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Franchise Audio Director - Star Wars

Zynga is proud to announce the opening of a brand-new game development studio in Austin, TX. The studio will partner with NaturalMotion, a Zynga-subsidiary, to develop a premiere mobile action game set in the Star Wars universe. The new Austin studio will collaborate closely with BossAlien, a division of NaturalMotion, and an award-winning games developer based out of Brighton, England.

If this sounds like you, we want to hear from you! Your passion and experience for building original games will be instrumental as we bring together a brand-new collective of developers to take on next-generation thinking and innovative products. As a studio leader, you will act as a key bridge in tight and effective collaboration with your UK-based counterparts.

This is a rare opportunity to play a part in the foundation of Zynga’s first action games studio in North America, and to make your mark on a brand-new franchise in the Star Wars universe and the future of mobile gaming.

About the position

The Franchise Audio Director will be a founding member of the Austin, TX studio, working closely with their counterparts both locally and in Brighton to build the next blockbuster mobile franchise, and setting the studio up for sustainable delivery and future growth.

We’re looking for a proven leader to help us establish a new audio department in Austin, TX, to bring our games to life with AAA soundscapes. In your role, you’ll bridge collaboration between our development team, audio vendors, composers, and licensors to deliver a beautiful and unforgettable audio experience to our players.

As a studio leader, it’s also crucial that our Franchise Audio Director not only shares but exemplifies our values of determination, trust, excellence, and celebrating the diversity of people and ideas.

This role will report into BossAlien’s General Manager in the UK. As a core member of the Austin leadership team, the Franchise Audio Director will have significant autonomy and a high level of impact on the studio’s design culture, and play a key part in building the studio’s team.

Responsibilities:

• Provide expert direction, leadership, management, creation and integration of game audio. Sound, Voice and Music. (Composition is not required, but music direction is)
• Work closely with the General Manager, Creative Director and other stakeholders to develop and maintain the highest quality audio experience.
• Contribute to strategic planning and development of the audio discipline for the game/franchise/studio/company, with the Head of Audio.

Experience and Skills:

• Expert knowledge of how audio contributes to world-class gameplay experiences.
• Multiple shipped titles at Director, or perhaps Lead level.
• Proven successful direction, management, supervision and mentoring of internal or external audio staff.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with external contractors, suppliers and licensors.
• Expert ability to carry out due diligence for projects against technical/creative scope and budget.
• Expert use of DAW’s (e.g Pro Tools, Cubase, Vegas, Sound Forge), audio middleware (e.g. Wwise and FMOD), game engines (e.g. Unreal and Unity) and other common audio and game tools.
• Exceptional time management, able to prioritise and track work across a team, delivering on time to the highest level of quality.
• Expert ability to communicate clearly and in a flexible style, to stakeholders, team, peers and management.

Want to really stand out? Know all about:

• Linear audio design as well as interactive (e.g. Cinematics and marketing materials,)
• Knowledge of project management frameworks such as scrum/agile.
• Use of project management tools such as Jira.
• Legal understanding e.g. IP, contracts, licensing, rights.
• Ability to compose music.

Qualifications/requirements:

• Excellent portfolio, demonstrating world-class audio design, ideally in multiple genres and styles, as a minimum (with details of involvement).
• Qualified to a degree+ level in an audio-related subject, or with equivalent experience.

What we offer you:

• Competitive salary, bonus plan, Zynga RSU’s (Restricted Stock Units), ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Plan)
• 401K Company Match Contribution
• Medical, dental, vision, EAP, life insurance, and disability benefits
• Virtual mental health and neurodiversity support programs
• Family planning support program
• Generous paid maternity/parental leave
• Subsidized Back-up child care
• Discretionary Time Off policy for many employees
• Flexible working hours on many teams
• Culture of diversity and inclusion including employee resource groups
• Work with cool people and impact millions of daily players

Zynga is an equal opportunity employer. We are proud of our broad community; we do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, disability, or any other class or characteristic protected by applicable law. We welcome job-seekers, players, employees, and partners from all backgrounds. Join us!

We will consider all qualified job-seekers with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law.

Zynga is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need an accommodation during the interview process, please let us know.