Principal Character Tech Programmer

Location

• Tisdale
• Remote

Studio

A stealth mode AAA developer/publisher. Renowned for creating exceptional gaming experiences, the studio is currently working on its first major title, a fully funded AAA project already several years into development, with several years remaining until release.

Project

AAA open‑world action‑adventure co‑op game to be released on all next‑gen platforms.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement gameplay‑driven character systems, covering areas such as movement, combat logic, hit responses, physical simulation, IK solutions, and AI animation integration.
• Partner with Animation and Tech Art teams to support complex animation setups, including layered animation, full‑body IK, locomotion blending, and performance capture workflows.
• Optimise character systems for runtime efficiency across animation, physics, and rendering, focusing on memory usage, tick performance, and system complexity.
• Develop multiplayer‑safe character functionality that ensures consistency and responsiveness in co‑operative gameplay.
• Integrate and leverage UE5 features such as Control Rig, Chaos Physics, and Animation Blueprints for maximum fidelity and scalability.
• Contribute to the development of tools and workflows that empower artists and designers to iterate efficiently on character content.
• Provide mentorship and technical leadership to engineers focused on character systems, ensuring clean architecture and best practices.
• Support debugging, testing, and iteration processes across departments throughout production and polish phases.

Skills and Experience

• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in character‑focused programming or gameplay engineering within the games industry.
• Credited on at least one shipped AAA title where you played a key role in building or supporting character or animation systems.
• Advanced knowledge of Unreal Engine (UE4 or UE5) and expert‑level proficiency in C++, with practical experience in Blueprints and animation graph integration.
• Deep understanding of skeletal mesh systems, physics integration, animation performance bottlenecks, and runtime optimisation.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with creative and technical teams to deliver high‑fidelity characters that perform reliably in a live runtime environment.
• Experience developing for multiplayer or online co‑operative games.

Benefits

• Unlimited PTO
• Full private healthcare & pensions

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