Job Description
Location: London, UK
SharpEnd is an experience-led connected studio, partnering with ambitious brands to reimagine the real world as a connected platform. We design and deliver connected physical–digital experiences for global brands; from NFC-connected products and hardware-enabled environments to mobile, web, and in-store systems.
We are looking for a Creative Technologist who builds real things to make ideas sharper, braver, and more credible.
- This role adds technical imagination and prototyping momentum inside the Studio team. It exists to:
- Prove feasibility and potential through working prototypes
- Unlock better creative ideas by understanding emerging technologies and finding novel applications
- Give the Studio the ability to pitch with proof, not just promises
The Role
- You are accountable for defining and demonstrating what’s possible in connected experiences.
- You are the person who turns a half-formed idea into something you can stand in front of, interact with, and believe in. You bridge the space between creative imagination and technical reality: not by managing that gap, but by collapsing it.
- You are not a production engineer. You are not reactive pitch support. You are the person who expands the creative possibility space, and builds the proof.
What You’ll Do
- Prototype interactive experiences quickly: days, not weeks
- Define technical approaches during the conceptual process
- Build reusable demo frameworks and tools that accelerate future Studio work
- Translate ideas into credible technical narratives clients can trust
- Partner with Conceptual Creatives, Designers, and Delivery early in the process
- Hand off cleanly when something needs scaling
What You Won’t Do
- Own long-term production systems
- Become a pseudo-software engineer
- Be the “fix the demo before the pitch” person on repeat. This role builds systemic capability, not last-minute gloss
- Work in isolation from creative teams
Success Looks Like
- Prototypes that change what that our team and clients think is possible
- Technical approaches that are ambitious without being reckless
- Creative work that pitches with proof, not just promise
- Reusable frameworks that make the next prototype faster than the last
Technical Shape
- Guidance, not a checklist. We care more about range, instinct and curiosity than stack parity.
- Strong in modern mobile web prototyping
- Comfortable with APIs, integrations, and basic backend glue
- Fluency with AI tools and APIs: generative, conversational, multimodal
- Experience with connected experiences across multiple touchpoints: mobile, physical, interactive installations
- Familiar with physical hardware, IoT, and connected mechanics
- Understands infrastructure enough to be credible, not dogmatic
- Familiarity with spatial and immersive formats (AR, WebXR) is a strong advantage
You’re Likely a Fit If You
- Have built prototypes that changed the direction of a project or pitch
- Enjoy working at the messy intersection of idea and execution
- Can explain complex systems simply to non-technical people
- Know when not to build something
- Have agency, studio, or consultancy experience, ideally across brand, experiential or connected experience briefs
- Have a portfolio that shows both technical skill and experiential thinking: not just what you built, but why it mattered
You’re Not a Fit If You
- Only want to ship production-grade software
- Need perfectly defined requirements before starting
- Prefer Jira to whiteboards
- See prototyping as throwaway work
- Communicate in code alone. Storytelling is half the job
How This Role Adds Value Over Time
Beyond individual prototypes, this role helps the Studio build a culture of technical imagination, where creative ambition and proof of concept are never more than a few days apart. The frameworks and approaches developed here become a competitive advantage: faster pitches, more credible proposals, and work that clients commission with confidence.
What We Offer
- Pension: 3% employer contribution (People’s Pension, from 3 months).
- Holiday: 20 days + festive shutdown, plus 1 additional day per year of service (up to 5).
- Health Insurance: Vitality (post-probation).
- Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).
- Cycle to Work Scheme and dog-friendly office.
- Work From Anywhere: Up to 2 weeks per year (UK time).
- Office Perks: Breakfast, drinks, and snacks.