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Design Manager - nDreams Studio (Hybrid)

We are nDreams, one of the world’s leading developers and publishers focused on VR games.

Combining innovation with excellence, we are the team behind award winning game Phantom: Covert Ops and Fracked. Our AAA experience and sensibilities, alongside bespoke VR technologies, give us the skillset, processes and creativity to deliver innovative, high production games for all VR platforms. We’ve got several exciting projects planned for the year and beyond - we can’t wait to show you more…

Our projects continue to push forward the boundaries of VR and we’re looking for talented people to help us turn them into a reality. Our talented studio now has over 100 people and has been assembled from world-leading games developers and publishers.

Requirements

If you are an experienced Design Lead looking to take the next step in your career, or already a Design or Creative Director looking for a fresh challenge, then we’d love to hear from you.

Working with the general manager and alongside other discipline directors, you will lead nDreams Studio’s Design Department as we continue to scale.

This is a leadership role that will require a highly organised, pragmatic, and big-picture thinker who is able to take a holistic, view of the Design Department and how it contributes creatively, operationally, and functionally to the overall business of developing World Class VR Games

Key Responsibilities:

• Evaluate and reconcile the skills and capability of the Design department with the needs of the studio’s live and future projects.
• Track, manage and report progress, risks, and issues to stakeholders.
• Overall responsibility for the delivery of the design team’s contribution within the creation and development of World-leading VR game development.
• Design resource planning for live and future project requirements.
• Ensure that design processes, pipelines, working practices and methodologies are up to date and best-in-class.
• Work closely with the other department heads to ensure that all design work is appropriate and services gameplay, art, technical, scope and strategic requirements.
• Ensure that all design work supports nDreams’ existing core VR design principles.
• Ensure design work is delivered within agreed quality and time parameters.
• Mentor, support and performance-manage individual Design Department members and ensure that they are growing their skills and achieving their goals.
• Foster a fun, collaborative, committed and solution-orientated work environment.

Essential capabilities:

• A design role for 5 shipped titles, at least 1 in a senior role. VR and/or AAA scale is a bonus.
• Strong knowledge of games and its mechanics and an active gamer.
• Expert understanding of design processes and the role that the design function plays within development.
• Highly organised, data analytical and a strong planner, especially with respect to modelling and planning design scope.
• You embrace and believe in an iterative, fail fast approach to development and you are not precious about change through iteration cycles.
• You’ll be able to balance pragmatic delivery with creativity and innovation – and you’ll know when and how to apply both.
• You have excellent communication skills and you are confident in speaking with people at every level of the business, internally and externally.
• Demonstrable track-record of managing and mentoring game design teams or sub-teams.
• Confident in managing and motivating your team in a positive and sensitive manner.
• Able to write and present well, and can convey complex ideas succinctly.
• You’ll be a collaborator and team player with a willingness to wear different “hats” as necessary to ensure the best possible game development environment .
• Interest in VR games, desire to be a part of studio leading the way in VR game development.
• Having experience with the Unreal Engine (UE4) would be an advantage.

Benefits

Our growing studio shares a passion for innovation, collaboration and defining the future of VR. We encourage an open, creative, and diverse culture and empower people to explore their ideas and put their own stamp on projects. With humble beginnings of our own, we combine big projects and opportunities with a personal, caring touch. We’re proud of our culture – come and see why!

We offer some great perks, including flexible core hours, private health insurance, pension, two duvet days plus a day off to celebrate your birthday. As you’d guess, we provide all the equipment you need to create amazing VR experiences.