Lead Programmer

Black Ember Games, an all-new development team within Xsolla, is seeking a Lead Programmer to guide our five-person gameplay engineering team building an asymmetrical multiplayer FPS using Unreal Engine 5.

Our small internal team operates with an indie mindset, fueled by our passion for games. We're a diverse,  lively group dedicated to exploring new ideas within genres we love to play. We enjoy a hybrid work model, collaborating in our central Berlin and Novi Sad offices. Full remote is a possibility.

As the Lead Programmer, you will establish technical standards for game development, playing a crucial role in every technical aspect of the process. This includes setting processes and standards, as well as selecting and guiding the implementation of all external development solutions.

You possess exceptional programming skills and serve as a go-to resource for less experienced colleagues. Your responsibilities include:

Leading personnel (official personnel responsibility).

Leading the architectural design of the game.

Advising Producers, Studio Leadership, and HR on technical matters.

Maintaining an "Open door policy" and delegating sufficient work to ensure availability for team members and external colleagues with technical questions.

Actively contributing to the title, getting hands-on with the code, while guiding the team.

• Technical Vision: Own the game's technical vision, communicating risks early in development.
• Code Quality: Write readable code and mentor others in code readability.
• Architecture: Act as the final authority on architectural decisions.
• Integration and Testing: Ensure our pipeline is set up so that our development team is never left asking which branch is stable or where to go for latest.

• Team Cohesion: Foster a productive and cohesive team environment.
• Mentorship: Coach direct reports through regular 1:1s, and mentor junior colleagues using deep technical understanding of the codebase.
• Standards: Set code conventions and prioritize the end product.
• Recruitment & Onboarding: Review candidates and onboard new programmers.
• Task Management: Support Producers in assigning tasks.

• Possess extensive game knowledge for production reference, while remaining open to learning.
• Prioritize the player/user when developing features.

• 5–8+ years professional game-programming experience with lead/manager experience (≥1 year) and at least one shipped PC/console title in Unreal Engine.
• Deep Unreal Engine (UE5/UE4) knowledge plus system/engine architecture capability.
• Strong modern C/C++ skills; able to set standards, do code reviews, and deliver maintainable, optimized code.
• Blueprint proficiency alongside UE C++; comfortable extending editor/tools.
• Networking/multiplayer experience (replication, dedicated servers).Lead a code team, mentor engineers, plan roadmaps, manage risk, and be the technical point of contact with production/clients.
• Excellent cross-discipline communication and stakeholder alignment. 
• Fluent English communication (written and verbal).

• Knowledge of Gameplay Ability System (GAS), AI/animation/physics depth, or specialization in rendering/tools
• Perforce/Jira/Horde; build & packaging pipeline know-how.

At Xsolla, we are passionate about providing a conducive environment for our team to thrive personally and professionally. Our Benefits Program caters to the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of our full-time employees.

Understanding the detrimental effects of burnout, we offer unlimited Flexible Time Off and 28 paid holidays each year. Personal and professional development is a cornerstone of our ethos at Xsolla. Each employee has a personalized career roadmap, developed in partnership with their manager, aligning individual and company goals. We support this growth through in-house training, independent study, conference attendance, and higher education opportunities.

About company

Xsolla is a global video game commerce company with a robust and powerful set of tools and services designed specifically for the video game industry. Since its founding in 2005, Xsolla has helped thousands of game developers and publishers of all sizes fund, market, launch and monetize their games globally and across multiple platforms. As an innovative leader in game commerce, Xsolla's mission is to solve the inherent complexities of global distribution, marketing, and monetization to help our partners reach more geographies, generate more revenue and create relationships with gamers worldwide.

Headquartered and incorporated in Los Angeles, California, with offices in Berlin, Seoul, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, and cities around the world, Xsolla supports major gaming titles like Valve, Twitch, Roblox, Ubisoft, Epic Games, KRAFTON, Nexters, NetEase, Playstudios, Playrix, miHoYo, Pearl Abyss, NCSoft, and more.

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