Studio Systems Engineer - ICHI

The Opportunity - Studio Systems Engineer

At ICHI, our creative output relies on a seamless, highly functional technical infrastructure. We are looking for a forward-thinking Studio Systems Engineer to provide strategic oversight for ICHI’s business technology and IT needs, with a laser focus on project delivery and our creative production pipeline. Working from either our London or Brighton offices, this isn’t just a standard tech support role; it is a specialist role. You will be the definitive bridge between our creative ambitions and our technical capabilities.

You will be responsible for representing UK technical needs on a global scale, designing the infrastructure in alignment with global guidelines and collaborating with the central infra team to support our teams, anticipating production bottlenecks before they happen. You will blend deep technical intuition with operational rigour to ensure our internal staff and external freelancers have the perfect foundation to do their best work. You will have significant reach across the agency, shaping how we work from a technological standpoint.

At ICHI, we value those who take ownership of the technical pipeline, bridging the gap between high-level IT strategy and on-the-ground creative production to build a best-in-class technical environment. At ICHI (part of Keywords Studios), we know a diverse workforce only elevates the great work we do. As such, we are an equal opportunities employer and we take diversity and inclusion seriously.

Studio Systems Engineer - The Impact You’ll Make

• Strategic Infrastructure & Pipeline Optimisation: Create and implement the technical infrastructure with guidance from our central infra team to support ICHI UK project delivery. You won't just maintain systems; you will proactively identify bottlenecks in the creative production pipeline (such as file rendering, collaborative proofing, and asset management) and develop solutions to streamline workflows from brief to delivery.
• Global Alignment & Transformation: Work with Operations leadership to act as the voice for the UK team's specialist technical needs, from a tooling and equipment level, at a global alignment level. You will help to coordinate seamlessly with North American operations teams to align global technical needs, ensuring NA creatives can easily access UK systems and projects.
• IT Collaboration & Strategy: Collaborate with the wider global IT team to manifest long-term infrastructure strategies, including server archival and remote-work hardware standards. You will assess creative needs and translate them into actionable IT requirements, like faster server connections or efficient permission alterations.
• Security & Asset Management: Help develop a multi-tiered approach to infosec compliance. You will ensure strict compliance with project requirements. You will also hold strategic oversight and auditing responsibilities for production kits across our Brighton and Holborn sites.

What You Bring to ICHI

• Technical Foresight: You are focused on technical future planning to actively support and evolve production workflows.
• Production Experience: Several years of experience in game development or digital agencies, with a proven track record of supporting complex production pipelines across gameplay capture, CG, and video editing workflows.
• Deep Tool Knowledge: You possess a strong understanding of production tools such as Parsec, Perforce, Unreal Engine, Maya, Blender, Davinci, Frame.IO, Adobe suite, and you know how to implement them into larger production systems.
• Engine & Code Familiarity: You have extensive experience working with proprietary engines like Snowdrop, and a basic understanding of coding to troubleshoot Visual Studio issues. You are comfortable installing and troubleshooting complex game engine builds.
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