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Development Manager
1 year ago
We are looking for an experienced Development Manager to join our production team on our Total War Franchise at our studio based in Horsham.
The successful candidate will assist with the day-to-day, and week to week process of managing a cross discipline game team. Reporting to the Development Director, the Development Manager will be able to provide support to keep the project moving forward, and the team positive, informed, and focused whilst keeping momentum. The role will also require working with the project leads to generate the project schedule, identify dependencies, solve problems, and prioritise work.
It will also require the development and encouragement of positive relationships and cohesion within the team and other relevant third parties, including internal relationships within CA, and SEGA.
Key Responsibilities
As a Development Manager, you will drive the project delivery for the team, facilitating the planning and estimation process across the team.
On a day-to-day basis, you will:
- Work with the team to facilitate them delivering their goals
- Work across the project supporting focus teams or assist other Game Producers, leads and directors
- Define and continuously improve the development process using the best methodology possible to predict, and deliver on time, and on quality
- Drive the project planning process that gives constant visibility on the overall status of development
- Help to manage and motivate the development team, ensuring that milestones are adhered to, communicating progress and providing a detailed analysis on team performance, risks and areas for improvement
- Help to improve agile processes, while creating and maintaining long term roadmap of deliverables and budget
- Plan, and execute the short-, and long-term schedules and reporting, to ensure efficient, reliable, and accurate delivery
- Track and manage these schedules, adjust them for upcoming releases, deadlines, milestones, accounting, cross-project dependencies, resourcing, and priority changes
- Liaise with the project and company leadership in defining the deliverables, goals and KPIs to provide visibility, and status updates
- Broadcast key project dates, goals, KPIs and processes to the team
- Periodically introspect into the team’s overall status
- Identify, communicate, and support resolving any risks that may prevent the team from completing deadlines
- Anticipate and solve problems independently, and collaboratively with the project leadership
- Inform and escalate in time, maintain close communication
Knowledge, Skill and Experience
Essential
- Exceptional organisational skills. Driven and self-motivated
- Strong planning and project management skills. An instinct for coordinating and focussing on separate moving parts at one time
- Experience delivering games in an agile development environment while working to strict timelines
- Ability to utilise knowledge of multiple project management methodologies to best suit the team and project needs
- Excellent problem-solving skills. You will be aware of potential and current issues and formulate pragmatic plans to solve them
- Strong written and verbal communication skills in English
- A team thinker - able to work within a team and to actively work to make the team perform cohesively
- Excellent knowledge and experience using MS Office applications especially Excel and Jira
Desirable
- Minimum one shipped title
- Good understanding of agile and waterfall methodology
- Full production cycle experience
- Experience with scaled agile
- Advanced MS Office skills
- Avid gamer
- Knowledge of the Total War Franchise
About Creative Assembly
It’s an exciting time to be a part of our craft-led studio as we push boundaries, creating deep and detailed experiences that last.
Our teams are diverse from across the world, from trainees to industry veterans who constantly challenge us and make sure we are striving for the best within our games and our studio life. We are united through our shared values of Quality, Focus, Teamwork, Respect and Trust and we win awards for our culture and our people-centric approach, having won a Best Place to Work Award for six consecutive years. We invest in our people, the studio, and our projects. We are a company that’s secure and safe – you don’t need to worry about job security at CA.
Flexible working at Creative Assembly includes hybrid, fully remote within country of employment for eligible roles, and in-studio. We recognise that there is no one-size-fits-all approach and empower our teams to define the working patterns which work best for them, which may mean different things for different teams and roles and at different times.
We’ll give you the creative freedom, tools, support, and development to achieve your potential.
Our studios are based in Horsham, UK and Sofia, Bulgaria, including several bespoke state-of-the-art audio suites and a dedicated motion capture facility.
We offer many benefits to support you and your family including:
- Flexible working: hybrid, fully remote within country of employment for eligible roles, and in-studio working
- Work from Anywhere for a temporary period each year (restrictions apply such as VISAs)
- Enhanced holiday allowance, maternity and paternity breaks, flexibility with our core hours, and no-notice holidays
- Bespoke relocation package for you and your dependents, with support throughout the process from our dedicated Relocation Specialists
- Private medical and dental insurance, life insurance, permanent health insurance, critical illness cover and free health care screening
- Generous holiday allowance plus full studio closure over the Christmas and New Year period, and all UK Bank holidays
- Annual discretionary studio bonus
- Join our award-winning education and social responsibility programme; the Legacy Project, as an industry ambassador to mentor and educate others
- Defined career development pathways and personalised training support including SEGA Dev Day, internal masterclasses, prestigious creative workshops, on-site training with renowned specialists and global conference attendance
- Opportunity to join our Diversity and Inclusion Network – an employee-led group
- Season ticket travel loans and cycle to work scheme with free bike servicing and discounted car valet service on site
- Free games and merchandise plus access to our extensive games library
- Free breakfast in the studio every day - toast, bagels, pancakes, cereals, yoghurts, fresh fruit, smoothies, juices, milkshakes and more in our fully stocked kitchen
- Wellbeing support with an employee assistance programme and onsite confidential sessions
- In-studio heavily subsidised massage therapy
- Discounts for home technology, travel insurance, corporate gym membership, cinema tickets, holidays, trips out and Ikea vouchers, and many local businesses including estate agents
- Studio parties for you and your family; such as our Summer Festival, Christmas Party plus a separate Children’s Christmas Party. We also have Cinema days and wrap parties for game releases
- Studio community activities such as life drawing, creative writing, Pilates, Walking Challenges, Couch to 5k, basketball, game and movie evenings, board game club, 5-a-side football, CA Choir, Sword fighting (yes, sword fighting) and loads more.
Our studio sites have disabled access. We are an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief.
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