At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and maintain online features for an exciting boxing game, Undisputed.
- Company: Join Steel City Interactive, a passionate team creating the first major boxing video game in over a decade.
- Benefits: Enjoy 23 days annual leave, flexible working hours, and private healthcare.
- Other info: Remote work options available, fostering a healthy work-life balance.
- Why this job: Be part of a diverse team shaping the future of gaming with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Strong experience in Unreal Engine and C++, especially with online systems.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
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. Together we are driven by ambition to bring the world of boxing into a video game like never before.
The Role
We are looking for an experienced Online Programmer to help shape the future of our boxing game, Undisputed. As we continue development in UE5, you’ll be responsible for integrating and maintaining online feature flows such as authentication, progression, matchmaking, and social systems, leveraging our backend platform. You will contribute to these interconnected and service-driven systems across both the client and service layers, requiring careful handling of state and data flow to ensure consistency between them.
You are an experienced engineer with a strong focus on integrating and operating player-facing online features, having worked on live or multiplayer titles within Unreal Engine using C++. You are comfortable working within established architectures, contributing by building, refining, and optimising online systems that connect the game client to platform and service layers.
You will be working in collaboration with a highly talented, diverse team to create reliable, scalable online experiences, with a hands-on focus on correctness, performance, and robustness under real-world conditions. This role can be based onsite at one of our 2 offices in Sheffield or Leamington Spa, hybrid or fully remote.
Responsibilities
- Design, build and maintain online feature flows including authentication, entitlements, progression, matchmaking, parties, and other service-driven systems.
- Integrate the game client with Pragma backend services, ensuring reliable and predictable data flow between them.
- Contribute to the implementation of backend service logic to support game features, including defining behaviour and data models.
- Implement and maintain data-driven systems aligned with backend service contracts and configuration.
- Identify, debug, and resolve issues across client-service interactions, including asynchronous and data consistency issues.
- Optimise systems for network efficiency, responsiveness, and minimal client performance impact.
- Take ownership of system quality, ensuring a stable and predictable online player experience.
Knowledge, Skills & Experience
- Strong experience developing in Unreal Engine using C++, with a focus on online or multiplayer systems.
- Experience integrating online services or backend platforms within a game client.
- Experience developing or contributing to backend services for online or service-based systems.
- Good understanding of common online systems such as authentication, matchmaking, progression, entitlements, and social features.
- Experience working with data-driven systems, including schemas, configuration, and service-defined data.
- Experience identifying and addressing performance issues related to network usage and latency.
- Experience developing backend services using Kotlin or other JVM-based languages would be a bonus.
- Knowledge of relational databases, particularly (MySQL), is also a plus.
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: Free parking - At our Sheffield site
- Health & wellbeing 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: 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.
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). 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.
Senior Network Programmer (Remote) in Sheffield employer: Steel City Interactive
At SCI, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of creativity and collaboration, particularly for our Remote Programmers. With flexible working options available in Sheffield or Leamington Spa, we offer a supportive environment where your contributions directly impact the development of 'Undisputed', the first major boxing video game in over a decade. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through our generous leave policies, health benefits, and learning support, ensuring you thrive both personally and professionally while working with a passionate and diverse team.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Network Programmer (Remote) in Sheffield
✨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 Steel City Interactive 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 Steel City Interactive.
✨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 Steel City Interactive.
✨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 Steel City Interactive 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 Network Programmer (Remote) in Sheffield
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 Steel City Interactive.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Steel City Interactive 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 Steel City Interactive
✨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 Steel City Interactive 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.
