At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and mentor a talented graphics team while pushing the boundaries of rendering technology.
- Company: Join Double Eleven, a leading independent video game developer in the UK.
- Benefits: Flexible hours, competitive salary, professional development, and a vibrant workplace culture.
- Other info: Enjoy a dynamic work environment with excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on high-profile projects with cutting-edge graphics technology.
- Qualifications: Strong leadership skills and expertise in C++ and modern graphics APIs.
The predicted salary is between 56250 - 68750 £ per year.
Description
We’re looking for a Lead Graphics Programmer to join our award winning team in Middlesbrough (UK), home to the beautiful North Yorkshire coastline and countryside.
As the Lead Graphics Programmer, your primary focus will be leading, mentoring, and guiding a talented graphics team to push forward the rendering technology that powers our custom graphics engine used on an exciting, high profile project.
While this is a hands-on role where you will contribute directly to the codebase, your fundamental responsibility is to empower your engineers and ensure the successful delivery of next-generation rendering features.
Working closely alongside the Technical Director and other discipline leads, you will collaborate to set the engine-level rendering strategy and ensure technical alignment across the project.
Furthermore, you will act as the primary point of contact for our external clients, proudly representing the graphics team in critical discussions with external partners, hardware vendors, and internal stakeholders to ensure our rendering solutions meet and exceed project demands.
Double Eleven is one of the largest independent video games developers and publishers in the UK.
Headquartered in Middlesbrough, we employ over 400 people across our UK and Kuala Lumpur studios.
We are incredibly proud to partner with some of the world’s leading developers and publishers, including Rockstar Games, Obsidian Entertainment, Mojang, Bethesda Game Studios and Facepunch.
As a global games company, we've collaborated to create new worlds in The Outer Worlds 2, helped deliver unforgettable experiences for players of Red Dead Redemption, enabled millions to battle in Rust Console Edition and created new adventures in Fallout 76.
Double Eleven is more than a place to work, we are deeply values-driven in all that we do and we know that we are at our best when our people feel fulfilled.
We offer flexible working hours to allow you to truly enjoy work/life balance and always strive to deliver a workplace experience like no other.
We regularly bring our people together to connect and have fun through our many different events, parties and hobby-based clubs.
On this occasion, we’re unable to sponsor a visa for this role.
What you’ll be doing
On a daily basis, your focus will be on the success and direction of your team, supported by targeted hands-on technical execution. Your core responsibilities will include:
- Team Management & Mentorship: Serve as the leader for the graphics team.
You will conduct 1:1s, guide career development, coordinate workloads, and mentor engineers to upskill them in modern rendering paradigms.
- Lead Technical Direction: Drive the rendering strategy in close collaboration with the Technical Director, engineering leadership, and production.
- Client & Stakeholder
Communication: Act as the primary technical point of contact for external clients, hardware vendors, and internal partners, translating complex technical jargon for non-technical audiences and managing expectations.
- Cross-Discipline Collaboration: Work closely with the art team to align visual goals with technical solutions and ensure assets meet strict performance and memory budget targets.
- Targeted Hands-on Implementation: Maintain hands-on involvement by coding critical graphics technology.
- Performance & Optimization
Oversight: Guide the team in profiling and optimizing the entire rendering pipeline.
You will set memory and performance budgets and assist in diagnosing GPU/CPU bottlenecks.
- Technology Strategy: Evaluate and guide the integration of modern rendering technologies
- What we’re looking for
- Proven
Leadership: Extensive experience managing and guiding engineers, coordinating workloads, and successfully owning significant graphics or engine-level systems in a cooperative, cross-functional environment.
- Communication: Strong communication skills, and the ability to work effectively in a co-dev environment.
- Strong C++ & GPU Programming: Demonstrably strong C++ skills in a large shared codebase, alongside deep knowledge of common shader languages, Shader Model 6 and HLSL/GLSL.
- Modern Graphics APIs: Extensive experience with modern graphics APIs (Direct X 12, Vulkan) and modern GPU driven rendering.
- Ray Tracing: Deep, practical knowledge of DXR/Vulkan ray tracing, BVH acceleration structures, path tracing and denoising techniques..
- Applied Mathematics: Strong foundation in 3D math, linear algebra, geometry, and calculus as they apply to graphics rendering pipelines.
- Physically Based Rendering (PBR): Proven experience with PBR pipelines, the lighting equation, Micro-Facet BRDFs and Global Illumination systems.
- Advanced Debugging: Exceptional debugging skills to help your team effectively track, diagnose, and solve complex rendering issues.
- Considered a bonus
- AAA Experience: Experience working on AAA game engines or large-scale real-time rendering systems.
- Console Architecture: Familiarity with console-specific graphics APIs and hardware architecture (Play Station 5, Xbox Series, Switch).
Qualifications
- All relevant qualifications considered
- What to expect
- Working life at Double Eleven
- 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)
- Opportunity to apply for hybrid working
- (up to 2 days working from home per week)
- 28 days annual leave (20 days annual leave + 8 days bank holiday)
- 1 day leave for your birthday and 1 day leave if you’re moving house
- Up to 10 days discretionary annual leave during our end of year break
- A brand new, state-of-the-art studio facilities that includes a market hall serving nutritious, subsidised meals, round-the-clock gym access, an auditorium and more
- Subsidised market hall with food, freshly prepared daily by our in-house hospitality team
- Free breakfast options, juice, hot drinks and fruit.
- Employee referral bonus (up to £2000!)
- Electric Car Scheme
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Free game codes, game swag and merchandise
- Family-friendly leave available
- Christmas Saving Scheme
- Free parking
- Best-in-class tools and workflows so you can focus on creativity
- Recognising your contribution - award schemes
- Annual Profit Share
- Length of Service
- Annual High Performer Award
- Professional development and wellbeing
- Vitality Private Healthcare, discounts and rewards for you, your spouse and children (upon the successful completion of your 6 month probationary period)
- Access to mental health and wellbeing support via Plumm (includes 4 free video therapy sessions per month for both the employee and up to 3 family members aged 18+), unlimited text therapy, courses, meditations
- A personalised development plan with dedicated support tailored to your growth and goals
- Access to an accredited Academy providing professional qualifications (and access to 500 UK discounts and offers via TOTUM when registered as a student)
- A dedicated Workplace Experience team responsible for work environments, workplace and quality of employee life services to help foster collaboration, creativity and innovation
- In-studio wellbeing programmes and People team support
- Team life
Free activities via our Bus Tours programme (where on occasion, partners and children are welcome to join you)
- Many team events to celebrate team and game milestones
- Sponsored team activities including football, basketball, book club, movie club and more
- Opportunity to contribute to our internal Employee Diversity and Equality Network
- Ways to reach us
If you have a general query or if you need support with your application and/or an alternative way to apply, please do not hesitate to contact our Talent team at Double Eleven
Lead Graphics Programmer in Middlesbrough employer: Double Eleven
Double Eleven is an exceptional employer located in the vibrant town of Middlesbrough, offering a dynamic work culture that prioritises creativity and collaboration. With flexible working hours, generous leave policies, and state-of-the-art facilities, employees enjoy a healthy work-life balance while being part of an award-winning team that values personal and professional growth. The company fosters a supportive environment with numerous opportunities for development, recognition, and well-being, making it an ideal place for passionate individuals to thrive in the gaming industry.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Graphics Programmer in Middlesbrough
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Double Eleven or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Double Eleven.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Double Eleven.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Double Eleven that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Graphics Programmer in Middlesbrough
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Double Eleven.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Double Eleven and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Double Eleven
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Double Eleven uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
