UI Programmer in Sheffield

About Steel City Interactive

SCI was born out of passion for video games and boxing, with the ambition to create an authentic and exciting boxing game that does justice to the sport we love. What started as a fun prototype has grown into ‘Undisputed’, the first major boxing video game in over a decade. SCI is a welcoming place for expression and open communication, where everyone has a voice. We’re a diverse bunch, consisting of people with decades of games industry experience, graduates and talented individuals who come from other industries. We all bring knowledge and learn from each other. Together we are driven by ambition to bring the world of boxing into a video game like never before.

The Role

You are an experienced Gameplay Engineer with a strong focus on UI and front-end game systems, having worked on player‑facing features within Unreal Engine using C++, UMG and Common UI as part of scalable cross‑platform interface development. You are comfortable working within established gameplay architectures, contributing by building, refining, and optimising systems that support core game flows, progression, and player interaction. We’re looking for a talented Engineer to help shape the future of our boxing game, Undisputed. As we continue development in UE5, you’ll be responsible for building, refining, and optimising UI and gameplay systems, ensuring intuitive, responsive player experiences across menus, game modes, stats, and progression. These systems are data‑driven and interconnected, requiring careful handling of state, flow, and consistency across the player journey. You will be working in collaboration with a highly talented, diverse team to create world‑class player‑facing features, with a hands‑on focus on usability, performance, and system robustness. This role can be based onsite at one of our 2 offices in Sheffield or Leamington Spa, hybrid or fully remote.

Responsibilities

• Build, refine, and optimise player‑facing systems including UI, game modes, progression, and stat tracking.
• Develop responsive, intuitive interfaces using UMG and Common UI, ensuring clarity, consistency, and a high standard of usability.
• Implement and maintain data‑driven systems that support game flow, player progression, and feature scalability.
• Work within established architectures to extend and improve gameplay systems, ensuring reliability, maintainability, and consistency.
• Integrate gameplay systems with wider game features, ensuring cohesive behaviour across the player experience.
• Manage and maintain consistent game state across UI flows, game modes, and progression systems.
• Ensure correctness, consistency, and reliability of gameplay systems across a wide range of scenarios and edge cases.
• Optimise systems to ensure efficient performance and responsiveness across all player‑facing features.
• Identify, debug, and resolve issues across UI and gameplay systems, maintaining a high level of quality and polish.
• Take ownership of system quality, ensuring a robust and polished player experience.
• Collaborate closely with design, art, and engineering to deliver cohesive, high‑quality features.
• Communicate progress and technical considerations clearly, supporting team alignment and delivery.
• Contribute to the ongoing improvement of workflows, tools, and technical approaches within gameplay systems.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Strong experience developing gameplay systems in Unreal Engine using C++.
• Experience building UI using UMG, with a solid understanding of layout, flow, and responsiveness.
• Working knowledge of Common UI, with experience building scalable cross‑platform UI flows and input handling management.
• Good understanding of data‑driven development and how to structure and maintain gameplay data.
• Strong understanding of gameplay systems architecture and how player‑facing systems integrate into the wider game.
• Experience working within and extending established architectures while maintaining code quality and stability.
• Ability to write clean, maintainable, and efficient code within a shared codebase.
• Applies sound technical judgement when implementing and refining gameplay systems.
• Experience identifying and addressing performance bottlenecks in UI and gameplay systems.
• Ability to reason about complex systems, including state management, data flow, and feature interactions.
• Attention to detail in handling edge cases and ensuring consistent behaviour across varied gameplay scenarios.
• Good communication and documentation skills, with the ability to work effectively with designers and artists and clearly explain constraints and trade‑offs.
• Self‑driven, proactive, and detail‑oriented.
• Good problem‑solving ability, with a focus on player experience and usability.
• Familiarity with debugging and profiling tools in Unreal Engine.
• Understanding of performance considerations for UI and gameplay systems.

What we Offer

• Healthy work‑life balance: 23 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), that increases 1 day per year of service, up to a maximum of 30 days.
• Christmas shut down.
• Holiday exchange programme.
• Flexible working hours & pattern (Certain Hybrid models available).
• Support for family life: Enhanced Maternity and Paternity pay (subject to eligibility requirements).
• Private Healthcare which includes Optical & Dental.
• Great office environment: Friendly studios based in Sheffield and Leamington, with free snacks, fruit and drinks! Free parking - At our Sheffield site.
• Health & wellbeing support: Company sick pay, 2 days Wellbeing Days leave per year, Access to 24/7 doctors, Employee Assistance Programme.
• Learning support: Learning days.
• Additional financial support: Technology scheme (salary sacrifice up to £750), Relocation benefits (subject to eligibility requirements), Electric Car Vehicle Scheme (subject to eligibility requirements), Discretionary Bonus.
• Connection and perks: Wrap parties & company paid outings, Individual entertainment budget to cover team events.

Steel City Interactive is an equal opportunity employer. We’re committed to building a diverse team and welcome all applications, considering them without regard to race, religion, belief, age, gender, gender expression, gender identity, gender reassignment, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, sex or sexual orientation. If you’re excited about this role and believe you would add value to our team, but don’t meet every single requirement, we would still like to hear from you – please let us know about the value you would bring in your application.

NOTICE TO APPLICANTS

Please be aware that all applications for roles submitted through our website will be managed by our external recruitment partner, Amiqus. While they will handle the processing and management of your application, your data will remain securely stored within our Applicant Tracking System (ATS). We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the confidentiality of your personal information. By submitting your CV through our website, you give your permission for your application to be managed by Amiqus and to be contacted by them on SCI’s behalf.