Location: Leeuwarden | Remote work: 2 days from home

Department: Engineering

Reports to: CEO

Who are we?

At Grendel, we create serious games that drive real change in healthcare, education, and sustainability. Our award-winning titles don’t just entertain—they make an impact.

We’re now looking for a Technical Director to lead the technical vision of our projects and guide our talented development team. You’ll balance hands-on Unity development with high-level architectural decisions, ensuring our technology supports both creativity and scalability. As the driving force behind our engineering excellence, you’ll mentor developers, define best practices, and shape the systems that keep our production smooth and future-proof. Your leadership will empower the team to deliver high-quality, high-impact games that make a real difference.

Role Overview

The Engineering Lead is responsible for guiding the technical direction of our projects, ensuring engineering excellence, and supporting the growth and well-being of the engineering team. This role combines hands-on Unity development with strategic leadership, architectural decision-making, and people management.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Define and communicate the high-level engineering vision and technical direction.
• Drive innovation and R&D initiatives, facilitating experiments with new tools and technologies.
• Ensure technical decisions align with product goals and studio strategy.

Representation & Decision-Making

• Serve as the voice of the engineering team in management and production meetings.
• Lead design and architecture decisions, balancing quality, scalability, and delivery needs.

People Leadership

• Conduct performance reviews (every 6–12 months) and provide regular feedback.
• Run engineering meetings and maintain open communication within the team.
• Oversee recruitment: reviewing applications, conducting interviews, and onboarding.
• Mentor and guide engineers in their career growth, supporting professional development.
• Foster team well-being, engagement, and retention initiatives.

Compliance & Process

• Ensure ISO and GDPR compliance through proper procedures, documentation, and reporting.
• Maintain technical documentation and help improve development processes.

Production Work (Hands-on Contribution)

• Contribute directly to Unity development, focusing on low-level technical implementation and problem-solving.

Professional Networking

• Represent the studio in the wider industry: network with peers, write technical articles, and give presentations to share knowledge and attract talent.

Technical Requirements

• Expert in C++/C# and Object-Oriented Programming.
• Highly skilled at designing and implementing readable, maintainable, and extendable software systems.
• Proficient in implementing and debugging common algorithms (searching, sorting, decision-making) and data structures (graphs, trees, hash tables).
• Fluent in vector mathematics and algebra.
• Broad experience with the Unity game engine, including architecture and optimization.
• Experienced in developing and releasing games for PC/Mac, web, and mobile platforms with a solid understanding of their different requirements.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as Lead Engineer, Senior Engineer, or similar technical leadership role.
• Strong leadership, mentorship, and communication skills.
• Experience balancing hands-on development with strategic decision-making.
• Familiarity with ISO/GDPR requirements and software development compliance practices is a plus.

Send your CV to [email protected] telling us why you'll be a great candidate. We look forward to hearing from you!