At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design and development of innovative game play features and engine technology.
- Company: Join the LEGO Group, a leader in tech-enabled play experiences.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, competitive pay, and a generous colleague discount.
- Other info: Dynamic, inclusive culture focused on creativity and innovation.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on children's play experiences with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Proven leadership in software engineering and strong C++ skills required.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
Expert in building game play features and developing engine tech? Then get your application ready, we're looking for you! Play Software builds technology enabled play; where LEGO play sets are combined with electronic hardware and software to build a Play experience. As part of the Play Experience team, you will be a central part of the Play Software organization as we build interactive experiences for kids, working across all technical teams, while always focusing on the experience of LEGO fans of all ages.
Responsibilities
- Define and drive technical architecture of high-performance core engines and software platforms.
- Lead the design and develop software components that enable teams to create engaging play experiences using physical capabilities such as motion, sound and colour detection.
- Take technical ownership of the engine, establishing its architectural foundations, guiding major technical decisions and ensuring that the platform remains reliable, scalable and fit for future needs.
- Combine hands-on engineering with technical leadership, enabling engineers to deliver a cohesive system.
- Translate strategic objectives into an achievable technical roadmap, identify and communicate trade-offs and risks, align software delivery with stakeholders.
- Define architecture and vision, align with product and platform objectives.
- Lead the design and implementation of engine capabilities, remain hands-on on technical challenging problems and architecture areas.
- Provide technical direction, review critical designs and code, raise the team's engineering standards.
- Establish engineering strategies for performance improvement and resource usage within a constrained system.
- Drive the improvement of processes and workflows.
Requirements
- Proven experience leading and building reusable platforms and components as the foundation for building scalable play experiences.
- Strong experience in technical leadership of software engineering teams.
- Demonstrated experience resolving complex architecture and performance challenges that affect a platform.
- Strong software development skills, fluent in C++/C.
- Experience with Domain Specific Languages (DSL).
- Proven ability to lead technical delivery across multiple components, manage architectural dependencies and resolve cross-team engineering issues.
- Strong experience in using task management software like Jira.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical decisions and align engineers and stakeholders.
Nice to have:
- Experience with connected toys, wearables, IoT or other hardware-software products (BLE, NFC/RFID, sensors, low-power devices).
- Experience with game engines (Unity, Unreal, Godot) and building designer-facing tools and data-driven content pipelines.
- Audio programming or interactive sound design experience.
- Experience designing play for children, including playtesting with kids and working within child safety and privacy regulations.
- A passion for LEGO play and a curiosity for inventing new forms of play.
Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis. However, please note we do amend or withdraw our jobs and reserve the right to do so at any time, including prior to any advertised closing date. So, if you're interested in this role we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
What’s in it for you?
- Family Care Leave - We offer enhanced paid leave options for those important times.
- Insurances – All colleagues are covered by our life and disability insurance which provides protection and peace of mind.
- Wellbeing - We want our people to feel well and thrive. We offer resources and benefits to nurture physical and mental wellbeing along with opportunities to build community and inspire creativity.
- Colleague Discount - We know you'll love to build, so from day 1 you will qualify for our generous colleague discount.
- Bonus - We do our best work to succeed together. When goals are reached and if eligible, you'll be rewarded through our bonus scheme.
Your workplace:
Your workplace will be the office, store or factory specified in this advert.
Hybrid Working:
Our hybrid work model, Best of Both offers you the option of flexibility to work from home up to two days per week. Your People Leader will discuss the principles of the model, including how this option applies to your role and team.
Learn more about our benefits, culture and workplace experience here.
Children are our role models. Their curiosity, creativity and imagination inspire everything we do. We strive to create a diverse, dynamic and inclusive culture of play at the LEGO Group, where everyone feels safe, valued and they belong. The LEGO Group is highly committed to equal employment opportunity and equal pay and seeks to encourage applicants from all backgrounds (eg. sex, gender identity or expression, race/ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, age and religion) to apply for roles in our team. The LEGO Group is fully committed to Children’s Rights and Child Wellbeing across the globe. Candidates offered positions with high engagement with children are required to take part in Child Safeguarding Background Screening, as a condition of the offer. Thank you for sharing our global commitment to Children’s Rights.
Just imagine building your dream career. Then make it real. Join the LEGO® team today.
Lead Software Engineer (Game Play / Engine) in London employer: the LEGO Group
The LEGO Group is an exceptional employer that fosters a vibrant and inclusive work culture, perfect for those passionate about inspiring creativity in families and LEGO enthusiasts. With flexible hours and competitive pay, employees enjoy opportunities for personal growth and development while working in a fun, interactive environment that prioritises safety and cleanliness.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Software Engineer (Game Play / Engine) in London
✨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 the LEGO Group 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
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✨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 the LEGO Group.
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We think you need these skills to ace Lead Software Engineer (Game Play / Engine) in London
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 LEGO Group.
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 LEGO Group 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 LEGO Group
✨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 LEGO Group 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.
