Tech Lead

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 barRemain deeply hands-on owning and building core systems, writing production code, and contributing directly to key featuresTake ownership of critical systemsOwn project delivery: planning, prioritisation, and executionBring strong engineering practices and help create a high-performance cultureWork closely with product to shape features and make pragmatic trade-offsContribute across the stack, choosing the right tools and languages for each problemHelp define and evolve our technical architecture as we scale What We’re Looking For: Experience leading high-performing engineering teamsRecent experience spending a meaningful portion of time coding, not just managingStrong hands-on engineering background. You are actively building production systems today and comfortable owning them end-to-endExperience delivering software from concept through to productionComfortable working in cross-functional environments, including collaboration with researchersTech-agnostic mindset: willing to work across languages, tools, and systemsStrong understanding of engineering best practices (testing, CI/CD, system design, code quality)Product-minded: able to balance user needs, business goals, and technical constraintsStrong interest in games, simulation, or interactive experiences Nice to Have: Experience in startups or small, fast-moving teamsExposure to game development, real-time systems, or simulationExperience with AI/ML systems or data-driven products Why Join Us: Build at the frontier of AI and interactive entertainmentHigh ownership and direct impact in a small teamWork on technically challenging, meaningful problemsHelp shape both the product and engineering culture from an early stageLondon-based team with in-person collaboration Locations: London, United Kingdom