At a Glance
- Tasks: Build high-performance server infrastructure for epic AAA mobile games.
- Company: Join Pixel Toys, a leading mobile gaming studio in Leamington Spa.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, 25 days leave, private medical insurance, and more!
- Other info: Flexible work environment with great career growth and regular team socials.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on innovative games while collaborating with passionate teammates.
- Qualifications: Expertise in C#, server application development, and cloud platforms like AWS.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 65000 £ per year.
This Full time on site position offers great opportunities for career growth. Based in the heart of Leamington Spa, Pixel Toys have spent over a decade pushing the capabilities of mobile gaming. We have developed multiple award-winning titles, including: Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realm War; and we’re now excited to be exclusively working on a new game, unlike anything we’ve done previously!
As a Senior Server Engineer at Pixel Toys, you will be a technical guardian of our next-gen backends, building the high-performance infrastructure that powers our epic AAA mobile title. You will step into a position of significant influence, collaborating with your peers to set studio-wide standards, define robust processes, and drive our technology forward in an ever-evolving market. In our flexible and creative environment, you won’t just follow a spec; you will contribute your own architectural vision to create sophisticated, efficient server systems that can handle the demands of a global player base.
Your work will be the invisible backbone that allows our games to shine, as you work in lockstep with Designers, Artists, and client Developers to integrate and optimise critical game technologies. Taking full ownership of the planning and development for entire features and complex systems, you will confidently ensure that every line of code is as stable as it is performant. Much of your impact will come from your ability to create thorough technical designs that invite peer validation, ensuring that quality is baked into the product from day one. You will dive deep into profiling and optimising critical code, identifying performance bottlenecks and security risks before they ever impact the user experience. On top of this, you will serve as a vital mentor to junior team members, advocating for coding best practices and fostering a culture of continuous learning. By leveraging your years of experience to accurately estimate tasks and proactively mitigate risks, you will be the steady hand that ensures our sprint goals are met and our technical debt remains low.
You will join us as a seasoned engineering veteran, ideally bringing years of professional server application development to the team. Your mastery of C# is matched by a deep, architectural understanding of coding patterns and methodologies that allow you to build for both scale and longevity. You will possess a diverse technical palette, with hands-on experience across a wide variety of database solutions, including DynamoDB, Redis, and AWS RDS; along with a thorough knowledge of cloud platforms like AWS. You are also someone who values observability, bringing familiarity with monitoring tools like Datadog, Kibana, or PagerDuty, and have a firm grasp of CI/CD pipelines using tools like Jenkins, Codebuild, or Spinnaker.
In an Agile environment, you stand out as a creative problem solver who approaches every challenge with a proactive, 'can-do' attitude. As an exceptional communicator, you are capable of distilling complex server architecture into clear, actionable insights for stakeholders across all disciplines. Your commitment to technical quality is unwavering, and you take pride in your ability to troubleshoot and resolve intricate compatibility issues with precision. Above all, you are fueled by a genuine passion for the art of game making and a desire to stay at the cutting edge of C# .NET and server security. You are a self-motivated team player who doesn’t just deliver code, but excellence, helping to elevate the standard of the entire engineering department.
At Pixel Toys we are proud of the progressive, inclusive, and collaborative working environment we have created; a place where everyone has the opportunity to be themselves and is welcomed and valued for who they are and what they contribute. We have some fantastic benefits we offer our employees:
- Competitive salary, reviewed annually
- 25 days annual leave, excluding bank holidays
- Discretionary Bonus Scheme
- Up to 3 additional long service days (duvet days!)
- Private Medical Insurance (including optical and dental)
- Company Pension scheme
- Death in Service benefit
- Regular socials including epic summer and Christmas parties!
- Staff training and development
- Quarterly Wellness days (On-site massages and more)
- Flexi-time working hours
Senior Server Programmer at Pixel Toys in Royal Leamington Spa employer: Pixel Toys
At Pixel Toys, we pride ourselves on fostering a progressive and inclusive work culture that values creativity and collaboration. Located in the vibrant town of Leamington Spa, our team enjoys competitive salaries, generous annual leave, and a range of benefits including private medical insurance and wellness days. With a strong focus on employee growth and development, we empower our staff to contribute their unique talents while working on exciting, award-winning mobile games in a flexible environment that encourages innovation.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Server Programmer at Pixel Toys in Royal Leamington Spa
✨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 Pixel Toys 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 Pixel Toys.
✨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 Pixel Toys.
✨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 Pixel Toys 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 Senior Server Programmer at Pixel Toys in Royal Leamington Spa
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 Pixel Toys.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Pixel Toys 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 Pixel Toys
✨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 Pixel Toys 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.
