Advanced Gameplay Engineer

• 10 years' relevant experience in game engineering, including rendering, engine development, systems or optimisation.
• Proven ability to operate as an Advanced Gameplay Engineer, Senior Engineer or equivalent specialist, independently delivering complex technical work.
• Strong programming skills in C++, with practical knowledge of C#.
• Specialist experience developing for Xbox, alongside familiarity with other console platforms.
• Strong understanding of real-time rendering and the relationship between visual quality, frame time and hardware constraints.
• Experience profiling and optimising CPU, GPU and memory usage on target hardware.
• Experience investigating engine and systems behaviour to identify the underlying causes of performance problems.
• Familiarity with Unreal Engine 5 and custom game engines.
• Experience developing or maintaining engineering tools and diagnostic workflows.
• Strong debugging and analytical skills, with the ability to measure and explain the impact of technical changes.
• Clear communication and collaboration skills, including working effectively with artists, technical artists and QA.

• Experience optimising open-world environments or games with complex content and scene requirements.
• Experience with rendering scalability, level-of-detail systems, visibility or asset streaming.
• Experience investigating shader costs and working with Technical Art to improve material performance.
• Experience supporting console ports or adapting engine functionality across platforms.
• Experience establishing repeatable performance tests and detecting regressions.
• Experience mentoring colleagues in profiling, rendering or console development practices.
• Experience working within co-development partnerships and established engine architectures.
• Previous shipped title(s) involving console development, rendering or performance optimisation.

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.

Please note: We welcome applicants who prefer to work from home; however, we cannot offer visa sponsorship for this opportunity at this time.

The Advanced Gameplay Engineer delivers specialist engineering work across internal projects and co-development partnerships, with a particular focus on rendering, performance optimisation and console development. The role combines engine and systems knowledge with practical diagnostic skills to help games meet their performance and visual quality requirements.

The role will initially support an open-world fantasy survival-crafting title, contributing to rendering and optimisation work across target platforms, with particular expertise in Xbox development. Responsibilities and project assignments will evolve as existing projects develop and new projects are commissioned.

Working closely with Engineering, Technical Art, Art, QA and Production, you will investigate performance problems, implement improvements and assess their impact on the wider game. You will draw on experience in console development, engines, systems and tools to resolve issues spanning rendering, gameplay and underlying technology.

The role requires independent technical ownership, evidence-based problem-solving and clear communication, alongside the ability to balance performance improvements with visual quality and maintainability.

• Own assigned rendering and optimisation work from initial investigation through to implementation and validation.
• Profile game performance on target hardware, identifying CPU, GPU and memory bottlenecks.
• Develop and refine rendering functionality, working with Art and Technical Art to support the intended visual experience.
• Optimise engine and game systems to meet agreed frame-time and memory budgets.
• Apply Xbox platform expertise to investigate hardware-specific issues and improve performance.
• Support development across other console platforms, adapting solutions to their requirements and constraints.
• Build and maintain diagnostic tools that help the team identify, reproduce and understand performance issues.
• Investigate rendering defects and technical problems spanning engine, systems and gameplay code.
• Work with QA to establish reproducible test scenarios and verify improvements without introducing regressions.
• Document findings, implementation decisions and relevant performance guidance.
• Contribute to code reviews and share specialist knowledge with other engineers.
• Communicate estimates, dependencies and technical risks, helping Production and discipline leads prioritise optimisation work.

Role ID: FLX-R110