++

Unreal Engine

Game programming

Mentorship

Debugging

Optimization

Code reviews

Console programming

Tools

Unreal Engine

Job description

DECK 13 Interactive GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany is seeking a Principal Game Programmer to lead the programming team. You will own architecture, set technical standards across Unreal Engine and tools, and tackle the hardest gameplay systems with ownership and clarity.

Mentor engineers at all levels, contribute to hiring, and drive cross‑system optimization and tooling improvements. You will ship AA/AAA titles while guiding code quality and performance across CPU/GPU.