Lead Software Engineer - UI

Studio Overview

We are Sports Interactive. The studio behind Football Manager. Founded in 1994, Sports Interactive became a wholly owned subsidiary of SEGA Europe in 2006. Based at the Here East technology hub in Stratford, East London, the SI team continues to expand as we bring our titles to an ever‑growing audience across an increasing variety of platforms. To support our growth, we welcome the opportunity to connect with passionate people with the drive to match our ambitions and initiative to realise your individual potential.

Position Overview

We are seeking a Lead Software Engineer (UI) to provide technical leadership for the UI engineering discipline on Football Manager. This role is responsible for the technical direction, quality, and delivery of UI systems, tooling, and workflows, working closely with production, design, QA, gameplay, and core technology teams. This is a working lead role: you will combine hands‑on engineering with mentoring, technical decision‑making, and day‑to‑day leadership of UI engineers. While you will guide and support other engineers, this role does not focus on studio‑wide architecture ownership.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for UI engineering, ensuring high‑quality, maintainable, and performant UI systems across all supported platforms.
• Own and evolve UI‑related systems, tools, and workflows within Unity, improving iteration speed, reliability, and developer experience.
• Collaborate closely with UI design, production, gameplay, core tech, and QA to deliver cohesive, end‑to‑end user experiences.
• Lead by example through hands‑on development, code reviews, and adherence to engineering best practices.
• Mentor and support UI engineers at varying levels, helping to grow technical capability and promote good engineering habits.
• Contribute to planning and prioritisation with production, ensuring UI technical work is well understood, scoped, and delivered on time.
• Identify technical risks and opportunities within the UI domain and proactively propose solutions.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and knowledge‑sharing within the UI engineering team.

Knowledge, Skills, And Experience

• Significant professional experience developing complex UI systems in Unity using C#.
• Strong understanding of UI architecture, data binding, performance considerations, and cross‑platform delivery.
• Proven experience providing technical leadership, mentoring, and guidance to other engineers.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate across disciplines.
• Experience shipping and supporting large, long‑lived codebases.
• Experience developing or maintaining internal UI tooling.
• Familiarity with accessibility considerations and usability best practices.
• Experience working on live or frequently updated products.

Benefits Of Working At Sports Interactive

• Private Healthcare and Dental Plans.
• A range of Gym Membership options through our Benefits partners.
• Travel Insurance for yourself and your family.
• Subsidised mental health, therapy, and coaching sessions are available.
• Access to our on‑site physical and massage therapist services.
• Free access to games released under the SEGA Europe umbrella.
• Contributory Pension Scheme (up to 7% of annual salary).
• Regular events in collaboration with our partnered football clubs.
• Free onsite evening bar in our London HQ.
• A well‑stocked breakfast bar with cereals, fruits, teas, and coffees.
• Multiple clubs and societies to join e.g., book club and art workshops.
• Your club’s shirt personalised upon passing probation.
• Trophies and gift cards for length of service milestones.
• Cupcakes delivered on your birthday.

What is it like to work here?

We approach everything with passion, whether that is making our mark on the football industry or doing our bit for the world around us. We want to share that outlook with everyone who shows up to work here each day. For us, talent wins games, but teamwork wins titles. All our roles require a level of studio attendance to help us collaborate effectively and stay connected as a team. Collaboration is the key to constantly topping our best. Everyone’s contribution counts, no matter which part of the business you are in. We encourage and support our people in driving your own growth and realising your full potential. And, more than anything else, we are a team. And whether that’s technical tweaks or fine‑tuning our creative process, everything is geared at producing the best game possible for our players. To do that, we need to be tenacious and ambitious and not be afraid of switching things up. It is these principles that have enabled us to produce a game that has defined year after year, and that will continue to push us for many more to come.

We’re also a London Living Wage employer and boast one of the lowest staff turnover rates in the industry. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from any relevant candidate irrespective of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion, or belief. SI is proudly a Disability Confident Committed employer, and we are dedicated to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible. Our studio has disabled access and facilities but please ensure you advise us if you require any other reasonable adjustments to be made to support you during the recruitment process.

Our Values

• Keep collaborating: Teamwork wins titles – Here, ideas belong to everyone, whatever department you’re part of. Collaboration lets us score more as a team than we could individually.
• Be flexible: We think fast and adapt faster. The football and entertainment worlds never stand still, so we keep progressing and switching things up to stay ahead.
• Stay Tenacious: We don’t overlook the details. Everything we do is about producing the best game possible, in other words, never settle.
• Show Ambition: Let your drive lead the way – Your individual outlook can give everyone the edge. Make the studio’s purpose personal and let your drive lead the way.
• Bring the Passion: Have fun doing your thing – Don’t be fooled, what we do is not a game. Making our players’ passion come to life is our passion.
• Consider the Bigger Picture: Keep things in perspective – We want our impact to be a positive one. From built‑in work/life balance to initiatives covering the most important topics of today, we have what matters in focus.