{"id":2430915,"url":"https://alion.io/job/deck13-interactive-principal-game-programmer-fmx","title":"Principal Game Programmer (f/m/x)","company":{"id":51954,"name":"Deck13 Interactive","domain":"deck13.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/deck13-interactive","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Personio","truth_index":null},"role":"Games","role_family":"Games","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"remote","remote_scope":"stated_countries","remote_scope_basis":"posting_text","remote_working_hours":{"label":"CET","utc_offset_min":1,"utc_offset_max":1},"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":[],"countries":[],"hiring_countries":["DE"],"hiring_countries_total":1,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":101000,"max_usd":208000,"period":"year","method":"global_role_seniority_cell","sample_n":36},"experience_years_min":10,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"Unreal Engine","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-07-22T11:58:59Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-07-22","last_verified_at":"2026-10-13T09:03:55Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":83,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":83},"description":"Your Quest:\nAs our Principal Game Programmer (f/m/x), you will be the most senior individual contributor on the programming team. Your mission includes setting the technical bar across Unreal Engine, our development tools, and gameplay. Additionally, you will own the hardest technical problems and drive architecture in close collaboration with the Technical Director. Mentoring senior, regular, and junior programmers is a core, formal part of the role.\nYour Mission Includes:\nDrive technical and architectural decisions across major systems\nTake ownership of the most technically demanding work: deep optimization, cross-system refactors, and high-risk areas of the codebase\nSet and uphold technical standards and best practices\nMentor programmers of all levels through pairing, code reviews, and technical guidance, fostering growth and unblocking complex problems\nOwn documentation and knowledge sharing for the systems and domains you know best\nIdentify, evaluate, and prototype new tools and workflows to improve the team's output\nContribute to hiring through technical interviews and onboarding\nYour Toolkit:\n10+ years of experience in the game development industry \nExpert-level proficiency in C++, with a deep understanding of programming principles, system design, and large-scale architectures\nExtensive experience in game programming across engine-level work and tools development\nDeep knowledge of Unreal Engine internals and major subsystems\nA proven track record of shipping AA/AAA titles with significant ownership over core systems\nStrong debugging, profiling, and optimization skills across CPU and GPU, including platform-specific work\nDemonstrated mentorship experience: growing other programmers through pair programming, code reviews, and technical coaching\nExcellent communication and documentation skills, with the ability to explain complex concepts to both engineers and non-engineers\nSound judgment on when to build, when to refactor, and when to ship as-is\n2+ years of console programming experience (PlayStation, Xbox)\nThis position is available for candidates based in time zones within +/- 2 hours of Germany (CET/CEST). We are also open to applicants located anywhere who are willing and able to relocate to Germany\nYou Get Extra XP for:\nDeep specialization in a particular domain (gameplay, tools, rendering, animation, or AI)\nPrior experience on a Principal/Staff IC track at another studio\nConsole certification work (PlayStation, Xbox)\nHaving shipped at least one AA/AAA game\nPower-Ups You Receive:\nAt DECK 13 Interactive, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We believe in creating an environment where you feel valued, supported, and empowered to do your best work. Here’s what we offer to make that happen:\nA modern, centrally located office in Frankfurt, Germany (near Messe)\nFree language courses to help you expand your skills\nMonthly allowances for remote working and gym memberships\nA monthly allowance for the Deutschlandticket to ease your commute\nTax-free Probonio vouchers available every month\nFree access to an online mental health platform (Bloom) to support your well-being\nOpportunities for career growth with a yearly learning & development budget\n28 days of paid vacation, plus the 24th and 31st of December off\nOur Commitment to Inclusivity:\nDECK 13 Interactive is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from all individuals regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other characteristic that makes you unique.\nWe believe that diverse teams create the best games, and we’re dedicated to building a workplace where everyone can thrive.","description_format":"text","description_chars":3767,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":10,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Gym membership"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"Germany","iso":"DE","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":true,"industries":["PC Games"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-13T09:03:55Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":13,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.451,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":83,"expected_fill_days":27,"reasons":["conf:5","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-10-13T14:28:29Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/deck13-interactive-principal-game-programmer-fmx","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/deck13-interactive-principal-game-programmer-fmx.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-13T14:28:29Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":22265,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-14T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":51954},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=51954"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fdeck13-interactive-principal-game-programmer-fmx"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fdeck13-interactive-principal-game-programmer-fmx"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fdeck13-interactive-principal-game-programmer-fmx"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/deck13-interactive-principal-game-programmer-fmx\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fdeck13-interactive-principal-game-programmer-fmx"}]}