Role Purpose
Microsoft Game Studios is looking for a dynamic and experienced creative leader who has passion to create the world’s greatest games. The Design Director position focuses on partnering and supporting creative visionaries, solving creative issues, and evangelizing published products from a game design perspective. Design Directors push innovation and thought leadership and partner with world class developers to launch new franchises worthy of 1st Party development.
Team/Department Mission
Microsoft Games Studios has been responsible for launching titles such as Gears of War, Mass Effect, Crackdown, LIPS and many others and is working on the next great MGS franchises. NATAL is the revolutionary new input device that will challenge us and our partners to rethink how we design for interactive entertainment. Use your extensive experience to partner and collaborate with the industry's best developers and join a group dedicated to excellence, teamwork and launching industry changing interactive experiences.
Key Accountabilities
Ensure that the final product quality meets the high expectations of Microsoft Game Studios first party titles.
Ensure that the creative vision and direction for a title is clear to both our development partner and within the Microsoft organization.
Support the development of our partner’s creative vision, offering creative solutions and ideas.
Work effectively with the Art Director, Audio Director, User Research Lead, User Experience Lead, Executive Producer, PM(s) and any other key leads to determine project design specifications and to ensure successful product execution.
Partner with Marketing and Business Development within Microsoft Game Studios and other business units within Microsoft in a senior capacity.
Evangelize, present, and communicate design status of owned projects to the larger Microsoft organization and Senior Management Team.
Contribute innovative and creative design ideas to specific titles and across the games portfolio.
Perform due diligence trips with potential development partners and provide critical and creative insight and feedback on any new game concepts.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
1) Essential Experience
- Must have significant and proven people management experience OR hold a current Design Lead post.
- Experienced relationship management skills.
- Excellent creative vision that can be channeled and adapted to any type of game.
- A comprehensive understanding of games, games players and gameplay mechanics, combined with an ability to identify, analyze and rectify game design and gameplay issues.
- Strong verbal, written and organizational skills.
- A strong understanding of art, software and audio disciplines.
- A working knowledge of standard industry game engines, design toolsets and production pipelines.
- Indepth experience of the entertainment industry.
Personal Attributes/Interpersonal Skills
- Be a creative leader that can operate and collaborate to the highest standard within the team structure.
- Have an open-minded approach to design and display the ability to challenge convention. They will be forward thinking and have the flexibility to research and undertake any game as required.
- Take complete design responsibility and ownership of the project and guide it through to completion - seeking out, evaluating and implementing feedback from all relevant sources to constantly improve and refine the title.
- Has led at least one AAA title from a creative lead position.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer and supports workforce diversity
