At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead technical development in Unity and shape the future of our games.
- Company: Join Secret Level Studios, an independent game development studio with a passion for quality.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, flexible hybrid working, and 25 days holiday.
- Other info: Collaborative culture focused on continuous improvement and technical excellence.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on exciting projects while mentoring and guiding a talented team.
- Qualifications: Experience in Unity and C#, with a track record of shipping commercial game titles.
The predicted salary is between 40000 - 50000 £ per year.
We are looking for an experienced and passionate Technical Lead to join Secret Level Studios and help drive the development of our current and upcoming projects.
As Technical Lead, you will play a key role in shaping the technical direction of our games, working closely with design, production, and art teams to deliver high-quality player experiences.
You will be responsible for maintaining technical standards across projects, guiding other developers, and ensuring our technology supports both the creative vision and long-term goals of the studio.
This is an opportunity to help shape the future of a growing independent studio, influencing not only our games but also the technology, tools, and development practices that will support them for years to come.
This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who enjoys solving complex technical challenges while helping a team grow and succeed.
Responsibilities
- Technical Leadership
- Lead technical development using Unity, designing, implementing, and maintaining core game systems.
- Define and champion technical standards, coding practices, and architectural decisions across projects.
- Drive the development of scalable and maintainable systems that support long-term development and re-use across multiple projects.
- Balance technical requirements with gameplay, design, and production needs.
- Provide technical direction and guidance across multiple projects within the studio.
- Development & Implementation
- Develop gameplay systems, tools, UI systems, and supporting technology.
- Collaborate closely with designers, artists, and producers to bring features from concept to implementation.
- Evaluate, prototype, and implement new technologies, workflows, and development tools.
- Identify technical risks early and work with production to develop mitigation strategies.
- Ensure projects maintain strong performance, stability, and scalability throughout development.
- Mentor and support junior and mid-level developers.
- Conduct code reviews and provide constructive technical feedback.
- Help improve team skills through knowledge sharing and technical guidance.
- Foster a collaborative development culture focused on quality and continuous improvement.
- Work closely with other disciplines to remove technical blockers and improve workflows.
- Performance & Optimization
- Champion performance optimization across gameplay systems, rendering, memory usage, and loading times.
- Profile and troubleshoot performance issues on target platforms.
- Ensure technical solutions remain efficient, maintainable, and production-friendly.
- Support platform certification, release preparation, and post-launch technical requirements where needed.
- Contribute to long-term technical planning and studio-wide development practices.
- Help evaluate project feasibility, technical scope, and development estimates.
- Work alongside production and leadership to ensure projects remain technically feasible within schedule and budget constraints.
- Support the studio's growth by helping improve pipelines, workflows, and development processes.
Requirements
Essential skills & experience
- Significant professional experience developing games using Unity and C#.
- Proven track record of shipping one or more commercial game titles.
- Deep understanding of software architecture, clean code practices, and maintainable system design.
- Experience developing gameplay, systems, UI, and technical features within Unity.
- Experience mentoring developers and leading technical initiatives.
- Strong debugging, problem-solving, and analytical skills.
- Excellent communication and collaboration abilities.
- Ability to balance technical excellence with practical production realities.
- Highly desirable
- Experience with procedural generation systems.
- Experience developing multiplayer or networked gameplay systems.
- Experience creating custom tools and editor workflows.
- Familiarity with PC and console development pipelines.
- Strong understanding of profiling, optimization, and performance analysis.
- Experience supporting projects through release and post-launch development.
- Interest in game design and contributing to gameplay discussions.
- Passion for cosy games, ARPGs, farming games, strategy games, simulation games, or related genres.
- Important to us at SLS
- Technical systems are robust, maintainable, and support the long-term needs of the project.
- Developers have clear technical guidance and consistently improve through mentorship.
- Performance and stability targets are achieved throughout development.
- Technical risks are identified and addressed before they impact project delivery.
- Designers and artists can work efficiently because of strong tools and workflows.
- Projects are delivered with a solid technical foundation that supports future growth and content development.
- The development team operates with confidence, consistency, and technical excellence.
- About Secret Level Studios
Secret Level Studios is an independent game development studio based in Letchworth Garden City.
We develop original IP alongside co-development projects, creating high-quality games for PC and consoles.
We are currently developing multiple exciting projects and are looking for talented people who are passionate about making great games.
What we offer
- Competitive salary (depending on experience).
- Flexible hybrid working.
- Company pension.
- 25 days holiday + bank holidays.
- Opportunity to influence the technical direction of a growing studio.
- Location & working arrangement
This role follows a hybrid working model
- Two days per week in our Letchworth Garden City office (Tuesday and Wednesday).
- Three days per week working remotely.
- Candidates must be comfortable working within this arrangement.
- #J-18808-Ljbffr
Tech Lead (Unity) employer: Secretlevelstudios
Secret Level Studios is an excellent employer for creative professionals seeking to make a significant impact in the gaming industry. With a flexible hybrid working model and a supportive environment that fosters artistic growth, employees are encouraged to innovate while collaborating closely with talented teams. The opportunity to shape the visual direction of exciting projects in a vibrant location like Letchworth Garden City makes this studio a unique and rewarding place to work.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Tech Lead (Unity)
✨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 Secretlevelstudios 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 Secretlevelstudios.
✨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 Secretlevelstudios.
✨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 Secretlevelstudios 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 Tech Lead (Unity)
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 Secretlevelstudios.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Secretlevelstudios 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 Secretlevelstudios
✨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 Secretlevelstudios 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.
