This job might no longer be available.

Audio Director

Job Description

As Unbroken’s Audio Director you will work with the Studio Creative Director to shape the ambitious soundscape for multiple products while inspiring and leading others on the audio team that you helped to build. Using a creative/design process you will shape and solidify the high level sonic theme for the project(s), developing an audio language that feeds audio style guides for your team. You will master audio for the project(s) in your preferred audio suite, work with the Engineering Team to develop best practices for audio implementation, then demonstrate those practices by adding/iterating sound in Unreal for the gameplay, menu experience and more. You will oversee not only the gameplay and user interface audio but also serve as the key stakeholder in music planning, selection, and development for the experience. Be prepared to excite and engage others by evangelizing the audio vision for projects to the studio.

• Own the creative vision and technical realization of the soundscape for all Unbroken Studios games creating identifiable sonic brands per product
• Employ a semi-transparent creative process with touch points involving studio leadership, other leads, and studio employees to ensure audio vision reflects the creative needs of the project
• Communicate the audio vision to the team and provide all necessary documents and references for other teams
• Act as the champion of audio quality across all projects and liaison with other departments and external partners in order to determine audio needs
• Create and oversee creation of high quality original sounds using a range of sound design methods
• Sample from licensed audio libraries as needed and edit files in order to create bespoke sounding audio
• When applicable, work with third party foley group in order to account for specific sounds that are otherwise hard to obtain
• Identify new and optimize existing audio pipelines
• Actively implement and manage implementation of game audio and score in Unreal (via Wwise or other solutions)
• Innovate by developing alternatives for technical goals out of the realistic scope
• Direct audio reviews, collect feedback, and implement changes where needed
• Work with production to develop and maintain audio roadmaps, schedules and capacity plans for the audio team
• Build the audio mastering/recording studio by determining, standardized software, and hardware needs for the department in order to meet the needs of all studio projects
• Determine department needs and lead, hire, and manage future fulltime/contract members of the audio team
• Oversee outsourced audio content as needed when content needs exceed the capacity of the team

Qualifications

• 7+ years experience in game, film, or related media audio
• 1+ shipped game/film/other title with experience as Lead, or 2+ as Principal/Senior
• Portfolio demonstrating high quality game/film audio examples and good aesthetic sense
• Dedication for organization, use of naming conventions, and attention to detail
• Openness and thoughtful response to valid and constructive feedback
• Mastery of audio software and DAW tools
• Expert knowledge of digital audio fundamentals and audio theory
• Knowledge and experience with audio recording equipment, Foley and studio recording processes
• Solid understanding of audio technical budgeting and optimization best practices for games
• Ability to operate with autonomy; demonstrating initiative, leadership, and great communication skills
• Passion for and working knowledge of games with shooting as primary focus
• Experience managing, mentoring, and directing creative team members

Bonus Qualifications:

• Experience authoring 3D audio - specifically audio triangulation challenges in modern competitive games.
• Experience in combat/firearm recording, sampling, and mastery
• Understanding and use of music theory in production
• Experience implementing tonal and instrument layer sequencing in game for drama/impact

• Degrees or certifications pertaining to music or game audio
• Experience with a variety of game genres
• AAA game audio experience on current gen hardware
• Experience with Unreal Engine
• Composition or music skills
• Experience in code or scripting
• Experience with Atlassian Suite and Shotgun
• Experience developing for a variety of game platforms

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Company Description

Unbroken Studios is a Los Angeles-based team, made up of 50+ veteran video game developers with proven track records in building best-in-class games, across all platforms, for the world’s largest publishers. Our list of credits includes some of the most memorable game experiences from the last twenty years including blockbuster franchises such as Battlefield, Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, and God of War. Our “unbroken” passion for game development has endured the highs and lows of this industry. There’s nothing else we’d ever do.

Please note, this role will be remote until at least 2021, however the role will eventually be onsite at our offices in El Segundo, Los Angeles California.