Lead Graphics Programmer

Double Eleven

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

We’re looking for a Lead Graphics Programmer to join our award-winning team in Middlesbrough (UK). As the Lead Graphics Programmer, your primary focus will be leading, mentoring, and guiding a talented graphics team to push forward the rendering technology that powers our custom graphics engine used on an exciting, high-profile project. While this is a hands-on role where you will contribute directly to the codebase, your fundamental responsibility is to empower your engineers and ensure the successful delivery of next-generation rendering features. Working closely alongside the Technical Director and other discipline leads, you will collaborate to set the engine-level rendering strategy and ensure technical alignment across the project. Furthermore, you will act as the primary point of contact for our external clients, proudly representing the graphics team in critical discussions with external partners, hardware vendors, and internal stakeholders to ensure our rendering solutions meet and exceed project demands. Double Eleven is one of the largest independent video games developers and publishers in the UK. Headquartered in Middlesbrough, we employ over 400 people across our UK and Kuala Lumpur studios. We are incredibly proud to partner with some of the world’s leading developers and publishers, including Rockstar Games, Obsidian Entertainment, Mojang, Bethesda Game Studios and Facepunch. As a global games company, we've collaborated to create new worlds in The Outer Worlds 2, helped deliver unforgettable experiences for players of Red Dead Redemption, enabled millions to battle in Rust Console Edition and created new adventures in Fallout 76. Double Eleven is more than a place to work, we are deeply values-driven in all that we do and we know that we are at our best when our people feel fulfilled. We offer flexible working hours to allow you to truly enjoy work/life balance and always strive to deliver a workplace experience like no other. We regularly bring our people together to connect and have fun through our many different events, parties and hobby-based clubs. On this occasion, we’re unable to sponsor a visa for this role.

Requirements

Extensive experience managing and guiding engineers, coordinating workloads, and successfully owning significant graphics or engine-level systems in a cooperative, cross-functional environment.
Strong communication skills, and the ability to work effectively in a co-dev environment.
Demonstrably strong C++ skills in a large shared codebase, alongside deep knowledge of common shader languages, Shader Model 6 and HLSL/GLSL.
Extensive experience with modern graphics APIs (DirectX 12, Vulkan) and modern GPU driven rendering.
Deep, practical knowledge of DXR/Vulkan ray tracing, BVH acceleration structures, path tracing and denoising techniques.
Strong foundation in 3D math, linear algebra, geometry, and calculus as they apply to graphics rendering pipelines.
Proven experience with PBR pipelines, the lighting equation, Micro-Facet BRDFs and Global Illumination systems.
Exceptional debugging skills to help your team effectively track, diagnose, and solve complex rendering issues.

Nice To Haves

Experience working on AAA game engines or large-scale real-time rendering systems.
Familiarity with console-specific graphics APIs and hardware architecture (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch).

Responsibilities

Serve as the leader for the graphics team. You will conduct 1:1s, guide career development, coordinate workloads, and mentor engineers to upskill them in modern rendering paradigms.
Drive the rendering strategy in close collaboration with the Technical Director, engineering leadership, and production.
Act as the primary technical point of contact for external clients, hardware vendors, and internal partners, translating complex technical jargon for non-technical audiences and managing expectations.
Work closely with the art team to align visual goals with technical solutions and ensure assets meet strict performance and memory budget targets.
Maintain hands-on involvement by coding critical graphics technology.
Guide the team in profiling and optimizing the entire rendering pipeline. You will set memory and performance budgets and assist in diagnosing GPU/CPU bottlenecks.
Evaluate and guide the integration of modern rendering technologies.

Benefits

Flexible working hours
Opportunity to apply for hybrid working (up to 2 days working from home per week)
28 days annual leave (20 days annual leave + 8 days bank holiday)
1 day leave for your birthday
1 day leave if you’re moving house
Up to 10 days discretionary annual leave during our end of year break
State-of-the-art studio facilities that includes a market hall serving nutritious, subsidised meals, round-the-clock gym access, an auditorium and more
Subsidised market hall with food, freshly prepared daily by our in-house hospitality team
Free breakfast options, juice, hot drinks and fruit.
Employee referral bonus (up to £2000!)
Electric Car Scheme
Cycle to Work scheme
Free game codes, game swag and merchandise
Family-friendly leave available
Christmas Saving Scheme
Free parking
Best-in-class tools and workflows
Award schemes
Annual Profit Share
Length of Service recognition
Annual High Performer Award
Vitality Private Healthcare, discounts and rewards for you, your spouse and children (upon the successful completion of your 6 month probationary period)
Access to mental health and wellbeing support via Plumm (includes 4 free video therapy sessions per month for both the employee and up to 3 family members aged 18+), unlimited text therapy, courses, meditations
A personalised development plan with dedicated support tailored to your growth and goals
Access to an accredited Academy providing professional qualifications (and access to 500 UK discounts and offers via TOTUM when registered as a student)
A dedicated Workplace Experience team responsible for work environments, workplace and quality of employee life services to help foster collaboration, creativity and innovation
In-studio wellbeing programmes and People team support
Free activities via our Bus Tours programme (where on occasion, partners and children are welcome to join you)
Many team events to celebrate team and game milestones
Sponsored team activities including football, basketball, book club, movie club and more
Opportunity to contribute to our internal Employee Diversity and Equality Network