Lead Engineer, Side
More information about location
Video game development services
Be an early applicant
Video game development services
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
More information about location
1001+ employees
Company mission
To help studios bring their vision to life and make every gamer's experience as perfect as possible.
Role
Who you are
- We are looking for someone with a background as a Lead Engineer or Technical Director, with professional experience in engineering roles in games or related tech fields
- Shipped at least two titles on PC, console, mobile, or VR/AR with Unreal Engine
- Experience in one or more areas such as gameplay, AI, tools, systems, engine, animation tech, backend services, cloud, or DevOps
- Proficiency in C++, C#, Python, or equivalent languages
- Hands-on Unreal Engine expert, with solid experience in Unity and proprietary engines
- Familiarity with source control, debugging tools, performance profiling, and agile workflows
What the job involves
- We're looking for a Lead Engineer / Technical Director to help drive both project success and engineering excellence across our co-development engagements. This role is to start work as the Lead on one of our live projects, maturing into a department leadership role in the future., whilst still maintaining project activity
- This is a role for an experienced engineer who is equally comfortable leading a project team in a hands-on manner, leading by example, mentoring developers, and building strong cross-discipline relationships. You'll play a key role in shaping technical solutions for our clients while helping grow and strengthen the engineering practice within Side
- If you're an Unreal expert who thrives in collaborative environments and enjoys balancing technical leadership with people leadership, we'd love to hear from you
- Lead engineering efforts across active co-development projects
- Partner closely with production, design, art, QA, and client stakeholders to deliver high-quality experiences
- Provide technical direction, identify risks early, and drive pragmatic solutions throughout development
- Communicate technical trade-offs clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences
- Support estimation, planning, and execution throughout the project lifecycle
- Contribute hands-on to development when needed, particularly within Unreal Engine
- Architect and review gameplay systems, tools, integrations, and performance-critical features
- Guide teams through debugging, profiling, optimization, and technical problem-solving
- Support projects across multiple engines and technologies where required
- Ensure code quality, maintainability, scalability, and performance standards are consistently met
Application process
- Only resumes submitted in English will be considered
Salary benchmarks
Our take
Video game development is a complex process that requires teams of artists, programmers, testers, voice actors, and other specialists to allow the game to launch successfully. However, sourcing and hiring such specialists and coordinating teams can be a time-consuming task, particularly for cross-platform and multilingual games.
Side (previously PTW) provides cross-platform video game development services for publishers, focused on offering end-to-end services from art production and game development to localisation and data collection. The company differentiates itself from similar agencies by focusing heavily on localisation, ensuring that every game has been designed to meet QA for localised standards such as slang, culture, holidays, taboos, food, and more.
Whilst Side certainly faces competition from other video game development agencies and freelance service providers, its experience working on high-profile titles like Star Wars Outlaws and Silent Hill 2 sets it apart. This impressive portfolio puts Side in a position for future success, as it has clearly demonstrated its ability to contribute to the development of major games that meet the expectations of players around the globe.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
6% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Company HQ
London, UK
Leadership
Deborah Kirkham
(CEO)During their tenure, Side has expanded to over 3,500 employees, achieved double-digit profit growth, and consistently delivered year-over-year success.
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