Lead Developer (Backend) - Game Studio

Sunderland – Hybrid – Permanent

What this role looks like

We’re looking for a Lead Developer to join our Game Engine team here at tombola.

This is one of those roles where you genuinely get the best of both worlds. You’ll be hands-on leading the development of our backend game engine, shaping how we build, scale and evolve the systems that power our games.

Our Game Engine sits right at the heart of what we do. It’s where performance, player experience and regulatory compliance all come together. So if you enjoy solving complex problems, working on real-time systems and having a real say in technical direction, this one’s worth a look.

You’ll be in the office 3 days a week, working closely with the team, with the flexibility to focus from home the rest of the time.

What you’ll be doing

• Leading the design and development of core game engine systems and APIs

• Owning architectural decisions to ensure performance, scalability and compliance

• Getting stuck into hands-on coding alongside your team

• Supporting and mentoring developers, helping them grow and do their best work

• Running code reviews and driving high engineering standards

• Working closely with Product, QA, Infrastructure and Compliance to bring everything together

• Making sure our systems are robust, auditable and ready for regulatory certification

• Leading sprint planning, shaping priorities and managing technical risk

• Monitoring performance in production and driving improvements where needed

• Contributing to technical roadmaps and long-term platform direction

What we’re looking for

• Strong experience with C#, SQL, AWS and Redis

• A background in real-time or state-driven systems (game engines, gambling platforms or similar)

• Solid understanding of system design and scalable architecture

• Experience working with REST APIs, Git and agile environments

• Knowledge of real-money gaming (RNG, RTP, game state) would be a big plus

• Someone who can balance hands-on coding with leading a team

It’d be great if you also have

• Experience integrating with front-end games, wallets or external APIs

• Exposure to performance tuning, load testing or observability tools

• Familiarity with cloud-native or containerised environments

The kind of person you are

• You enjoy leading but still love being close to the code

• You’re confident making decisions and owning technical direction

• You naturally support and develop others around you

• You’re collaborative and enjoy working across different teams

• You care about building quality products and strong teams

Why tombola? ❤️

We’re not your typical tech company. Everything we build is in-house, giving you real ownership and the chance to make an impact.

You’ll be part of a team that genuinely cares about:

• Doing things the right way

• Supporting each other

• Building products we’re proud of

Plus… we’ve got some great benefits too - take a look here to find out more

At tombola we know that our differences make us stronger and that thinking differently is key to long term success. We work hard to create a culture of inclusivity where everyone can celebrate our Free to be mevalue. We are committed to creating opportunities for everyone here at tombola, we welcome applications from all backgrounds and encourage individuals to apply, even if you don’t meet every requirement.