Lead Gameplay Developer

The systems that define how players interact with the world, each other, and the game's core mechanics are built by gameplay engineers. We need a Lead Gameplay Developer who can own the technical implementation of our core gameplay systems and build the engineering team that delivers them.

You will report to the CTO and manage a growing team of gameplay engineers. You will make technical design decisions, stay hands-on with implementation, and represent the gameplay engineering discipline across the studio in production planning, design reviews, and resourcing decisions.

We are in early production. The studio has been running for three years, but core gameplay systems including combat, traversal, abilities, progression, and multiplayer interaction are still being architected and prototyped. You will be making foundational technical decisions that define how the game feels, scales, and evolves over years of live service.

Your Role

People Leadership and Team Development

• Manage a growing team of gameplay engineers as the team scales through production: set priorities, assign work, balance workload, and run regular 1:1s focused on progress, career development, and honest feedback.
• Lead performance reviews and goal setting aligned to production milestones and individual development plans. Identify skill gaps and address them through coaching, stretch assignments, or training.
• Represent the gameplay engineering discipline in cross-discipline leads meetings, production planning, and resourcing conversations. Advocate for team needs and capacity.
• Foster a team culture of technical rigour, clean code practices, and collaborative problem solving.
• Support hiring as the team grows: contribute to job descriptions, design technical assessments, and participate in interview loops.

Gameplay Systems and Implementation

• Own the technical design and implementation of core gameplay systems in Unreal Engine 5, including combat, traversal, abilities, player interaction, and progression mechanics.
• Architect gameplay systems for a persistent MMO context: server-authoritative logic, client prediction, ability replication, and state synchronisation across distributed server infrastructure.
• Collaborate closely with game design and level design to translate design intent into robust, tuneable, and extensible gameplay code. Build systems that designers can iterate on without requiring engineering support for every change.
• Stay hands-on with C++ and Blueprint implementation. Build, profile, and iterate alongside your engineers, establishing technical quality benchmarks and code architecture patterns.
• Work with animation, VFX, and audio teams to integrate gameplay systems with presentation layers: ability visuals, hit feedback, audio cues, and UI responses.

Technical Architecture and Performance

• Define coding standards, architecture patterns, and review processes for gameplay code. Ensure the codebase remains maintainable and extensible as the team and feature set grow.
• Profile and optimise gameplay systems for MMO-scale performance: tick budgets, replication bandwidth, ability processing in dense combat scenarios, and memory management.
• Collaborate with online services and network engineering to ensure gameplay systems work reliably under real-world latency and server load conditions.
• Work with production to manage scope, schedules, and task breakdowns for gameplay engineering work. Contribute to milestone planning, sprint scoping, and capacity forecasting.
• Use playtesting observations and telemetry data to identify technical issues with gameplay feel, responsiveness, and fairness., Central Employment are working in partnership with a leading manufacturer of electronic products to the Health and Social care sectors. They have an opportunity for a Regional Business Development Manager, to join their dedicated Telecare division covering the North of..., Front End Developer - FinTech - Newcastle (Tech stack: Front End Developer, React, TypeScript, Websockets, SignalR, Containers, Orchestration, UX, Usability, Programmer, Developer, Architect, Front End Developer) Our client is a cutting-edge FinTech company with a..., Business Development Manager - Flat Roofing (EPDM Systems) Reporting to: Managing Director Locations: - Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Surrey - Bristol Area - Manchester Area - Southeastern Scotland Our client is a market-leading UK distributor of premium flat roofing...

• Proven experience in game development, with at least one shipped title in a gameplay engineering or gameplay lead role.
• Proven experience of direct people management: running 1:1s, setting goals, conducting performance reviews, and developing team members.
• Strong C++ proficiency with production experience in Unreal Engine, including Gameplay Ability System, replication, and Blueprint integration.
• Experience building gameplay systems for multiplayer or online games, with a working understanding of server authority, client prediction, and state replication.
• Demonstrated ability to translate game design concepts into well-architected, extensible, and performant code.
• Strong communication and documentation skills, with proven experience collaborating across disciplines (design, art, animation, audio, network) to ship integrated gameplay features., * Experience shipping at least one MMO or persistent online world from production through live service.
• Experience with Unreal Engine's Gameplay Ability System (GAS) at scale, including custom ability tasks, gameplay effects, and attribute sets.
• Familiarity with AI systems for NPC behaviour, encounter scripting, or enemy design.
• Experience with data-driven design approaches where designers author gameplay content through configuration rather than code changes.
• Exposure to anti-cheat considerations and exploit mitigation in competitive or economy-driven multiplayer games., * You lead by investing in people. You find genuine satisfaction in watching your team grow and you actively develop the engineers around you.
• You care about how systems feel to the player, not just whether they function correctly. Frame data, input responsiveness, and gameplay feel matter to you.
• You are comfortable working through ambiguity. Early production means not everything is defined yet, and you see that as an opportunity to shape the right technical approach.
• You balance technical elegance with delivery pragmatism. You know when to architect for the future and when to prototype quickly to validate design.
• You work autonomously in a remote environment, proactively keeping your team aligned and your stakeholders informed.
• We are committed to making our hiring process accessible. If you require reasonable adjustments at any stage, please let us know., Lead C# Developer / Backend Software Engineer (C# .Net) Newcastle onsite to £150kDo you have expertise with backend C# combined with strong technical leadership skills?You could be joining a well-funded Fintech scale-up that is establishing a technical centre of excellence...

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At Couch Heroes, we're exploring new ground for the MMO genre. In a world where fantasy and ancient technology intertwine, players explore shattered realms, grapple across verticality, solve puzzles, and push back corruption, with progression driven by player expression and discovery. We envision bridging generations of gamers, creating a space where both coexist and journey together. We're developing in Unreal Engine, in early production, with a team spanning multiple countries. We're remote-first, based in the UK, and scaling to support a multi-year live-service roadmap. We value autonomy, curiosity, and collaborative ownership, and we're looking for creators who want to help build something from the ground up. Sound like your kind of thing? We should talk., Couch Heroes have partnered with Skillsearch on this hire. Jack is leading the search directly with the studio leadership, so feel free to reach out to him at jb@skillsearch.com. He will be your point of contact throughout. Looking forward to connecting!, Senior Employment Solicitor - Legal Supervisor & Practice Development Lead Join Monaco Solicitors - the UK's Leading Employee-Only Employment Law Firm If you're looking for a meaningful shift from traditional firm structures, this is it. A modern environment with clear..., Astute's Nuclear team is partnering with a world leader in the field of cable and pipe seals and is looking to recruit a Sales Development Representative (North) to join their growing business. The Sales Development Representative is key to developing both new and existing..., A leading engineering and professional services firm is seeking a Technical Director to support the Development team in Newcastle upon Tyne. This role involves identifying new business opportunities and managing relationships with public and private sector clients. The..., ️ Training and Development Consultant Home Based Competitive Salary Our client is a leading wealth management firm who are seeking an experienced Training & Development Consultant to support the ongoing professional growth of their advisers and paraplanners. As a...