Senior Build Engineer in Horsham

Senior Build Engineer in Horsham

Horsham Full-Time 55000 - 65000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
The Creative Assembly

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Drive technical improvements in build systems and support game development teams.
  • Company: Join Creative Assembly, a leader in crafting immersive games.
  • Benefits: Enjoy flexible work options, enhanced holidays, and comprehensive health coverage.
  • Other info: Hybrid role with opportunities for professional growth and mentorship.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on game development while collaborating with talented teams.
  • Qualifications: Strong experience in build systems and programming skills in C++.

The predicted salary is between 55000 - 65000 £ per year.

Join Creative Assembly and craft deep and detailed games that last, entertaining millions of players across the globe for decades.

The role

Creative Assembly’s Total War Infrastructure Team is seeking a Senior Build Engineer to drive technical improvements and contribute to the architecture of our build systems, toolchain, CI and automated testing infrastructure that supports all Total War development teams. This is a high-impact role. Your work will directly influence developer productivity, CI stability, build cadence, automation reliability and the studio’s ability to deliver multiple large-scale projects in parallel across multiple platforms. We are looking for someone who not only delivers but also drives technical priorities, someone who can see where the platform needs to evolve and make those changes happen.

You will work closely with build engineers, tools programmers, automation teams, IT, QA and multiple game teams across the studio. As a senior engineer, you will be expected to lead initiatives, shape technical standards, mentor others and act as a point of escalation for complex issues across the infrastructure space. This is a hybrid role. We’re looking for someone who can be in the Horsham studio 3 days per week to collaborate closely with the team and stay connected to on-site workflows.

What you’ll be doing

  • Own and drive the evolution of CA’s multi-project build pipelines, including pre-submit, post-submit, scheduled tests, console and PC workflows.
  • Define and drive improvements in CI reliability, error detection, logging standards and quality guardrails in CI.
  • Strengthen the development and reliability of deployment pipelines that deliver builds to internal teams, QA and external platforms, ensuring consistent and repeatable releases across all target destinations.
  • Design, build and maintain backend services such as build storage infrastructure, symbol servers, archiving systems and dashboards, ensuring they scale with studio demand.
  • Write and review production-ready code, primarily in C++ and C#, setting expectations for quality, maintainability and testing.
  • Join the rotating weekly support responder role to triage build/test issues across all infrastructure channels.
  • Establish key metrics and dashboards that surface issues early, track reliability trends and demonstrate measurable improvement over time.
  • Identify bottlenecks in hardware utilisation, storage strategy, CI capacity and build roadmap to address them.
  • Support other engineers, contributing to knowledge sharing, documentation and improved engineering practices.
  • Work with the automation team to integrate comprehensive quality gates into CI workflows, ensuring fast and actionable feedback for development teams.

What we are looking for

Essential

  • Strong experience designing, operating and improving build systems, CI/CD pipelines or DevOps platforms at scale.
  • Strong programming ability in C++, plus C# or an equivalent scripting language.
  • Deep debugging skills across complex multicomponent systems.
  • Experience with console automation (PS5/Xbox).
  • Experience with online store APIs (e.g. Steam/MS).
  • Familiarity with Perforce or similar version control systems in large team environments.
  • Familiarity with branching strategies and their application in large-scale, multi-project environments.
  • Strong communication skills, with the ability to influence across disciplines and engineering leadership.
  • Comfortable balancing hands-on technical work with broader architectural thinking.

Desirable

  • Experience with hardware build farms, build node provisioning and cost-effective on-prem resource management.
  • Strong understanding of build storage, archiving strategies and performance constraints.
  • Experience with large-scale CI environments.
  • Experience in improving tooling UX, dashboards, and workflow automation.

ABOUT CREATIVE ASSEMBLY

We care deeply about the experiences we create and put our players at the heart of our decisions. We are all game makers; no matter our role we are empowered to make significant contributions to our games, supported by skills development and growth opportunities.

Most roles at Creative Assembly are hybrid; what this looks like will be discussed during the interview process. For many teams, this is 3 days a week in the studio. CA has the right to change requirements based on the needs of the business.

We offer many benefits to support you and your family including:

  • Work from Anywhere for a temporary period each year (restrictions apply such as VISAs)
  • Enhanced holiday allowance, maternity and paternity breaks, flexibility with our core hours, and no-notice holidays
  • Bespoke relocation package for you and your dependents
  • Private medical and dental insurance, life insurance, permanent health insurance, critical illness cover and free health care screening
  • Additional benefits ranging from free games and work parties to discount on technology
  • Wellbeing support and virtual confidential counselling

We are an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief. Our studio sites have disabled access.

Senior Build Engineer in Horsham employer: The Creative Assembly

Creative Assembly is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture where creativity and collaboration thrive. As a Senior Build Engineer in our Horsham studio, you will benefit from a hybrid working model, extensive professional development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package that includes enhanced holiday allowances and private medical insurance. Join us to make a meaningful impact on game development while enjoying a supportive environment that values your contributions and well-being.

The Creative Assembly

Contact Details:

The Creative Assembly Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Senior Build Engineer in Horsham

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We think you need these skills to ace Senior Build Engineer in Horsham

Build Systems Design
CI/CD Pipeline Management
C++ Programming
C# Programming
Debugging Complex Systems
Console Automation (PS5/Xbox)
Online Store API Integration (e.g. Steam/MS)

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 The Creative Assembly.

Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at The Creative Assembly 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 The Creative Assembly

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 The Creative Assembly 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.