At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and implement real-time simulation capabilities for defence training using C++ and TypeScript.
- Company: Leading tech firm focused on innovative defence solutions.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic team environment with opportunities to mentor and lead.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in defence training with cutting-edge technology and collaborative projects.
- Qualifications: 4+ years in software engineering, strong C++ skills, and experience in simulation.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
As a Simulation Software Engineer, you will own substantial parts of the simulation capability that makes continent-scale defence training feel like the real world - the behaviour and interactions of pedestrians, traffic, shipping, aircraft, satellites and critical national infrastructure that populate a scenario. This is the difference between an exercise that feels like a map overlay and one that reacts to a trainee’s decisions with the emergent complexity of actual people, systems and infrastructure. You’ll shape how simulated actors decide and act, how the simulation stays coherent when partitioned across a compute cluster, and how new LLM-backed capabilities - natural language control, richer actor generation and simulated social media - are brought into the engine. Your work will ship into customer exercises, live demonstrators and integration hackathons, where the loop between building something and watching users bend it to a real problem is measured in weeks, not quarters.
You’ll work across a C++ simulation engine, a custom distribution framework, and a TypeScript/React front-end used by Simulation Operators, inside a cross-functional team of Software, QA and DevOps Engineers led by an Engineering Manager. The team is made up of experienced simulation engineers looking for a peer who can bring energy, technical leadership and a product engineering mindset. If you enjoy moving between specialisms, raising the bar for the people around you, and shipping real things for users who depend on them, this is a role where your voice will carry real weight.
Key Responsibilities- Design and implement behaviour and decision-making logic for simulated entities - pedestrians, vehicles, shipping and aircraft - in a C++ simulation engine.
- Integrate third-party simulation libraries and algorithms, maintaining enough technical intuition for their internals to combine them into a coherent system.
- Shape how simulation state and behaviour are partitioned across a distribution framework, designing for IPC, bandwidth and fidelity trade-offs up front rather than retrofitting them.
- Contribute across the web/simulation boundary, extending REST services and the TypeScript/React front-end where features reach into them.
- Write design documentation and run design reviews within your area, helping the team converge on technical direction quickly.
- Review peers’ designs and code with care, and collaborate with Product and defence stakeholders to turn customer problems into feature shapes.
- Mentor teammates through pairing, code review and knowledge sharing - raising the team’s capability in simulation craft, product engineering practice and defence domain understanding.
- Deploy and support simulation capability on-site at customer exercises, integration hackathons and industry events - working issues live alongside users and folding what you learn back into the product.
- 4+ years of software engineering experience.
- Experience working on behavioural or agent-based simulation of people, crowds or vehicles, such as game AI, VFX crowd simulation, industrial human behaviour simulation or defence CGF.
- Strong C++ experience for performance-sensitive, real-time systems.
- Working knowledge of spatial data structures, path planning, decision modelling and physical modelling of vehicle movement.
- Ability to reason about distributed simulation design - IPC, bandwidth and how to split a simulation domain across processes without breaking its behaviour.
- Ability to move comfortably between languages and layers of the stack.
- A communicative, proactive style - visible in discussions, willing to challenge and be challenged, and able to draw contributions out of teammates.
- A product engineering mindset: energised by understanding customer problems and shipping things that create real value.
- Comfortable multiplying yourself with AI-assisted development workflows.
- Able to obtain and maintain UK Security Vetted status to at least SC level.
- Prepared to attend an office in London at least once a week.
- Hands‑on experience exposing LLM-enabled product features, such as natural language interfaces, content generation or agent behaviour driven by language models.
- Rust experience, particularly for distributed or systems-level work.
- Knowledge of geospatial concepts and experience processing map data into representations suitable for simulation.
- Familiarity with the defence sector, military modelling and simulation, or wargaming.
- Exposure to Kubernetes for compute cluster orchestration.
- Prior experience as a tech lead or similar, with an interest in that pathway as the team grows.
- Interest in travelling to customer sites, hackathons and industry events.
Senior Simulation Engineer – Real-Time AI & Distributed Systems employer: Frontier Resourcing
Join a forward-thinking team where your contributions as a Senior Simulation Engineer will directly impact the realism of continent-scale defence training. With a strong emphasis on collaboration, mentorship, and innovation, our London-based environment fosters a culture of continuous learning and technical excellence, offering you the chance to work with cutting-edge technologies and grow alongside experienced professionals in a dynamic setting. Enjoy the unique opportunity to engage with real users at customer exercises and industry events, ensuring that your work not only meets but exceeds expectations.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Simulation Engineer – Real-Time AI & Distributed Systems
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with folks in the industry. Attend meetups, conferences, or even online webinars. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio that highlights your projects, especially those related to simulation or AI. Share it on platforms like GitHub or your personal website. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do before they even meet you.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions and scenarios specific to simulation engineering. Think about how you'd tackle real-world problems and be ready to discuss your thought process. We want to see your problem-solving skills in action!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive and engaged with our company. So, hit that apply button and let’s get the conversation started!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Simulation Engineer – Real-Time AI & Distributed Systems
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Simulation:When you write your application, let your enthusiasm for simulation and AI shine through! We want to see how your experience aligns with our mission to create realistic training environments. Share specific examples of your work that demonstrate your passion and expertise.
Tailor Your CV and Cover Letter:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for this role. Highlight your C++ experience and any relevant projects you've worked on that involve behavioural simulation or distributed systems. We love seeing how your skills can directly contribute to our team!
Be Clear and Concise:Keep your application clear and to the point. Use straightforward language to describe your experiences and achievements. We appreciate a well-structured application that makes it easy for us to see your qualifications at a glance.
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining our team at StudySmarter!
How to prepare for a job interview at Frontier Resourcing
✨Know Your Simulation Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of behavioural and agent-based simulations. Be ready to discuss your experience with C++ and how you've implemented decision-making logic in past projects. This role is all about making simulations feel real, so be prepared to share specific examples of how you've achieved that.
✨Show Off Your Technical Leadership
This position requires a proactive approach and the ability to mentor others. Think of instances where you've led a project or helped a teammate overcome a technical challenge. Highlight your communication skills and how you've contributed to team discussions, as this will show you're a great fit for their cross-functional environment.
✨Understand the Customer's Needs
Demonstrate your product engineering mindset by discussing how you've identified and solved customer problems in previous roles. Be ready to explain how you gather feedback and iterate on features based on user interactions. This will show that you’re not just a coder but someone who cares about delivering real value.
✨Be Ready for Technical Questions
Expect questions about distributed simulation design, IPC, and bandwidth trade-offs. Brush up on spatial data structures and path planning, as these are crucial for the role. Practise explaining complex concepts clearly, as this will showcase your ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
