Lead Programmer - Unreal

Who We Are

At Cast Iron Games, we build technically ambitious games in a calm, focused environment, where every team member has a voice. Based in Tileyard North, we collaborate with high quality partners on high-quality projects, guided by clarity, consistency, and mutual respect.

We're a young and growing studio delivering AAA games. Our experienced team has contributed to some of the industry's biggest AAA and independent titles, and we're building a supportive, balanced environment where great work happens without crunch.

We’re now looking for a Lead Programmer, with Unreal experience, to focus on performance, optimisation, and platform delivery, someone who can guide technical problem- solving, support team growth, and help us ship confidently across multiple platforms.

The Role

In this role, you’ll work across codebases to identify performance issues, resolve low-level technical challenges, and lead the team in shipping games that meet platform standards and run smoothly on real hardware.

Youʼll collaborate with production, QA, art, and other engineers to profile builds, tackle bottlenecks, and ensure we meet platform compliance requirements. You’ll also provide technical leadership, mentoring others, setting quality standards, and ensuring robust code makes it into builds across all platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical performance efforts across projects. CPU/GPU profiling, optimisation, and memory tuning

• Collaborate with QA and other engineers to debug and fix runtime issues (performance, crashes, hitches, etc.)

• Guide the team in preparing and shipping builds for multiple platforms (console and PC)

• Work closely with production to ensure compliance, certification, and platform-specific requirements are met

• Own technical planning for platform deliverables

• Mentor junior and mid-level engineers, supporting skill growth and autonomy

• Review code and provide constructive feedback to ensure quality, performance, and maintainability

• Collaborate with design and art teams to assess performance impact of content and tools

• Help shape our engineering practices and tech culture with humility and clarity

What We’re Looking For

Technical Experience

• Extensive experience working in Unreal 4 or 5 on shipped or late-stage games

• Proficiency in C++, Blueprints, and Unrealʼs component-based architecture

• Strong experience with profiling tools (e.g., Unreal Insights, RenderDoc, PIX, platform SDK tools)

• Working knowledge of threading, memory management, and system bottlenecks

• Hands-on experience debugging and optimising across multiple hardware platforms

• Familiar with console and PC platform APIs, submission requirements, and compliance challenges

• Comfortable using Perforce or similar source control, and task/bug tracking tools such as Jira

Leadership & Communication

• Experience leading a team or acting as a technical point of contact

• Confident breaking down work, estimating scope, and managing risk

• Able to collaborate across disciplines to resolve cross-functional technical issues

• Committed to fostering a collaborative, respectful, and supportive engineering culture

• Skilled at giving clear feedback, both technical and developmental

Bonus Points

• Shipped a title using Unreal 4 or 5 on console such as Xbox, PlayStation, Switch

• Familiar with platform certification processes (TRCs/XRs/LOTs)

• Experience supporting late-stage optimisation or porting projects

• Built tooling or automation to support QA and build processes

• Comfortable navigating platform abstraction layers or writing hardware-specific logic

Why Cast Iron Games

• A people-first studio with a clear focus on craft, clarity, and collaboration

• A high-trust team where experience is valued and voices are heard

• A respectful, experienced team with a strong engineering culture

• The opportunity to ship performance-optimised, cross-platform games you're proud of

• Projects that offer real variety. Different game engines, new challenges, constant growth

• Creative surroundings at Tileyard North, with a supportive creative community

• Competitive salary, flexible hours and professional development support

• Opportunities to lead with clarity, autonomy, and real impact

• No crunch. No egos. Just good code, good people and good games

What to Expect / Key Benefits

• Start your day any time between 8:00am and 10:00am

• 35 working hours per week with a 1-hour lunch break (with the opportunity to flex down to 30 minutes or up to 2 hours)

• 25 days annual leave + 8 days bank holiday

• 1 day leave for your birthday and 1 day leave if you're moving house

• Length of service increases are 1 day per year of service up to maximum of 8 additional days

• Up to 8 days discretionary annual leave during our end of year break

• Potential for annual performance bonus

• Free breakfast options, juice, hot drinks and fruit

• Employee referral bonus (up to £2000!)

• Group Life Assurance – 4 x annual salary payable to nominated beneficiaries through an expression of wishes form.

• Income Protection – covers you up for up to 50% of monthly salary for 2 years (after a 26 week deferred period, i.e. when SSP runs out)

• Critical Illness Cover – lump sum of 1 x annual salary on diagnosis of a critical illness

• Cycle to Work Scheme

• EV & Hybrid Car Scheme

• Tech Purchase Scheme – split the cost of Tech or Home electronics through salary deduction, interest free

• Healthcare Cash plan – claim back the cost of everyday healthcare, dental, physio, chiropractor, opticians, podiatry etc

• Private Medical Insurance with Vitality

• Reward Gateway with cashback and discounts on 900+ retailers

• Employee Assistance Programme including Virtual GP service

• Wellbeing Centre based on Mind, Move, Munch and Money