Principal Backend Engineer

Climax Studios

Principal Backend Engineer at The Multiplayer Group designing backend solutions for game projects. Collaborating with engineering teams and leading technical architecture for major game titles.

Posted 6/15/2026full-timeRemote • 🇬🇧 United KingdomLeadWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

AWSAzureCloudDockerGoJavaJavaScriptKotlinKubernetesMicroservicesNode.jsNoSQLPythonReactSQLTerraformUnityUnreal Engine

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Individual contribution: architect systems, write code, deployments, etc.
Act as the engineering contact point between MPG and the client, working alongside the Project Manager and Engineering Leadership
Translate client requirements into tasks for yourself and team members
Make the right trade-offs to design systems based on performance, time, and budget
Mentor and delegate pieces of work to other team members to help develop them as engineers
Create estimated cost spreadsheets for online services based on projected concurrent users
Cultivate engineering best practices across teams: modular design, code quality, testing
Work with the Lead and Production to communicate risks, benefits, and future roadmaps
Active mentorship of the engineering team towards professional accreditation (e.g., AWS Certification) and technical leadership.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Experience in game development and having shipped multiple live games (or similar products) with a high concurrent user count
Proven experience architecting distributed applications with a high concurrent user base (hundreds of thousands), ideally proven with a released title or robust load tests
Production experience with at least one of Java, Golang, C#, C++, Kotlin; experience with Python, Node.js and React is desirable
Solid database experience, with the ability to work effectively with both SQL and NoSQL databases
Proven experience with cloud platforms: Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure; having an AWS Certification (Professional level) would be advantageous
Proven experience building backend infrastructure using infrastructure as code tools, e.g. Terraform
Proven experience using Kubernetes and Docker to build products at scale
Ability to autonomously architect and design online services based on a specification
Ability to navigate changes calmly and manage multiple pieces of potentially confidential information
Excellent time management and ability to work autonomously
Clear and effective communicator with the ability to discuss technical strategy with non-technical stakeholders and adapt to client needs
Experience building CI/CD pipelines from scratch or improving existing client solutions
Awareness of security/cheating implications of technology choices
Experience using Gen AI for code generation
**Beneficial**
Deep expertise in at least one relevant area of backend technology, e.g. DevOps, Microservices, Cloud Architecture
Understanding of how a backend service integrates with the game - experience with Unreal or Unity would be useful but not required
An understanding of how to use LLMs to process and query structured and unstructured data

Benefits

Comp & perks

Flexible working: Remote-friendly long before it was the norm, with core hours that support both great work and real life.
Support & wellbeing: Mental health first-aiders, therapy and coaching via Myndup, plus private medical insurance to help you stay healthy and supported.
Pension & life cover: A strong pension plan and life insurance to support your future and protect your family.
Time for you: Minimum 25 days’ holiday, a paid winter break, and 3 volunteering days each year to give back to causes you care about.
Parental leave: Family-first policies that support parents and caregivers with flexibility and balance.
Levelling up: Annual L&D budget, expert talks, game jams, and mentoring opportunities to help you grow your skills and career.

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

JavaGolangC#C++KotlinPythonNode.jsReactSQLNoSQL

Soft Skills

mentorshiptime managementcommunicationautonomyadaptabilityrisk managementdelegationproblem-solvingcollaborationtechnical leadership

Certifications

AWS Certification