Division Principal Game Programmer (Unreal Engine, AI)
Job Description
WHAT YOU WILL BE WORKING ON
What you will focus on
This role exists because reactive execution is no longer enough. The OTT programming division needs a technical authority who can shift the team's positioning from "a team that delivers what it is asked to build" to "a technical partners that other studios actively seek out because of the value it brings to a game's success." That shift requires someone who can set a long-term technical vision, build scalable production ecosystems across mobile, PC, and console, and drive focused R&D; including applied AI in game development, while simultaneously ensuring flawless deliveries across multiple live and co-development projects.
The real challenge is dual: you are building toward the future while keeping current production healthy. You will need to anticipate what partner studios will need before they ask, identify and close skill gaps across a team of around 35 to 40 programmers, and establish the kind of technical standards that make this studio a reference point across the organization, not just a capable executor.
What it means on a daily basis
• Monitor the technical health of multiple concurrent projects, working closely with technical leads to surface risks early, prevent bottlenecks, and keep deliveries on track.
• Define and enforce studio-wide coding standards, architectural patterns, and engineering workflows, and drive their adoption across programming teams.
• Lead high-impact R&D; initiatives, with particular focus on AI applied to game development, and ensure successful integration of outcomes into production pipelines.
• Provide hands-on technical guidance and mentoring to programmers, conducting periodic competency assessments and building clear development paths.
• Act as the primary technical counterpart for co-development partner studios, aligning on architecture, tooling, style guides, and Unreal toolchain standardization across shared pipelines.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Game Design, Art, and Production to improve how programming integrates with other disciplines and contributes to overall product quality.
• Strategic resource planning and project allocation in partnership with the Studio Technical Director.
What success will look like
Within your first year, you will have made a visible and assessable impact on at least one co-development project or on a strategic technical mission defined in alignment with the studio's long-term vision. That impact will be confirmed through calibration with multiple stakeholders across the organization, not through self-assessment alone.
Who you would be working with
You will report to the Studio Technical Director and operate across a programming department of around 35 to 40 people, spanning multiple seniority levels and allocated to live service and co-development projects on mobile, PC, and console platforms.
Your key collaborators include department heads and team leads across Game Design, Art, and Production, as well as Studio Directors and the Studio Manager. You will also work directly with Technical Managers and Technical Directors from co-development partner studios.
Your recruitment journey
• Screen Call with a Recruiter
• First Interview with the Studio Technical Director and Division Principal/Manager
• Second Interview with Studio Manager and HR Director
• Final interview with a Technical Director from a sister studio
Where this role can take you
If the opportunity arises and the qualifications are in place, this position is a direct pathway to the Studio Technical Director role. That outcome is not guaranteed, but it is a realistic evolution for the right person.
Requirements
Department: TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP
Function: Information Technology
Experience Level: Not Applicable