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Technical Design Director

JOB TITLE: Technical Design Director

LOCATION: Brighton, Sussex

FUNCTION: Technical Game Design

REPORTS TO: Technical Director

CONTRACT: Perm

What We Need:

In the ever-evolving world of game design, you’re the person that has a vision for exactly how to enable designers to do their very best, so that the game you’re working on can be truly extraordinary. This integral role at Hangar 13 offers the successful candidate an opportunity to play an influential role in a key discipline within the studio.

The Technical Design Director manages the tech designers and works with programmers to help establish best practice and policies for all technical design across the studio, interfacing with the engineering team to ensure that we use our proprietary engine in the most performant way. Working with the tools team, the successful candidate will ensure that our workflows are as efficient as possible and have the best possible quality-of-life. The TDD will also work with the tools team in the planning and development of our powerful proprietary tool set, ensuring that Hangar 13’s games continue to be built on bleeding-edge, industry-leading technology.

What You Will Do:

• Envision the underlying technology and systems required to make design content quickly, efficiently, and effortlessly.
• Set the vision for the Technical Design team in terms of who we hire, how they work, and what they need to be successful.
• Act as a Power User for the Tools team to ensure that tools releases are bug free and efficient every time.
• Implement technically complex design elements directly into the game, with clean and readable scripting.
• Interface with the art and engineering departments to create quality content with highly iterative tools that support all of our gameplay requirements.
• Help to establish standards across the team, from scripting to metrics to efficient tool set use.
• Be a proactive voice by identifying roadblocks well ahead of time and reducing the need for reactive behaviour across the team.
• Help to identify the technical and tools needs for the design department, based on the creative vision for the game.
• Identify tool improvements and liaise with the Tools team and Production to make suggestions regarding their priority order. Candidates must have a keen eye for changes that provide the biggest wins for the team, as well as a vision for what a next-gen AAA tool set should encompass.
• Act as a technical trouble shooter for the tools and content.
• Define the future roadmap, working with the Technical Directors, on future engine improvements for design, design tools, and systems for design.

Who We Think Will Be A Good Fit:

• A can-do attitude that is service oriented…technical design is about empowering those around you to be the best designers possible
• At least two shipped AAA titles where you worked in a technical design (preferred), design, or engineering capacity
• Expert knowledge of off-the-shelf design tools, and expertise with proprietary design tool sets
• Strong ability to script in LUA and visual scripting systems
• Leadership skills that include truly caring about the career growth of those that work for you and around you
• Strong creative and technical problem solving skills
• Exceptional communication skills
• Ability to set the vision and help to explain it across the studio

Who We Are:

Hangar 13 is the internal 2K development studio behind the award-winning Mafia III. The studio is comprised of industry veterans drawn from a diverse range of studios, who have collectively shipped hundreds of titles across a wide variety of genres. Though we hail from all over the world, and our backgrounds are wildly different, one thing binds us all together – the belief that “Every Player’s Story is Unique.”

Hangar 13 is based in four locations: Novato (California), Brighton (UK), and Brno & Prague (Czech Republic).

We work collaboratively across our 4 locations to develop games as one global team. Each of our locations provides the opportunity to work on big-budget, AAA console in a diverse and inclusive environment!

Located just 45 minutes via train from London, Brighton is one of the UK’s most diverse and downright interesting cities. Sat right on the south coast of England, the city is home to a vibrant creative community and is known as an easy-going and tolerant place to live and work. Brighton is home to Victorian piers and palaces, brightly coloured stucco homes and a 5-mile long shingle beach which becomes a post-work social hub during the summer months.

Onsite amenities inside our state-of-the-art Brighton studio include a fully equipped kitchen, games room, gym (with showers) and our very own bar. We’re a 30 second walk from Brighton station.

#LI-H13