Tools Programmer – Blender Pipeline in Brighton

IO Interactive is seeking a talented Tools Programmer to join our Backbone team and build the tech that powers our games. You'll develop and maintain Blender pipelines and tooling for our proprietary Glacier engine, working across multiple AAA projects. Your mission: create robust, user-friendly workflows that help artists, designers, and developers move faster and deliver world-class gameplay.

What You Will Do

• Develop, maintain, and evolve our Blender pipeline and tooling ecosystem for the Glacier game engine, serving as the studio's primary Blender technical expert.
• Work closely with artists, designers, and technical users to understand real production needs and translate them into efficient, streamlined workflows.
• Customize, extend, and integrate DCC-related tools and pipelines to support project-specific requirements.
• Build intuitive, user-friendly interfaces that enable content creators to work efficiently across Glacier and external DCC environments.
• Integrate tools and pipelines with version control systems to ensure smooth collaboration across teams.
• Stay informed about emerging technologies in DCC tools, engine tooling, and workflow automation—bringing valuable insights into the evolution of Glacier's tool ecosystem and sharing Blender expertise with the DCC tools team.
• Maintain a high standard of quality through robust testing, performance considerations, and secure coding practices.
• Continuously refine and improve tools in response to user feedback, production demands, and pipeline evolution.

Who You Are

• Deep expertise in Blender (Python API, add-ons, workflows) and solid knowledge of other major DCCs (Maya, MotionBuilder).
• Advanced understanding of interchange formats (FBX, USD) and their SDKs.
• Experienced in the gaming industry, particularly in roles involving tools, editor development, or DCC pipeline integration.
• Proficient in Python, with strong skills in code architecture and scalable tool design.
• Knowledge of C++ is an advantage, particularly for Blender native plugin development or contributions to Blender source code.
• Experience building UIs using Blender's UI framework and/or Qt (PySide) is preferred.
• Able to break down tasks, provide accurate estimates, and contribute effectively to planning and assessments.
• A strong collaborator and communicator who can uncover and interpret the real needs of content creators.

Who We Are

IO Interactive is an independent video game development and publishing company with studios in Copenhagen, Malmö, Barcelona, Istanbul and Brighton. As the creative force behind some of the most talked-about multiplatform video games in the last decade, we are committed to creating unforgettable characters and experiences – all powered by our award-winning, proprietary Glacier technology.

IOI is a studio that values in-person collaboration. Being together helps us focus our collective energy on our immediate goals. For us, being both in-office as well as connected across our studios helps us integrate our teams faster, strengthen relationships, and improve knowledge-sharing. We believe that the more time we spend together, the more quality and progress we achieve for our games and players.

We know that to achieve those goals, we need courage, talented people and a great working environment – and we do our utmost to have all of that. Across our multiple studios, we’re working on several projects. Crucially though, we’re all one team. We value the work and impact that each person brings to the table and we actively encourage new ideas, whilst listening to your insights along the way.

We have a dedicated team of People Managers, who look after you as an individual and as an employee. With more than 40 nationalities, we know that everyone is different and we are proud to have a reputation for being a friendly workplace with highly-talented people.