Senior Principal Gameplay Engineer

UK Remote or West Midlands-based / Full-Time Contractor

Please note: We welcome applicants who prefer to work from home; however, we cannot offer visa sponsorship for this opportunity at this time.

Role ID: FLX-R107

The Senior Principal Gameplay Engineer provides technical direction and specialist engineering expertise across internal projects and co-development partnerships. The role combines hands-on development with architectural decision-making, technical leadership and mentoring to resolve complex challenges and improve engineering quality across teams.

The role will initially support a realistic motorsport racing simulation, with a particular focus on UI/UX engineering and console development. Responsibilities and project assignments will evolve as existing projects develop and new projects are commissioned.

Working closely with Engineering, Design, Art, QA and Production, you will guide the technical design and delivery of player-facing systems, console adaptations and supporting tools. You will draw on experience in systems architecture, procedural workflows, optimisation and porting to develop solutions that meet both player needs and platform requirements.

The role requires strong technical judgement, clear communication and the ability to guide teams through difficult engineering decisions while remaining directly involved in implementation and troubleshooting.

• Shape technical direction for assigned systems and workstreams, balancing player experience, maintainability, performance and delivery requirements.
• Lead the technical design and implementation of UI systems and interaction flows, working closely with Design and Art to deliver usable, responsive interfaces.
• Guide console adaptation and porting work, identifying platform constraints and coordinating solutions across engineering disciplines.
• Develop and review system architectures, establishing clear interfaces and practical patterns for implementation.
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring, helping engineers resolve complex problems and strengthen their design and debugging practices.
• Apply test-driven development where appropriate and promote effective testing, code review and validation practices.
• Profile and optimise game systems, investigating performance and memory issues across target platforms.
• Support console certification readiness, working with QA to investigate and resolve issues against applicable technical requirements.
• Develop and improve procedural workflows and tools, drawing on Houdini and engine-based systems where appropriate.
• Design and maintain in-game editing and customisation systems, considering usability, data handling and integration with gameplay.
• Investigate difficult defects spanning UI, gameplay, engine and platform functionality.
• Communicate technical strategy, dependencies and risks to leads and Production, supporting realistic planning and informed decisions.
• Identify engineering improvements that can benefit multiple teams and support their adoption through documentation and practical guidance.

• 15+ years’ relevant experience in game engineering, including substantial technical leadership and complex systems development.
• Proven experience operating as a Principal Engineer, Senior Principal Engineer, Technical Lead or equivalent, guiding technical decisions and supporting other engineers.
• Strong programming skills in C++ and C#, with extensive experience in software architecture, technical design and debugging.
• Strong experience with UI/UX engineering, including implementing player-facing interfaces and connecting them to underlying game systems.
• Experience developing for consoles and supporting porting, platform adaptation and technical compliance work.
• Practical experience with Unreal Engine 5, Unity and custom game engines.
• Strong profiling and optimisation skills, with the ability to investigate performance constraints and evaluate trade-offs.
• Experience with test-driven development, automated testing and maintainable system design.
• Experience developing procedural systems and workflows, including practical use of Houdini.
• Experience implementing in-game editors, game customisation systems or comparable interactive tools.
• Strong leadership, mentoring and communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical decisions across disciplines.

• Experience developing racing, simulation or other performance-sensitive games.
• Experience adapting interfaces and interaction flows for console controllers.
• Experience supporting console certification submissions and resolving platform-specific issues.
• Experience defining engineering standards or guiding technical improvements across multiple teams.
• Experience balancing hands-on specialist work with team leadership and delivery coordination.
• Experience working within co-development partnerships and integrating with established technology and workflows.
• Previous shipped title(s) involving console development, porting, UI systems or technical leadership.

What We Offer:

Based just outside Birmingham, Flix is made up of welcoming, passionate, active gamers that support one another in all aspects of development. We offer you to:

• Join a friendly, nurturing work environment with the opportunity to build games as part of an extremely talented, ambitious studio.
• Work on market-leading AAA titles and IP with globally reputable studio and publisher partners.
• Be part of a sustainably growing game developer studio as we consciously expand our team and projects on a case-by-case basis.
• Learn within an independent studio across a wide range of projects and opportunities both internal and external.

Application:

Please send through your portfolio and cover letter. If your examples are from previous works with another studio, please make sure samples are cleared for release by copyright owners. Links to an online portfolio are preferable, otherwise we accept showreels via Dropbox or other secure sharing platforms.

Send your application to – careers@flixinteractive.com

If you love making games and you would like to contribute to a team and project where your drive and skills will be welcomed and encouraged, then we would love to hear from you.

GDPR COMPLIANCE – When applying for this job you’re authorising Flix Interactive to store your application information and distribute it to the appropriate email inboxes of senior team members in order to review your role eligibility.

Your application will be stored on a private cloud based online system for processing. If you would like us to update, delete or refine your application please email info@flixinteractive.com. Your request will be appended within 30 days of receiving your email.

Please note – In compliance with GDPR law your data will be used for recruitment purposes only. We are unable to accept candidates requiring visa sponsorship for this opportunity at this time.

Flix Interactive Ltd is an equal opportunities employer committed to inclusion and diversity. We welcome applications from all suitable candidates regardless of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity status, race, religion or belief, and marriage or civil partnership status. We also encourage applications from underrepresented groups in the gaming industry.