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Design Director
1 year ago
With a rich history of developing multiple AAA franchises such as Little Big Planet and Crackdown, as well as contributing to genre-defining titles like the Forza Motorsport and Hitman series, Sumo Sheffield’s vast development experience spans multiple genres and platforms.
As winners of the TIGA Star Employment Award for 2021, recipients of the GI Biz 2020 Best Places to Work Award and listed as one of the UK’s 100 Best Large Companies to Work for in 2021 and 2022, Sumo Digital has enjoyed 20 years of stability and growth since its formation in 2003 and continues to strive for excellence across every single project.
The team have a track record of working on some of the world's biggest and best games and received two BAFTAs for their work on Sackboy: A Big Adventure. As the scale and exclusivity of projects continues to grow, there’s never been a more exciting time to join the Sumo Sheffield family!
The Role @ Sumo
We are actively recruiting a new AAA Core team as part of our new team expansion strategy, capable of innovating and developing the next wave of gaming.
As part of this new drive, we are currently on the search for an exceptional Design Director to join our Sheffield studio. You will be working in the newly formed Core team and will be the backbone of the team’s Design discipline, additionally assisting in shaping what it looks like and helping to drive diversity as we begin to work on an exciting new project.
More about the role:
- DESIGN DIRECTION ~ responsible for delivering against the product vision, upholding the design pillars.
- KNOWLEDGE ~ has broad knowledge in all areas of game production, introducing new tools, design trends and workflows.
- MENTOR ~ coaches, inspires and directs their team to foster their design and technical development for their career progression.
- BEST PRACTICES ~ ensure that best design practices are implemented and optimized within the team.
- RESOURCE PLANNING ~ determine design resource needs, budget & composition; recruit, build and train your team.
- COMMUNICATE ~ communicate the design vision to your team, studio leadership & externally; with all the required assets required to evangelise the direction and achieve buy in.
- DOCUMENTATION ~ supervise the creation & maintenance of detailed design documentation.
- PROTOTYPING ~ establish prototyping goals based on core design needs and design unknowns.
- REVIEW ~ review & feedback on game design and implementation with the team.
- SCHEDULE ~ define and allocate tasks with the leadership team, including accurately assessing the time required to complete each task.
We will need you to have:
- Full cycle experience as a Design Director, on at least 1 shipped AAA title.
- Demonstrable, hands on game design skills.
- Ability to work to tight deadlines.
- Excellent written & verbal communication skills.
- A thorough understanding of current gaming trends.
What we offer:
. Defined Annual Bonus Scheme
. ULEV car scheme
. Monthly allowance to spend on enhancing benefits
. Salary Sacrifice Pension
. Flexible Working
. 21 days free-use holiday
+ your birthday off
+ 5 learning days including 1 volunteer day
+ a duvet day
+ Christmas shutdown from Christmas Eve to New Year
+ Bank Holidays
+ extra allowance accrued for longer service
. Free dental insurance
. Life Assurance 4x Salary
. Income Protection of 75% for 5 years
. Enhanced Mat/Paternity & Adoption pay
. Employee Assistance Programme:
. Help at Hand - Remote GP, Mental Health & Physio appointments
. Free financial & home buying support consultations
. Cycle to Work Scheme
. Payroll Giving Scheme
. Access to 4,000 Udemy Courses
. Career Development Pathway
. Wrap Parties.
. Project Completion Awards
. Game/Creative Jams
. Big Family Events
. Studio social activities, e.g. running, board games, film, yoga, life drawing…
. Prism – Sumo’s employee diversity focus group
. Free fruit and drinks in our studios
. Employee Referral Bonus
Where do we stand on diversity?
At Sumo, we want to enable everyone to bring their full, authentic selves to work every single day. We acknowledge that the games industry is far from perfect and a global organisation with people all over the world, from all kinds of backgrounds, we know it’s part of our duty to provide everyone at Sumo with a safe, accepting and affirming working environment.
We encourage and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
More about Sumo Sheffield
Sumo Sheffield is located just outside the city centre in Sumo Digital’s HQ, just off J34 on the M1 and a stone’s throw from the city’s primary shopping and leisure complex. With a multi-building campus comprised of industry-leading facilities, an onsite gym and subsidised canteen, Sumo Sheffield provides everything needed for all teams to create the world’s best games.
Sheffield is the fifth largest city in the UK and is easily accessible by road and rail from Leeds, Manchester and the Midlands. The city enjoys a wealth of facilities to suit a wide array of interests, including:
o World-class sports facilities
o Iconic theatres and galleries
o Multiple retail and shopping experiences
o Diverse and renowned restaurants and eateries
o The award-winning National Video Game Museum
More about Sumo Digital
Sumo Digital is an award-winning international family of studios. Recent releases from Sumo Digital studios include: BAFTA-Award winning Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Hood: Outlaws & Legends, Control Ultimate Edition on Google Stadia, Apple Arcade Award-winning Little Orpheus, Hot Shot Racing, WST Snooker and Spyder.
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