Technical Director - RuneScape: Dragonwilds

Office location: Cambridge, UK - This position can accommodate flexible working options, including predominantly remote work. However, applicants should be based (or be willing to relocate) within a comfortable commuting distance of our Office to be able to attend onsite as required.

Are you a technical leader passionate about building scalable game technology that powers rich and evolving player experiences?

As Technical Director for RuneScape: Dragonwilds, you will define, own, and evolve the technical vision behind a next-generation entry in the RuneScape universe. You’ll be accountable for ensuring the game is built on a robust, performant, and extensible foundation capable of supporting a modern live-service experience while honouring the RuneScape legacy.

Working closely with design, art, engineering, product, and production teams, you’ll guide the project through complex technical challenges across systems, tools, infrastructure, and live operations. You’ll champion engineering quality, technical coherence, and sustainable development practices, empowering teams to deliver ambitious creative outcomes while maintaining long-term technical health.

As a senior leader within the studio, you’ll represent the Dragonwilds engineering organisation to Jagex senior leadership and partner teams, while also contributing to wider studio-wide engineering strategy and cross-project collaboration.

What you’ll be doing:

• Establish and drive the technical vision for RuneScape: Dragonwilds, aligned with creative direction, world-building goals, and long-term live-service strategy.
• Define architectural principles, technology choices, and best practices supporting a large-scale online RPG built in Unreal Engine 5.
• Ensure engineering focus is aligned with the highest-impact areas for stability, scalability, and long-term growth.

• Build, lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing engineering team passionate about the RuneScape universe.
• Line manage engineering leaders and contributors as required, providing coaching, feedback, and career development support.
• Foster an inclusive, collaborative culture that values ownership, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with HR and Talent Acquisition on recruitment, succession planning, and capability development.

• Work closely with production to plan engineering delivery, manage risks, and align milestones with gameplay and live-ops needs.
• Build and maintain a transparent, adaptable technical roadmap supporting ongoing content updates and system evolution.
• Advocate for engineering needs during planning, ensuring technical health, performance targets, and operational resilience.

• Guarantee the stability, performance, maintainability, and scalability of Dragonwilds across PC and future platforms.
• Apply live-game expertise to support continuous content delivery and long-term system evolution.
• Guide engineers across multiple technical domains, offering constructive feedback beyond your direct specialism.
• Promote modern development practices, strong code quality, and efficient workflows aligned with studio standards.

• Partner with Jagex senior leadership to align Dragonwilds with wider studio goals, technology strategy, and franchise initiatives.
• Represent Dragonwilds engineering across leadership, product, and craft forums within Jagex.

What we’re looking for:

• Extensive end-to-end experience shipping AAA PC or console titles, ideally including live-service or large-scale online games.
• Deep professional expertise with Unreal Engine and C++.
• Strong background developing or operating long-lived online worlds, ideally within MMORPGs or related genres.
• Experience managing complex co-development or outsourcing pipelines for large-scale content production.
• Proven ability to lead and grow multidisciplinary technology teams through production and live phases.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with confidence influencing senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success improving pipelines, processes, and workflows across cross-functional teams.
• A servant-leader mindset that empowers teams, supports well-being, and inspires creative excellence.
• A passion for delivering exceptional player experiences and contributing to the evolution of the RuneScape franchise.

What we offer:

When you join Jagex you can look forward to a generous Perks & Benefits package including:

Private Healthcare, including Dental Plan.
Minimum 6% Pension contributions.
Life Insurance.
Discretionary annual performance bonus.
Enhanced family leave policies from day 1.
Flexible working hours.
25 days annual leave + Bank holidays & the option to buy/sell holidays + so much more!

About Jagex:

We are Jagex: The RuneScape Company- home to one of gaming’s most enduring success stories. We create deep, community-powered games with worlds that evolve, inspire, and endure. Our flagship MMORPG franchise, RuneScape has welcomed over 300 million player accounts, inspiring generations of players across PC and mobile for 25 years.

As we begin our 26th year, we are accelerating our strategy to expand RuneScape into a broader ecosystem of forever games and connected experiences, grounded in a renewed commitment to integrity and fair play. This includes the reduction of monetisation mechanics, as well as the launch of RuneScape: DragonWilds into Steam Early Access in 2025 representing a major step in building a multi-genre future for the RuneScape universe. We remain focused on building enduring worlds, empowering player-led innovation, and laying the foundations for the boldest era in RuneScape’s history. For more information, visit www.jagex.com.

Headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom, We are  home to passionate creators, storytellers, engineers, and even a few dreamers, all united by a single mission- to shape the future of online worlds and empower players to make them their own. We’re looking for people to join us who share our ambitions & values - We foster an inclusive workplace built on trust, autonomy, and a shared passion for creating experiences which inspire our communities. Our values guide everything we do: We Embrace Fellowship by collaborating and sharing openly. We Hone our Craft by always learning and improving; We Honour our Vows by being honest and transparent; We are our Customers’ Heroes by striving to understand our team & player needs, and We Seize The Day by making the most of every opportunity.

Join us. The next era of RuneScape - and the next chapter of Jagex: The RuneScape Company - starts now.

We are committed to providing equal opportunities and creating an environment where everyone can thrive. We welcome applications from all backgrounds, and we recruit, develop, and promote based on merit and ability.

If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you during the recruitment process, please let us know when you’re invited to interview.