Principal Programmer – 12 Month Contract

d3t is at the forefront of videogame technology and creativity, delivering experienced co-development services to some of the biggest AAA clients in the world. Our studio, part of the global Keywords Studios Group, works on multiple exciting projects at any one time, offering plenty of variety and involvement.

Our studio projects have included EA SPORTS FC™ 26, Hogwarts Legacy, Exoborne, Mafia: The Old Country, Alan Wake Remastered, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Vampire The Masquerade – Blood Hunt, Mafia II: Definitive Edition, and Assetto Corsa Competizione. We also work in partnership with our global clients including: Playground Games, EA and Archetype Entertainment.

The d3t studios are based near Daresbury (Cheshire), Newcastle (Tyne & Wear) and Madrid where we offer an amazingly professional and supportive working environment. We are passionate about what we do and pride ourselves on our anti-crunch mentality, mentoring ethos and have been awarded ‘Best Places to Work’ multiple times by gamesindustry.biz. In addition, we won ‘Best Creative Service Provider’ at Develop 2022 and were nominated in 2023 & 2024.

THE ROLE - Principal Programmer – 12 Month Contract

We are looking for a Principal Programmer to join our world class Engineering Team. At d3t we expect our programmers to be generalists, able to adapt to any technical challenge, but also play to their strengths and passions.

A Principal Programmer at d3t works alongside our Tech Directors and Leads to form the experienced core of the department. Our Principal Programmers can expect to take ownership on large, complex and interesting technological challenges for our high-profile clients around the globe on a variety of projects from AAA new IP and world renowned franchises to ports, remasters, remakes and embedded co-dev.
At this time we are particularly looking for Principal Programmers with professional experience in at least two of the following engines: Proprietary, Unreal, Unity or Frostbite and experience/ ownership in any of the following: UI / Animation / Physics / Core Tech / Systems / Gameplay / 3Cs / Vehicle Physics.

This will be a 12 month fixed-term contract (with potential extension), based in either of our UK studio sites (Daresbury or Newcastle), on a hybrid working basis. The working pattern is 3 days per week in the studio: Wednesday, Thursday and another day of your choice.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Researching, owning, implementing and delivering large systems autonomously and as part of a team.
• Work on a variety of projects and low-level programming challenges, across PC and consoles.
• Take on the most complex programming tasks and bugs.
• Communicating and collaborating with multiple disciplines to deliver work on time, to spec and to a high standard.
• Work closely with local teams and global clients to gather requirements and update on progress.
• Support less experienced members of the engineering team through advice, code reviews and calls.
• Technical point of contact or lead on small projects or teams reporting to production and engineering leadership.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS:

• Experience: 10+ years
• Languages: Expertise in many including C++
• Engines: Experienced with commercial and bespoke game engines
• Knowledge: Developed large scale systems in any of (e.g. animation, gameplay, UI, physics, networking, memory, animation, core tech, graphics, profiling etc.)
• Technology: IDEs, source control, build infrastructure
• Confidence: Will take on any challenge or responsibility
• Dependability: Works autonomously, flexibly, proactively and to deadlines
• Growth: A desire to continually update knowledge and expertise
• Teamwork: Enjoy working as part of a team and supporting others as well as being the initial person working with clients on small teams. 
• Communication: Able to clearly discuss technical detail, solutions and progress with multiple disciplines including non technical developers and clients. 
• Documentation: Able to write clear and detailed technical plans, schedules and usage documents to the highest standard. 

DESIRABLE SKILLS:

It would be great, but not essential, if you have experience in any of the following:

• Knowledge of render tech
• Released games
• Low level console development
• Full development cycle
• Porting games
• Tools development
• Build and infrastructure
• Small team or sub team leadership

TEAMMATES:

Hear from our Principal Programmers, Richard Britt, and Richard Bloor on their experiences at d3t by clicking below:

STUDIO BENEFITS & PERKS:

• 25 days holiday (+ bank holidays & up to 5 days extra for length of service)
• Company Pension Scheme
• Flexible working hours
• Private Medical Insurance Scheme (including dental) – BUPA
• Eye Care Scheme
• Anti-crunch ethos – a professional, fun and supportive working environment!
• Income Protection
• Discretionary Annual Bonus
• Free Parking
• Tech, Bike + Console Scheme
• Company Socials, Monthly Lunches & Annual d3t Events
• Breakout Areas – filled with perks such as games, BBQ area, complimentary snacks to suit all dietary preferences etc.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Interviews will be held by video call.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Not a problem – please apply. At d3t we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace and culture. If this opportunity excites you but your current skills or past experience don’t align perfectly with the job description, we encourage you to still apply. You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles within our team.

At d3t we work flexibly, but value in-person collaboration: this position is offered on a hybrid basis only at either of our UK sites (3 days per week in the studio: Wednesday, Thursday and another day of your choice). We value work/life balance and have a discretionary flexible hours system and operate a no-crunch policy as a studio.

Apply Now

PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY

d3t is strongly committed to protecting your personal information. By sending your CV/Resume, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and consent to your data being managed and retained in accordance with our data privacy and retention policy.

We will keep your personal details on file for 6 months and they will not be kept longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it is being retained. If you prefer that your personal details are not retained then please advise.