Senior Development Director

About Steel City Interactive

SCI was born out of passion for video games and boxing, with the ambition to create an authentic and exciting boxing game that does justice to the sport we love. What started as a fun prototype has grown into ‘Undisputed’, the first major boxing video game in over a decade.  

SCI is a welcoming place for expression and open communication, where everyone has a voice. We’re a diverse bunch, consisting of people with decades of games industry experience, graduates and talented individuals who come from other industries. We all bring knowledge and learn from each other.

Together we are driven by ambition to bring the world of boxing into a video game like never before.  

The Role

Supporting the VP of Product Development, the Senior Development Director leads the production of console and PC titles.

They are responsible for overseeing the entire Production development lifecycle—from early concept to gold master—working closely with internal cross-disciplinary leadership, and external development and publishing partners to deliver a world-class player experience. They will drive execution and team performance, ensuring that the game achieves its vision, quality standards, and milestone goals to both time and budget.

Responsibilities

• Own and drive the full production roadmap for a AAA console titles, coordinating efforts across design, engineering, art, audio, QA, and publishing.
• Partner with creative and technical leadership to translate the vision and goals into executable plans, ensuring alignment across all departments.
• Build and maintain detailed schedules, development budgets, staffing plans, and production processes tailored for console development.
• Ensure production plans are well communicated across all departments.
• Lead and mentor a team of producers, fostering a high-performance and collaborative culture.
• Manage relationships with external publishing partners, and platform holders (e.g., PlayStation, Xbox).
• Anticipate project risks and dependencies, mitigating and solving problems proactively and effectively.
• Represent the game at Senior Leadership/Executive reviews, partner meetings, and major internal milestones.
• Champion quality, innovation, and sustainable development practices across the team.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• 10+ years of experience in game production or development, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Proven track record of shipping high-quality console games, preferably in the AAA space.
• Strong knowledge of game development pipelines, production methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, hybrid), and tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence).
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and organisational skills.
• Ability to inspire teams, resolve conflicts, and drive accountability across all levels of the organisation.
• Deep understanding of game design, technology, and art pipelines.
• Experience managing large teams across multiple/remote is a plus.
• UK based

What we offer

Healthy work-life balance:

• 23 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), that increases 1 day per year of service.
• Christmas shut down
• Holiday exchange programme
• Flexible working hours

Support for family life:

• Enhanced Maternity and Paternity pay
• Private Healthcare which includes Optical & Dental

Great office environment:

• A dog friendly studio based in Sheffield, with free snacks, fruit and drinks!
• Free parking

Health & wellbeing support:

• Company sick pay
• 2 days paid Mental Health leave per year
• Access to 24/7 doctors
• Employee Assistance Programme
• £300 wellbeing stipend every January

Learning support:

• Learning days
• Unlimited access to Udemy courses

Additional financial support:

• Technology scheme (up to £750)
• Discount Club at over 350 high street stores
• Discretionary Cost of Living Payments
• Relocation benefits
• Electric Car Vehicle Scheme
• Bonus

Connection and perks:

• Wrap parties & company paid outings
• Individual entertainment budget to cover team events

Steel City Interactive is an equal opportunity employer. We’re committed to building a diverse team and welcome all applications, considering them without regard to race, religion, belief, age, gender, gender expression, gender identity, gender reassignment, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, sex or sexual orientation.

If you’re excited about this role and believe you would add value to our team, but don’t meet every single requirement, we would still like to hear from you – please let us know about the value you would bring in your application.

NOTICE TO APPLICANTS

Please be aware that all applications for roles submitted through our website will be managed by our external recruitment partner, Amiqus. While they will handle the processing and management of your application, your data will remain securely stored within our Applicant Tracking System (ATS). We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the confidentiality of your personal information. By submitting your CV through our website, you give your permission for your application to be managed by Amiqus and to be contacted by them on SCI’s behalf.