Lead Full-Stack Developer
29 Days Old
Are you an experienced Lead Full-Stack Developer who wants to architect the web and platform systems behind a large-scale live-service MMO?
We’re hiring a Lead Full-Stack Developer to own the architecture, engineering standards, and team growth for the web and platform layer of an online multiplayer game. This includes account systems, social features, community tools, content delivery, and the services that connect the live experience beyond the game client.
About the role
This is a foundational leadership role in early production. You’ll report to the CTO and manage a growing team of web and platform engineers while staying hands-on with architecture and code.
You’ll make key decisions around backend services, frontend architecture, cloud infrastructure, deployment pipelines, and data modelling. The systems you build will support player accounts, social features, marketplace functionality, live-service integrations, and long-term scalability.
This is not a maintenance role. You’ll be building and scaling systems from the ground up.
What you’ll do:
People leadership and team development
Lead and grow a team of full-stack and platform engineers
Set priorities, assign work, and balance workload across production cycles
Run regular 1:1s, performance reviews, and development plans
Represent web engineering in cross-discipline planning and resourcing discussions
Foster a culture of code quality, ownership, and continuous improvement
Support hiring through technical reviews and interviews
Backend architecture and services
Architect and build scalable backend microservices using TypeScript, Node.js, and Express
Design systems using MongoDB for persistence and Redis for caching, session management, and pub/sub messaging
Define service boundaries, API contracts, and data models for long-term scalability
Build services supporting player accounts, authentication, social systems, marketplace, inventory, and integrations
Implement observability and monitoring practices using tools such as Grafana and similar platforms
Cloud infrastructure and DevOps
Own CI/CD pipelines using Azure Pipelines (or equivalent)
Deploy and orchestrate services using Docker and Kubernetes on Azure (or similar cloud platforms)
Establish deployment strategies that enable rapid iteration while maintaining stability
Design for high availability, performance, and reliability in a live-service environment
Frontend engineering
Build responsive, accessible interfaces using TypeScript, React, and Next.js
Implement state management solutions such as Redux
Ensure frontend systems are built for internationalisation, performance, and accessibility
Collaborate closely with UI/UX design for clean implementation workflows
Platform integration
Define integration points between web systems and the game client (authentication, account management, analytics, social systems)
Collaborate with gameplay and online services teams to ensure seamless cross-platform experiences
Partner with production on milestone planning, sprint scoping, and capacity forecasting
What we’re looking for:
Experience
7+ years of professional software development experience
At least one shipped product or live service
2+ years in a senior or lead role with direct team leadership experience
Proven experience making architectural decisions in cross-functional teams
Technical skills
Strong backend experience with TypeScript, Node.js, and Express
Production experience with MongoDB and Redis
Strong frontend experience with React and Next.js
Experience designing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines
Experience with Docker and Kubernetes
Experience working with Azure Cloud or equivalent cloud platforms
Strong understanding of scalable, service-oriented architecture
Nice to have
Experience building backend systems for games, social platforms, or real-time applications
Experience with event-driven architectures, WebSockets, or pub/sub at scale
Familiarity with OAuth2/JWT authentication flows
Experience with observability tools such as Grafana
Additional backend language experience (e.g., Go)
Contributions to open-source projects or technical writing
Why join
Shape the foundational platform architecture of a live-service MMO
Lead and grow a high-impact engineering team
High ownership in early production with long-term technical influence
Remote-first culture with autonomy and collaborative decision-making
If you’re a hands-on engineering leader who enjoys building scalable systems from scratch and guiding teams through early architectural decisions, we’d love to hear from you.
Apply now, or email Jack Baxter - jb@skillsearch.com
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- Location:
- United Kingdom
- Job Type:
- FullTime