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Lead Generalist Programmer - Remote

SideRemote — United States
Remote Full-time

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Experience Level

Senior

Qualifications

What We’re Looking For5+ years of professional game programming experience. Experience leading or mentoring engineers in a production environment. Strong hands-on development experience in both Unity and Unreal Engine. Strong coding skills in C# and C++. Experience shipping games or major features on at least one of the following: PC, console, or mobile. Deep understanding of game architecture, pipelines, debugging, profiling, and optimization. Ability to work across multiple gameplay-adjacent domains such as gameplay systems, UI, animation systems, tooling, or integration. Strong understanding of technical risk, production trade-offs, and scalable engineering practices. Excellent communication skills with the ability to work directly with clients, partners, and cross-functional teams.

About the job

Lead Generalist Programmer

Location: North America (Remote)

At Side, we are a premier global game development partner dedicated to collaborating with studios to transform innovative game concepts into reality. Our expertise spans across co-development, art, audio, quality assurance, player support, and much more. We partner with developers and publishers to navigate production challenges at every phase, from active development through to live operations.

We are actively seeking a Lead Generalist Programmer who will play a pivotal role in delivering technical excellence across a variety of game development projects. This position is ideal for a senior engineer who excels in leading teams, collaborating effectively with stakeholders, and engaging directly with code. The successful candidate will possess extensive technical expertise in both Unity and Unreal Engine, experience in guiding teams through production processes, and the ability to adapt to various project demands involving gameplay systems, tools, optimization, and platform-specific troubleshooting.

Key Responsibilities

  • Mentor and lead engineers across ongoing co-development and game development initiatives.
  • Serve as a senior technical advisor to production, design, art, and client stakeholders.
  • Engage in hands-on implementation using Unity and Unreal Engine, tailored to project requirements.
  • Design and review systems encompassing gameplay, tools, UI, integration, optimization, and platform support.
  • Establish best practices for engineering that prioritize code quality, performance, maintainability, and timely delivery.
  • Assist in project scoping, identifying technical risks early, and providing realistic production recommendations.
  • Support the hiring, onboarding, and development of engineering talent within the team.
  • Communicate technical trade-offs effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Collaborate with internal leadership and external clients to ensure technical execution aligns with project objectives.

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of professional game programming experience.
  • Experience in leading or mentoring engineers in a production environment.
  • Strong hands-on development experience with Unity and Unreal Engine.
  • Proficient coding skills in C# and C++.
  • Experience in shipping games or significant features on PC, console, or mobile platforms.
  • Thorough understanding of game architecture, pipelines, debugging, profiling, and optimization techniques.
  • Ability to work across various gameplay-adjacent domains including gameplay systems, UI, animation systems, tooling, or integration.
  • Strong grasp of technical risks, production trade-offs, and scalable engineering principles.
  • Excellent communication skills for effective collaboration with clients, partners, and cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience in a co-development, outsourcing, or service-based studio environment.

About Side

Side is a leading global partner in game development, working closely with studios to bring engaging games to life. Our expertise encompasses co-development, art, audio, quality assurance, player support, and more. We are committed to solving production challenges at every stage, from active development to live operations, ensuring that our partners can focus on what they do best.

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