CoLead Gameplay Programmer

THIS IS A FREE, NON-PAID POSITION. WE WILL NOT EARN ANY PROFIT FROM THIS PROJECT AT ANY POINT.
Aviary Productions is currently seeking a lead assistant with a focus on gameplay programming. We're a collective of game developers and students united to create a high-quality portfolio game using Unreal Engine 5. The aim is to launch this game on Steam for free, showcasing multiple portfolio pieces for each contributor.
Responsibilities
Support the Code Lead in planning, assigning, and tracking programming tasks across the code department
Act as the first escalation point for programmers when they are blocked by architecture, engine issues, bugs, or unclear requirements
Review code regularly to maintain quality, performance, readability
Help define and enforce coding standards, module boundaries, naming conventions, Blueprint/C++ ownership rules
Mentor programmers through pair debugging, architecture reviews and practical feedback
Ensure Unreal systems are implemented safely with respect to object lifetime, garbage collection, reflection, threading, async work, and editor/runtime separation
Qualifications
Strong Unreal Engine 5 C++ knowledge, including gameplay framework, object lifecycle, reflection system, garbage collection, async systems, and engine-level debugging
Ability to review, maintain, and improve architecture across gameplay, tech tools, UI, animation, AI, physics
Understanding of Blueprints, including when to use them, how to expose C++ APIs cleanly, and how to prevent Blueprint-heavy systems from becoming unmaintainable
Strong debugging skills using Visual Studio/Jetbrains Rider, stat commands, crash logs, call stacks
Nice to have
Experience profiling and optimizing CPU, GPU, memory, loading times, asset usage, tick cost and build size
Awareness of Unreal Engine source code structure and confidence modifying or extending plugins when needed

Work arrangement
Yes