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-R112

The Senior Principal Gameplay Engineer provides technical direction and specialist engineering expertise across internal projects and co-development partnerships. The role combines deep networking knowledge with experience in architecture, systems development and optimisation to resolve complex challenges and guide sustainable technical decisions.

The role will initially support a realistic motorsport racing simulation, contributing to game systems, networking and underlying technology. Responsibilities and project assignments will evolve as existing projects develop and new projects are commissioned.

Working closely with Engineering, Design, QA and Production, you will shape technical approaches, develop critical systems and support engineers working across complex areas of the codebase. You will draw on extensive experience in console development, porting, profiling and tools to improve reliability, performance and maintainability.

The role requires strong technical judgement and clear communication, alongside the ability to connect long-term engineering strategy with practical delivery. You will remain directly involved in implementation while mentoring colleagues and guiding decisions across teams.

• Shape technical direction for assigned systems and workstreams, aligning architectural decisions with project requirements and delivery constraints.
• Design, implement and maintain networking systems that support reliable multiplayer functionality.
• Investigate complex networking defects, including issues involving synchronisation, latency, connectivity and data flow.
• Develop and review system architectures, defining clear interfaces and managing dependencies between components.
• Establish practical technical strategies for improving reliability, maintainability and performance.
• Profile game and engine systems, identify bottlenecks and guide optimisation work using measurable evidence.
• Support console development and porting, adapting systems to platform constraints and resolving compatibility issues.
• Develop tools and diagnostic workflows that improve engineering efficiency and make difficult problems easier to investigate.
• Apply test-driven development where appropriate and guide effective testing and validation practices.
• Provide technical mentoring and code review, helping engineers evaluate trade-offs and resolve complex problems.
• Work with QA to define reproducible test scenarios and verify fixes across supported configurations.
• Communicate technical risks, dependencies and implementation options to discipline leads and Production.
• Document significant architectural decisions and share engineering practices that benefit the wider team.

• 15+ years’ relevant experience in game engineering, including substantial contributions to networking, systems architecture and technical direction.
• Proven experience operating as a Principal Engineer, Senior Principal Engineer, Technical Lead or equivalent, guiding complex technical work and influencing engineering decisions.
• Specialist knowledge of network programming and multiplayer systems, including diagnosing and resolving network-related issues.
• Strong programming skills in C++ and C#, with extensive experience in software design, architecture and debugging.
• Experience defining technical strategies and translating them into achievable implementation plans.
• Strong profiling and optimisation skills, including investigating performance and resource usage across interconnected systems.
• Experience developing engineering tools and diagnostic functionality.
• Practical experience with test-driven development and maintainable, testable system design.
• Experience with console development and porting, including adapting systems to different hardware and platform requirements.
• Familiarity with Unreal Engine 5 and custom game engines.
• Strong mentoring, collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to explain technical decisions across disciplines.

• Experience developing networking or game systems for racing, simulation or other latency-sensitive multiplayer games.
• Experience investigating behaviour under varying network conditions and designing appropriate recovery mechanisms.
• Experience supporting console certification and resolving platform-specific technical issues.
• Experience modernising established systems while maintaining compatibility with existing functionality.
• Experience guiding engineering standards or architectural improvements across multiple teams.
• Experience working within co-development partnerships and integrating with unfamiliar codebases and workflows.
• Previous shipped title(s) involving networking, console development, systems architecture 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.