Reporting To: EVP, Learning Operations
Location: Although we are headquartered in the U.S., we operate as a globally distributed team and are open to the Program Director being based anywhere, provided you are open to traveling as is reasonably required to collaborate in person with others from the team.
About Endless Studios:
Endless Studios is a youth-centered studio where the next generation of creators apprentice with professionals to create worlds and develop games for an ever-expanding metaverse where you can make anything and mod everything.
Inspired by the collective culture of open source software communities and the creative culture of game modding communities, Endless Studios will operate as a globally distributed, massively open game making studio and learning community.
About the Position:
We are seeking a Program Director who has the instincts and experiences to reach the next generation of creators and build a thriving global community who collaborate with collective interest to make endlessly engaging games together.
The Program Director will function like the Studio Head of our globally distributed, apprentice-based community, helping to develop and promote a meaningful slate of projects that engage creators in an enduring way and manage the process by which the community is seeded with the mentors and experts that help the community thrive.
The Program Director will collaborate with the Endless Studios design and product teams, business development staff, programmatic partners and youth to craft, implement and manage fun and authentic game making experiences that empower the next generation of creators to build skills and thrive in a rapidly changing, globally connected world.
Our ideal candidate has prior experience leading collaborative creation at scale, either to enable learning or achieve the creative goals and collective interests of a community.
Key Responsibilities
- Rapidly growing a slate of game making projects that engage creators in an enduring way;
- Identifying innovative ways to source ideas or starting assets for new projects;
- Attracting mentors and experts who help seed the development capacity of community;
- Ensuring the success of game making projects that align with Endless Studios’ product roadmap, youth learning objectives and programmatic partner needs;
- Participating in the evolution of Endless Studios’ offerings and format, including innovating to improve the quality of our offerings, as well as to optimize them to meet the needs of potential programmatic partners like youth-serving organizations, schools, government agencies and consumer channels;
- Leading the day-to-day operational execution of programs;
- Establishing quality control mechanisms to ensure consistent, exceptional delivery of service;
- Collaborating with instructional design staff to identify learning content needs, and with community management staff to develop community content and live event schedules, in support of program operations;
- Troubleshooting challenges and conflicts as they arise;
- Communicating effectively both with the game development team as well as domain experts;
- Staying on top of industry trends to ensure the projects are compelling and relevant;
- Contributing to an exciting, innovative, and supportive work environment.
Desired Experience and Skills
- 8+ years of demonstrated career progression and strong performance in roles of increasing responsibility with relevant industry experience;
- Experience leading collaborative creation at scale, either to enable learning or achieve the creative goals and collective interests of a community;
- Experience hiring and training creative staff or teaching professionals;
- Ability to communicate effectively with diverse creative and technical disciplines including design, programming, and art as well as domain experts;
- Passion for creating high-quality programs that can both make money and have a positive impact for players and on our society.
It's a bonus if you have...
- Prior games industry experience;
- Familiarity with game making production processes and tools (e.g. Unity, Unreal Engine, Blender, Maya) and/or educational experience resources and platforms around these tools.
Candidates will be required to complete a pre-employment background verification screening upon acceptance of the position.
Endless Studios Background
www.endlessstudios.com
Endless Studios was established as an independent venture in the fall of 2021 by E-Line Media and Endless Network to harness the power of games to help the next generation of creators understand and shape their world.
Endless Studios brings together the leadership teams and innovative platforms these organizations have collaborated to create including The Endless Mission (www.theendlessmission.com), a community-driven creation sandbox game where you can you can make anything and mod everything, and Terminal Two (www.terminaltwo.com), a game-based learning platform where players learn the fundamentals of coding and computational thinking through a diverse collection of games where hacking is a key mechanic.
About E-Line
www.elinemedia.com
Across the planet we spend billions of hours a week playing video games. E-Line is a video game developer and publisher dedicated to helping make this incredible investment of time and energy both fun and meaningful. E-Line was founded over a decade ago to develop games that catalyze curiosity, explore meaningful themes, and provide gateways to new perspectives and interests. Our consumer games with meaningful themes (e.g. Never Alone , Beyond Blue ) and our game-based learning platforms (e.g. Gamestar Mechanic , MinecraftEDU ) have reached a global audience of over 10 million players across channels and been used by over 15,000 schools and after-school programs.
E-Line is globally recognized as a pioneer in the games and impact sector. The company is regularly featured at gaming conferences, educational forums, and other global convenings. E-Line has also been a key driver of a number of high-profile impact game initiatives, including the National STEM Video Game Challenge (launched at the White House by President Obama), the Games and Learning Publishing Council (funded by the Gates Foundation) and the ASU Center for Games and Impact.
E-Line is a double-bottom-line, for-profit enterprise whose investors seek market-level financial returns and positive social impact.
About Endless Network
www.endlessnetwork.com
Endless Network is a global network of companies, foundations, non-profits, technologists, and advocates who want to unlock human potential through technology. We are dedicated to empowering the next generation to succeed in the digital economy. We work to transform the lives of kids and young adults by expanding access to technology and information; and by helping them develop 21st century skills.
We believe kids can have fun and learn at the same time. Creating immersive games that teach real coding concepts will help our communities prepare more youth for STEAM careers of the future and equip teachers and parents with reliable tools to keep their students engaged and motivated.
At Endless Network, we not only create epic coding games that kids love, we also partner with organizations that advocate for digital literacy, work to equip youth with tech skills, and promote careers in the new economy.
Endless Studios is is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.