Lead Game Programmer — Remote, Mentor & Innovate

Placements24; East London; Hybrid; ZAR 1,976,000 - 2,964,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote

Competitive salary + bonuses

Health, dental, vision insurance

Generous paid time off

Professional development resources

Hardware/home office stipend

Job summary

Placements24’s client, a globally recognized game development studio with a remote-first culture, seeks a Lead Game Programmer to drive innovation and technical excellence across their portfolio.

You will lead a team of remote programmers, mentor juniors, and collaborate with designers and artists to turn creative visions into high-quality gameplay. Qualifications include Unreal Engine/Unity, strong C++/C#, and a track record of shipping titles.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in CS, Game Development, or related field.
• Extensive experience as a Game Programmer with shipped titles across platforms.
• Proven lead or senior programmer with mentoring experience.
• Deep understanding of Unreal Engine or Unity.
• Expertise in C++ and/or C# with strong OO design.
• Experience in AI, physics, networking, or graphics.
• Strong debugging, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a remote team of game programmers.
• Architect, develop, and optimize core game systems (gameplay, AI, physics, networking).
• Collaborate with designers and artists to implement features.
• Write clean, maintainable C++/C# code.
• Conduct code reviews and enforce coding standards.
• Stay updated with latest game development tech.
• Manage timelines and deliverables.
• Champion innovation within the programming team.

Skills

Team leadership

Game programming

Cpp/C#

Engine architecture

Remote collaboration

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS / related field

Tools

Unreal Engine

Unity

Git/Perforce

Job description

Placements24’s client, a globally recognized game development studio with a remote-first culture, seeks a Lead Game Programmer to drive innovation and technical excellence across their portfolio.

You will lead a team of remote programmers, mentor juniors, and collaborate with designers and artists to turn creative visions into high-quality gameplay. Qualifications include Unreal Engine/Unity, strong C++/C#, and a track record of shipping titles.