Director, External Development

3 Months ago • 10 Years + • Game Production • $220,296 PA - $323,101 PA

Job Summary

Job Description

Epic Games seeks a Director of External Development to lead co-development efforts across first-party games. Responsibilities include managing a team focused on building co-development capacity with external vendors, ensuring high-quality content and timely project delivery within budget. This role requires strategic oversight of external development, budget management, vendor communication and relationship building, process improvement, and collaboration with internal teams (Finance, Legal, Procurement). The ideal candidate possesses extensive experience managing AAA game development and external vendors, demonstrating expertise in process improvement and navigating complex projects.
Must have:
  • 10+ years experience in external development for AAA games
  • Exceptional knowledge of process improvement and change management
  • Deep understanding of game development processes and integration of external developers
  • Strong partnership building skills at all levels
  • Outstanding leadership, project management, communication skills

Job Details

WHAT MAKES US EPIC?

At the core of Epic’s success are talented, passionate people. Epic prides itself on creating a collaborative, welcoming, and creative environment. Whether it’s building award-winning games or crafting engine technology that enables others to make visually stunning interactive experiences, we’re always innovating.

Being Epic means being a part of a team that continually strives to do right by our community and users. We’re constantly innovating to raise the bar of engine and game development.

PRODUCTION

What We Do

Whether it’s driving a vision from start to finish or collaborating with teams to inspire and deliver projects of Epic quality, Epic’s production teams take pride in consistently delivering world-class products and experiences.

What You'll Do

Epic Games is searching for a Director to lead our external development efforts across our first-party games. In this role, you’ll manage a team focused on building co-dev capacity to ensure that high-quality content, art, and development work is being delivered by multiple external vendors across multiple projects. We will look to this leader to ensure the successful delivery of multiple high-quality projects, on time and within budget, across multiple platforms. The ideal candidate has partnered with several external vendors to ship multiple AAA titles.

In this role, you will

  • Partner with Fortnite leadership to understand, determine, and deliver on external development needs across all Epic first-party games. Actively source for new co-dev partners to build additional capacity as needed across content creation and art
  • Provide strategic and tactical oversight for external development, as well as define, track, and report on production metrics and KPIs. Monitor overall development risks and roadblocks for major initiatives across the first-party development team
  • Lead budget forecasting, cost analysis, and budget management for all development and co-development vendor spend.This role will be responsible for identifying opportunities to streamline costs and increase efficiency
  • Manage communications, both internal and external, by providing performance feedback to external vendors, while helping maintain strong relationships between external teams and internal stakeholders
  • Identify opportunities and drive process adoption to improve workflows as it relates to external development
  • Collaborate with Epic’s internal Finance, Legal, and Procurement teams to understand industry standard rates for services and negotiate contract terms with external vendors
  • Ensure smooth development and delivery processes across multiple external and partner teams from prototype and through launch. Draw on your vast experience managing AAA games and your deep understanding of development best practices to provide vision for successful co-dev process at Epic

What we're looking for

  • 10+ years experience with external development/outsourcing and external content and development management required, preferably for AAA games
  • Exceptional knowledge/experience of driving process improvement and change management
  • Demonstrated understanding of game development process and how multiple external developers can be integrated into a fast-paced and quality-focused project
  • Experience in a software development organization and familiar with SDLC best practices
  • Ability to build strong partnerships at every level; an excellent understanding of leading both directly and through influence. The kind of person that people want to work for and work with
  • Deep knowledge of industry-standard development pipelines
  • Outstanding leadership, project management, communication and facilitation skills and adept at operating within ambiguous situations and high pressure scenarios

This role is open to multiple locations across the US (including CA & NYC).

Pay Transparency Information

The expected annual base pay range(s) for this position are detailed below. Each base pay range is relevant only for individuals who are residents of or will be expected to work within the specified locale. Compensation varies based on a variety of factors, which include (but aren’t limited to) things such as skills and competencies, qualifications, knowledge, and experience. In addition to base pay, most employees are eligible to participate in Epic’s generous benefit plans and discretionary incentive programs (subject to the terms of those plans or programs).

New York City Base Pay Range
$220,296$323,101 USD
California Base Pay Range
$220,296$323,101 USD

ABOUT US

Epic Games spans across 25 countries with 46 studios and 4,500+ employees globally. For over 25 years, we've been making award-winning games and engine technology that empowers others to make visually stunning games and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award-winning Unreal Engine technology not only provides game developers the ability to build high-fidelity, interactive experiences for PC, console, mobile, and VR, it is also a tool being embraced by content creators across a variety of industries such as media and entertainment, automotive, and architectural design. As we continue to build our Engine technology and develop remarkable games, we strive to build teams of world-class talent.

Like what you hear? Come be a part of something Epic!

Epic Games deeply values diverse teams and an inclusive work culture, and we are proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. Learn more about our Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy .

Note to Recruitment Agencies: Epic does not accept any unsolicited resumes or approaches from any unauthorized third party (including recruitment or placement agencies) (i.e., a third party with whom we do not have a negotiated and validly executed agreement). We will not pay any fees to any unauthorized third party. Further details on these matters can be found .

Similar Jobs

People Can Fly - Accountant

People Can Fly

Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland (On-Site)
3 Months ago
Haptic - Outsourcing Art Manager

Haptic

Dallas, Texas, United States (Remote)
3 Months ago
Techland - UE5 Senior Game Programmer AI

Techland

Poland (On-Site)
7 Months ago
Riot Games - Senior Manager, Art Direction - Teamfight Tactics

Riot Games

Singapore (On-Site)
8 Months ago
Amber - Level Designer 3D (Project Based)

Amber

Brazil (Remote)
5 Months ago
Miniclip - Game Producer: Play Fair

Miniclip

Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal (Hybrid)
4 Months ago
Haptic - Executive Producer

Haptic

(Remote)
3 Months ago
The Walt Disney Company - Virtual Production Producer

The Walt Disney Company

London, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
Blizzard Entertainment - Lead Product Manager, Engagement - Diablo | Irvine, CA

Blizzard Entertainment

Irvine, California, United States (Hybrid)
4 Months ago
Electronic Arts - Producer

Electronic Arts

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (On-Site)
1 Month ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Similar Skill Jobs

HoYoverse - Senior Combat Designer [CA]

HoYoverse

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (Remote)
11 Months ago
Blazing griffin - Graduate/Junior Tools Programmer (Games)

Blazing griffin

Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom (On-Site)
4 Months ago
Intrepid Studios,  Inc  - Associate Software Engineer

Intrepid Studios, Inc

(Remote)
2 Months ago
Red Rover Interactive - Senior UI Artist

Red Rover Interactive

Oslo, Oslo, Norway (Hybrid)
11 Months ago
Epic Games - Research Engineer

Epic Games

London, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Supercell - Game Tester, Project R.I.S.E

Supercell

Shanghai, Shanghai, China (On-Site)
5 Months ago
Epic Games - Senior Gameplay Systems Programmer, Fortnite

Epic Games

Cary, North Carolina, United States (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Magnopus - Lead Engineer

Magnopus

St Albans, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Maverick Games - Senior Engine Engineer

Maverick Games

Warwick, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
3 Months ago
Keywords Studios (Player Support) - Technical Artists - 2025 Opportunities

Keywords Studios (Player Support)

Ireland (Remote)
3 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Jobs in undefined

Looks like we're out of matches

Set up an alert and we'll send you similar jobs the moment they appear!

Game Production Jobs

VOID Interactive - Producer, Ready or Not (Europe)

VOID Interactive

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland (Remote)
5 Months ago
Tencent - Executive Producer

Tencent

London, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Ubisoft - HQ Producer

Ubisoft

Paris, Île-de-France, France (On-Site)
3 Months ago
Respawn Entertainment - Senior Build Engineer (Apex Legends)

Respawn Entertainment

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)
8 Months ago
Daybreak Game Company LLC - Executive Producer - MTGO

Daybreak Game Company LLC

San Diego, California, United States (Hybrid)
5 Months ago
Riot Games - Product Lead, VALORANT Mobile

Riot Games

Shanghai, Shanghai, China (On-Site)
5 Months ago
Abstraction games - Senior Tech Producer (hybrid/remote)

Abstraction games

Netherlands (On-Site)
3 Months ago
Snail Games - Publishing Associate Producer

Snail Games

Beverly Hills, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Steel City Interactive - Executive Producer

Steel City Interactive

Sheffield, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
2 Months ago
Easy Brain - Product Manager

Easy Brain

Limassol, Limassol, Cyprus (Hybrid)
7 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

About The Company

Founded in 1991, Epic Games is a leading interactive entertainment company and provider of 3D engine technology. Epic operates Fortnite, one of the world’s largest games with over 350 million accounts and 2.5 billion friend connections. Epic also develops Unreal Engine, which powers the world’s leading games and is adopted across industries such as film and television, architecture, automotive, manufacturing, and simulation. Through Unreal Engine, Epic Games Store, and Epic Online Services, Epic provides an end-to-end digital ecosystem for developers and creators to build, distribute, and operate games and other content. Epic has over 40 offices worldwide with headquarters in Cary, North Carolina.

Shanghai, Shanghai, China (On-Site)

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (On-Site)

Cary, North Carolina, United States (On-Site)

London, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (On-Site)

Porto Alegre, State Of Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil (On-Site)

Porto Alegre, State Of Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil (On-Site)

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (On-Site)

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (On-Site)

View All Jobs

Get notified when new jobs are added by Epic Games

Level Up Your Career in Game Development!

Transform Your Passion into Profession with Our Comprehensive Courses for Aspiring Game Developers.

Job Common Plug