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Chief Creative Officer

We are looking for a Chief Creative Officer to join the Next Games management team.

The person we’re looking for is an experienced game creative lead with the ability and will to lead and influence other senior creators. The CCO is knowledgeable of design and works closely with other principal creatives to ensure future and current projects are on brand and stay relevant in the industry. They set the overall creative direction that best aligns with business objectives, and drive the creation of the Next Games portfolio strategy, sharing the tasks with the management team.

EXPECTATIONS

• You have the curiosity to dig deep behind player motivation and audience definitions, understanding how they play long term success.
• You are all about the overall experience of playing a game, how our players perceive it, how to make it on brand, and what design decisions influence a successful product. Deep industry knowledge and interest is assumed. You are able to see what is fun entertainment now and what it might look like in the future. You have a wide view on and interest in culture and trends.
• You work with an exploratory mindset, eager to discover new things and help others see how they might create something new and fun.
• You are a cross-discipline player with an interest to understand and use the full potential of the creative unit, regardless of anyone's title or experience level.
• You understand that our games live on for years, and create things for long-term viability and success.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• You support our Product Owners as their first point of contact in the management team on creative and product development topics, including balancing creative risk.
• This position is responsible for the design, player and user experience, audio, and game art disciplines, and the leaders of those disciplines report to you.
• Works with the CEO and C-suite to develop cohesive and productive goals for the company and design ways to meet them; long- and mid-term roadmaps for the rest of the organization to execute.
• Transforms rough ideas and general concepts from the creative teams into action and messaging, be it internal or external. Helps in pitching new projects. Considers new projects from the point of view of the overall strategy and portfolio.
• Leads and guides each project’s principal creatives, helps direct project completion when necessary.
• Works with license holders of external IPs to set joint creative vision for each project in the early stage of new collaborations.
• Inspires and facilitates the creation of new concepts and takes on existing concepts.
• Formulates short- and long-term creative goals, and strategies to achieve them.
• Ensures that each project’s creative messaging is consistent and of a high quality.
• Evaluates the product pitches, branding, and messaging against the current status of the industry and the market, to ensure we’re working on relevant projects.
• Anticipates future direction of the game and entertainment industries, using both provided research and own insight to bring the company into the fore of that trajectory. The behavior and motivations of players are key.
• Evaluates the concepting stage budget against reaching concepting goals, as well as the creative budget in other project stages against reaching their goals.
• You are able to develop clear plans on how concepts, genres, themes and features align with the product vision and business goals.

REQUIREMENTS

• You have worked in a major leadership role in a successful game. You have worked in a free to play, Game as a Service environment. You know what success looks like.
• You possess a strong working knowledge of project management, design and brand development; and understand the scaling challenges and appeal of creating new products.
• You are at a minimum familiar with branding and marketing strategies, and know how to use those in product design and branding.
• You have skills in problem solving, looking beyond the obvious design challenges, and taking a unique approach to derive positives from negatives
• You can take charge in a deadlock situation, and help reach a unified vision supported by everyone.
• You are a visionary and can see what most look past — and translate it into a graspable concept.
• You have exceptional communication skills which will help you bridge the gap between the business and creative sides of the company.
• You have previously worked at a director level or above.

Our core values – Caring, Curiosity, and Courage – guide us in our efforts, so these should be close to your heart as well. We aim high here at Next Games and will ask you to do the same. In exchange, you’ll be part of a team that is great to work with, who is dedicated and passionate about what we do – we believe passion is contagious. Giving each Nextgamer the tools and means to succeed in their job is our priority.

We believe the fruits of our labor should be shared with everyone at Next Games. We offer the opportunity to work with a diverse bunch of passionate and dedicated people, a competitive salary and benefits package, but first and foremost a big challenge.

Does this sound like you? Send your CV and cover letter along with your salary request through the link below as soon as possible as we'll proceed once the right person is found.