Vacancies

Art ExDev Manager – Star Wars

Art & Animation (London-UK)

We are looking for an Exdev (Outsource) Manager to join us at BossAlien, a division of NaturalMotion, in creating Star Wars™: Hunters, a competitive arena combat game for the Nintendo Switch system and mobile devices. Star Wars: Hunters will bring players together to engage in thrilling, team-based, multiplayer battles featuring a diverse array of distinctive new Star Wars characters. 

Key Roles & Responsibilities:

As the Exdev manager you will be part of a dedicated in-house team Collaborating to the various Leads of each discipline (Environment art, VFX, Character art, Animation and Rigging). You will be responsible for managing the art pipelines and liaising with our External development partners, to maintain our content cadence.

This role requires a working knowledge of various art disciplines, with a need to quickly familiarize/align yourself with the various established art pipelines.

• Support the Game Art Director’s vision. Ensure all Art and Animations are consistently aligned with the game vision and at exceptional high quality through reviews and feedback.
• Work with production to align on scheduling to plan future tasks and monitor tracked work.
• Work with the various Leads and production to prepare tasks, materials and resources for deliveries.
• Prep deliveries from ExDev partners for review by the Leads/Team members.
• Steer and direct our partners through all the production gateways.
• Collaborate with engineers, designers and producers to ensure consistent product vision.
• Identify production and pipeline issues and communicate them appropriately.
• Participate in team reviews; respond to critical feedback in a professional manner and contribute feedback to your peers.
• Communicate, curate and maintain discipline documentation to ensure the ExDev partners are in-sync with our in-house team.

Required Experience & Skills

• 5+ years of experience in the game industry.
• Minimum 1 shipped title.
• Previous experience leading/managing teams on a project.
• Experience working with External developers.
• Knowledge and understanding of tracking software such as Jira.
• Experienced in Milestone planning and scope with production.
• Excellent written and visual communication skills.
• The ability/understanding of how to maintain a defined art style and direct others to meeting the same vision.
• Knowledge of the principles and pipelines for game development.
• Experience in reviewing and giving feedback
• Self organized and willing to participate in team meetings.
• Self-motivation, good communication skills, and a great team attitude.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Experience working with a licensed IP
• A liking for the Star Wars brand.
• Strong proficiency with Maya and Unreal Engine.
• Knowledge of the Unreal Blueprint system.
• Knowledge of asset in-game integration pipelines.
• Experience using version control systems such as SVN or Perforce.

What we offer you

• Competitive salary and discretionary annual bonus scheme
• Create next-gen games that will be played and loved by millions of players around the world
• Work in a family-oriented, collaborative team that invests in your development and growth on-the-job
• A diverse team of friendly, fun and supportive co-workers
• Flexible working hours & crunch-free working culture
• Summer/Winter parties and weekly Happy Hour in the studio
• 26 days holiday + bank holidays, 2 paid personal days
• 6 months of fully paid maternity/adoption leave or 16 weeks of fully paid paternity leave (eligibility criteria apply)
• Pension plan with a double matching employer contribution (capped at 8%)
• Private medical insurance, dental insurance and healthcare cash plan
• Life insurance, accident insurance and long-term disability insurance
• Company Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) (eligibility criteria apply)
• Fitness Reimbursement plan worth £600 per annum
• Charitable Giving Platform to which the Company contributes a 2:1
• Annual season ticket advance and cycle to work scheme

We are an equal opportunity employer and we are committed to building a diverse and talented workforce. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, colour, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, disability, or any other class or characteristic protected by applicable law. We welcome job-seekers, players, employees, and partners from all backgrounds to join us!

We will consider all qualified job-seekers with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with physical or mental disabilities in order to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.  Please contact us at accommodationRequest@zynga.com to request an accommodation associated with your application for an open position.

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