The match engine team at our studio are looking for a talented software engineer to enhance our artificial intelligence and help us take our football match simulation to the next level. The match engine team are responsible for the technological advancements of our state-of-the-art in-house engine which simulates and visualises football matches.

You will join a passionate and flourishing team who care deeply about the realism and visual quality of the match simulation in our games.

As part of this team, you will be working directly on all aspects of the AI within our simulation and collaborating very closely with fellow match AI engineers and our specialised match engine quality assurance team. You will also have the opportunity to work across a range of areas, including but not limited to the AI, animation, and our internal tools. This does include collaborating closely with our animation, gameplay, and user interface teams to ensure we have quality features which will flow through into the match experience.

You will be an important part of driving the direction and realism of our AI and the match experience that our users have in our products, and you have full input into the team specifically as well as the studio generally with the opportunity to voice your ideas and suggestions.

Our match simulation is shared across multiple products and is a critical part of the games we make, and you will consider challenges involving the match experience across several platforms, including on mobile devices.

We are looking for self-motivated people with good communication skills who can complete work independently as well as part of a team.

Key Responsibilities

Develop, extend, improve, and maintain our code base, workflows, and tools.
Work closely and develop our match engine AI, animation, and internal tools, to continuously improve the look and human feel of our match simulation.
Work across multiple platforms and projects to ensure we deliver the best performance and experience to our customer base.
Collaborate with other disciplines, including QA, producers, and other engineering teams, on both development and future planning.
Work closely with seniors/leads and production to drive new features and set long term roadmap.
Help research and implement new simulation technologies as needed.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Strong knowledge of C++, design patterns and software engineering.
Minimum five years of professional experience using C++ as the main language.
Experience designing and developing systems within the games industry.
Strong academic background with a 2:1 degree (or equivalent) or higher in a relevant technical field such as computer science, software engineering, mathematics, or physics.
Strong mathematical, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Good communication skills for effective collaboration with software engineers, artists, animators, QA, and production staff.
Self-motivated with a drive to improve yourself and others continuously.

Studio Overview

Sports Interactive (SI) is an ambitious development studio creating immersive sports management simulations. Since 1994, we’ve captivated a global pool of players with our iconic, BAFTA award-winning game, Football Manager. We’re a wholly owned subsidiary of SEGA having caught their attention in 2006 with our continuous critical and commercial success.

We’re a tenacious community, coming together at the Here East technology hub in Stratford, East London. Always expanding, the SI team takes on the gaming genre through a diverse array of disciplines. But no matter how big we dream, we keep our approach (and your schedule) flexible, creating a relaxed atmosphere where collaboration can thrive.

Working Here

We approach everything with passion, whether that’s making our mark on the gaming and football industries or doing our bit for the world around us. We want to share that outlook with everyone who shows up to work here each day.

We like our talent tenacious, so you can expect to surround yourself with other ambitious individuals bringing their A-game to many different disciplines. We know collaboration is the key to constantly topping our best, and encourage our people to fiercely realise their own personal potential.

We believe everyone matters, no matter which part of the business you’re in. Above all else, we’re a team. A team with a down-to-earth dynamic, that works and plays together. We have fun doing what we do; one of the many reasons we’re one of the best places to work in the UK games business (Gameindustry.biz 2021 Large studio category).

And if you want a work/life balance, we’re behind you. Because while we live to create extraordinary games, we know that’s not all you’ve got going on. You can trust that we always keep things in perspective, fostering an environment where work can be more than just a job.

Our flexible working culture gives team members the responsibility to optimise their workloads, with in-office, hybrid and remote working options. Even in countries where we don’t directly employ*, we’ll even explore what’s possible via third parties and do our best to accommodate location preferences.

And when you’re not here making the world’s best management games, there’s a top-class benefits package for permanent team members based in the UK, including gym membership, private health, and dental care, plus many more perks. For those permanent team members outside of the UK, we strive to offer equivalent and localised benefits. We’re also a London Living Wage employer and proudly boast one of the lowest staff turnover rates in the industry.

*We’re able to directly employ in the UK, Ireland, France, Sweden and Finland.

Inclusivity Matters

We’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from any relevant candidate irrespective of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion, or belief. Our studio has disabled access and facilities.

This job description is an accurate reflection of the duties and responsibilities of the post as at the time of writing but will be changed from time to time as the job is a career development job which will be adjusted according to the progress of the job holder. It does not form part of the contract of employment.