Tech Lead

Iconic; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Iconic is building AI-driven digital actors for interactive entertainment. We’re seeking a Tech Lead to mentor a small, high-caliber team while remaining hands-on, driving execution, and shaping technical direction.

You’ll own core systems, write production code, and collaborate with product to translate ideas into scalable features, balancing craft with pragmatic trade-offs. London-based, hybrid role; you’ll help define what digital actors are and how players interact, while fostering

Qualifications

• Proven track record leading fast-moving engineering teams.
• Active hands-on coding as part of daily work.
• Experience delivering production-grade software from concept to production.
• Comfortable across languages and systems.
• Strong engineering practices (testing, CI/CD, architecture).
• Genuine interest in games/interactive experiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a small team of engineers, setting a high technical bar
• Remain deeply hands-on owning and building core systems, writing production code, and contributing directly to key features
• Take ownership of critical systems
• Own project delivery: planning, prioritisation, and execution
• Bring strong engineering practices and help create a high-performance culture
• Work closely with product to shape features and make pragmatic trade-offs
• Contribute across the stack, choosing the right tools and languages for each problem
• Help define and evolve our technical architecture as we scale

Skills

Team leadership

Hands-on coding

End-to-end ownership

CI/CD & testing

Cross-functional collaboration

Game/interactive tech interest

Product-minded

Architectural thinking

Tools

CI/CD tooling

AI/ML awareness

Job description

About Iconic:

We’re building digital actors: AI-driven characters that don’t just talk, but act; shaping the world, responding to the player, and driving stories that evolve through both words and actions.

The Mission:

We believe games and interactive media are on the verge of a fundamental shift. Today’s experiences are largely scripted, characters follow predefined paths, and player choice is limited. We’re building systems that change that: digital actors that can think, communicate, and take action in real time.

Our goal is to create worlds that are truly alive. Worlds where stories emerge from interaction, and every player experience is unique. Recent advances in AI make this possible for the first time. The challenge now is turning that potential into real, scalable systems that people can play.

The Role:

We’re looking for a Tech Lead to lead a small, high-calibre team while remaining highly hands‑on. This is a hybrid role: part leadership, but primarily hands‑on individual contributor.

You’ll be responsible for driving execution, shaping technical direction, and personally building core systems alongside your team; playing a central role in turning a new category of interactive systems into reality. You should expect to spend a significant portion of your time writing code and working directly in the systems you’re helping to design.

This is not just an implementation role. You’ll be working at the frontier of a new medium, helping define what digital actors are, how they behave, and how players interact with them.

This requires strong product intuition and a genuine interest in games and interactive systems. A background in games is not required, but a strong interest in games, and a curiosity about how they could evolve is essential.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead and mentor a small team of engineers, setting a high technical bar
• Remain deeply hands‑on owning and building core systems, writing production code, and contributing directly to key features
• Take ownership of critical systems
• Own project delivery: planning, prioritisation, and execution
• Bring strong engineering practices and help create a high-performance culture
• Work closely with product to shape features and make pragmatic trade-offs
• Contribute across the stack, choosing the right tools and languages for each problem
• Help define and evolve our technical architecture as we scale

What We’re Looking For:

• Experience leading high-performing engineering teams
• Recent experience spending a meaningful portion of time coding, not just managing
• Strong hands‑on engineering background. You are actively building production systems today and comfortable owning them end‑to‑end
• Experience delivering software from concept through to production
• Comfortable working in cross‑functional environments , including collaboration with researchers
• Tech-agnostic mindset: willing to work across languages, tools, and systems
• Strong understanding of engineering best practices (testing, CI/CD, system design, code quality)
• Product-minded: able to balance user needs, business goals, and technical constraints
• Strong interest in games, simulation, or interactive experiences

Nice to Have:

• Experience in startups or small, fast-moving teams
• Exposure to game development, real‑time systems, or simulation
• Experience with AI/ML systems or data‑driven products

Why Join Us:

• Build at the frontier of AI and interactive entertainment
• High ownership and direct impact in a small team
• Work on technically challenging, meaningful problems
• Help shape both the product and engineering culture from an early stage
• London‑based team with in‑person collaboration