Principal Game Engine Physics Engineer (Remote)

Placements24; Johannesburg; Hybrid; ZAR 1,800,000 - 2,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Home office stipend

Opportunity to work with cutting-edge

Professional development and industry\

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead development of our game engine physics systems in a fully remote role. You will design, implement, and optimize real-time physics simulations, mentor engineers, and shape the technical direction of the engine.

The ideal candidate has 10+ years in software engineering with 7+ years in physics programming for games, deep knowledge of C++, and hands-on experience with PhysX or Havok. Remote collaboration across teams is essential.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience with at least 7 years in physics programming for game engines or real-time simulations.
• Expert-level proficiency in C++ and OO design principles.
• Strong background in Newtonian mechanics, rigid/soft body dynamics, and collision detection algorithms.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, implementation, and optimization of advanced physics simulation systems for a proprietary game engine.
• Develop high-performance C++ code for physics calculations, collision detection, and dynamics.
• Collaborate with graphics, AI, and gameplay teams for seamless integration of physics systems.
• Profile and optimize physics code for scalability across platforms.
• Mentor junior and mid-level engineers in best practices for physics programming.
• Research and implement cutting-edge physics technologies and algorithms.
• Contribute to the technical direction and architecture of the game engine.
• Write clear, well-documented, maintainable code.
• Identify and resolve complex physics simulation challenges.
• Stay updated on the latest game physics and real-time simulation developments.

Skills

C++ expert

Physics programming

Multithreading

Mentoring

Remote collaboration

Performance optimization

Education

Master’s degree or PhD in CS/Physics

Tools

PhysX

Havok

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead development of our game engine physics systems in a fully remote role. You will design, implement, and optimize real-time physics simulations, mentor engineers, and shape the technical direction of the engine.

The ideal candidate has 10+ years in software engineering with 7+ years in physics programming for games, deep knowledge of C++, and hands-on experience with PhysX or Havok. Remote collaboration across teams is essential.