Design Director - Raven Software

Job Title:

Design Director - Raven Software

Requisition ID:

R023198

Job Description:

TITLE: Design Director

DIVISION: Founded in 1990 by brothers Brian and Steve Raffel, Raven Software is the developer of numerous award-winning games including Hexen, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and most recently, a major contributor to the blockbuster Call of Duty® franchise, including Call of Duty Cold War and Call of Duty Warzone. We have built a supportive, team-oriented culture dedicated to developing industry-leading talent that creates the best gaming experiences for our players. We are based in Middleton, Wisconsin, a suburb of Madison, annually ranked on numerous lists as one of the top places to live and work.

RELATIONSHIP: This position reports to the Studio Head.

YOUR MISSION:

As our Design Director, you will ensure that all products and experiences are delivered on time, on budget, and to the highest standards of quality, all while nurturing and growing the design department.  In addition to communicating our creative vision to design teams and stakeholders, you will supervise the entire design process and all-important technical decisions.  Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but not limited to, the following responsibilities:

With the Design Team

• A deep understanding of what makes a AAA game, as well as the design skills needed to deliver on those expectations.
• Passion for building up and hiring to create a highly functional, proactive design team.
• Build meaningful relationships with the team by fostering employee driven 1:1’s covering career growth opportunities, engagement, and timely feedback.
• Understand each designers’ abilities and areas of improvement.  Propose learning and development resources to grow designers’ abilities in conjunction with team needs.
• Grow future leaders by clearing roadblocks, empowering the team to have autonomy, authority, and accountability over their work.
• Ensure that design standards and execution is high, challenging team growth.
• Provide guidance and feedback to design documentation and scripting quality when possible.
• Train team on new tools and technologies.
• Provide leadership on design trends and patterns.  Capalize on this knowledge to champion development of innovative products.
• Foster a culture of inclusion, and collaboration.
• Perform performance reviews.

With the Game Teams

• Identify pain points in workflow, tools, and pipelines.  Work with relevant disciplines to propose solutions. 
• Work closely with cross-disciplinary peers to understand the needs and workflows of each group, while also identifying overlaps and blind spots.

Project & Studio

• Able to inspire team members, peers, and Executives through qualitative feedback of our games.
• Work with project leadership teams to understand project needs and pivots, while providing proactive solutions in collaboration with design leadership.
• Provide risk assessments and scoping for teams in partnership with production teams.
• Ensure best practices and technical documentation are maintained and used.

Other considerations

• Stay up to date with outside studio and industry tools and technology.
• A sharp eye for quality and the skills to mentor others towards gaining the same insight.
• The ability to give and receive critical feedback.
• A proactive mindset and the willingness to reach out to partner studios and central teams to build best practices within the studio.
• The ability to lead through curiosity and influence.
• Apply a humble approach to problem solving.
• The ability to propose scalable, robust visions for the future of the Design family.

Player Profile

Minimum Requirements:

• 8+ years of experience shipping AAA titles in  design leadership roles. 
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Experience advocating for and managing change.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Ability to communicate design vision and to align vision within the team. 
• Extensive player experience with games, including action, FPS, open world, and online titles. 
• Extraordinary self-motivation and initiative, and a positive attitude in the face of challenges. 

OUR WORLD: 
 

Activision Blizzard, Inc., is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™ and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!
 

Our ability to build immersive and innovate worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.
 

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!  Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company.  You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $134,000.00 - $247,900.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.