Senior Tools Programmer

Frontier; Cambridge (MA); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Private family healthcare

Enhanced maternity/paternity leave

Cycle to Work scheme

Job summary

Frontier, located in Cambridge, is seeking an experienced STG Tools programmer who will develop and maintain in-house tools for their game engine, Cobra. This position offers a hybrid work model and requires strong C# programming skills along with effective collaboration with UX teams.

You'll join a passionate team in a supportive environment focused on delivering high-quality games. The role offers a competitive salary, benefits including flexible working hours, and comprehensive relocation support if needed.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of maintainable systems with documentation and unit tests.
• Ability to manage competing demands and maintain effective workflows.
• Experience supporting complex software packages.

Responsibilities

• Create and support the development tools for game production.
• Work alongside UX team for effective workflow design.
• Mentor and guide junior programmers in their growth.

Skills

C# / .NET programming

WPF / XAML skills

Analytical and problem solving skills

Communication and collaboration skills

Job description

Frontier is an independent video game developer and publisher, crafting immersive gaming experiences with fun gameplay and unparalleled artistic quality. Renowned for its iconic creative management simulation games, Frontier captivates players worldwide with immersive and authentic game worlds. The modern studio is located in the vibrant technology hub of Cambridge (UK). The talented team at Frontier are dedicated to nurturing our existing portfolio and delivering our exciting future roadmap.

This role is offered on a full in-studio basis or a hybrid basis (minimum 3 days per week in the studio). We can provide a comprehensive relocation support package as part of any offer, should you need to relocate.

WHAT’S THE ROLE?

Our Shared Technology Group (STG) is primarily responsible for developing and maintaining our in‑house engine Cobra. They also serve as a group of domain experts to advise game teams on technical problems, best practice and use of Cobra for their games.

STG Tools are responsible for the custom tools associated with the Cobra engine, working closely with programmers and content creators to understand and influence how assets are built, how the runtime game uses them, and what processes are used to create our games.

As part of STG Tools you will develop and support Cobra with cross‑project and project‑specific tools and processes. You will contribute ideas for how to extend Cobra to deliver great workflows for content creators working on game teams, and collaborate with other programmers within STG and within projects to determine how the tooling and runtime components fit together. As an experienced specialist STG Tools programmer you will focus your efforts on tools development and assist specialists in other areas to understand the code they develop to complement those tools.

You will work closely with the STG Tools User Experience (UX) team to design our tools and workflows and with a Technical QA team to maintain stability.

You will contribute directly to Cobra and its supporting pipelines, take ownership of proprietary tools used with Cobra‑based games, and promote best‑use of existing tools for game development.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

• Creating and supporting the development tools that we use to build games.
• Working with the UX team to design effective workflows and development pipelines.
• Writing user and technical documentation that evangelise tools and guide users to solid solutions.
• Providing mentoring and guidance to more junior programmers to support their growth.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

• Passion for working on tools that will be used by many different users across a wide range of disciplines.
• Exemplary analytical and problem solving skills.
• Strong communication, documentation, and collaboration skills.
• Strong understanding of how to write maintainable systems, including structure, documentation, and unit tests.
• Ability to effectively manage competing demands for your time.
• Advanced knowledge of C# / .NET programming.
• Solid WPF / XAML skills.
• Experience in the creation and support of complex software packages.

BONUS IF YOU HAVE

• Proven requirements capture and product support skills.
• Experience in the creation of detailed user and technical documentation.
• Experience collaborating with UX designers and Technical QA testing.
• Experience of staff mentoring.
• Experience with contemporary game creation tools and workflows.
• Experience with scripting languages (Lua, Python).
• Experience with data format languages (XML, JSON, EDN, FBS, ...)

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

You will work with talented and passionate people to support, develop or publish our sophisticated and enduring games, in a creative, collaborative and inclusive environment. We love what we do, and we work hard to provide outstanding experiences for our players.

Wellbeing is a big focus at Frontier, and we are continually evolving how we can support our people. We encourage a healthy work/life balance and provide a range of wellbeing activities, initiatives and sessions to support both mental and physical health.

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, which includes a success‑based annual bonus, share option schemes, life assurance, private family healthcare, flexitime working hours, enhanced maternity/paternity leave, in‑house subsidised catering, support with relocation, a Cycle to Work scheme, free bike servicing, and social activities and events.

We strive to create an environment where everyone can fully demonstrate their capability and potential. If you therefore need any reasonable adjustments to support you during the recruitment process, please speak to your Talent Acquisition representative.

For queries, please email: [e-mail]