Creative Director - Star Wars

Job Description

Zynga is proud to announce the opening of a brand-new game development studio in Austin, TX. The studio will partner with NaturalMotion, a Zynga-subsidiary, to develop a premiere mobile action game set in the Star WarsTM universe. The new Austin studio will collaborate closely with BossAlien, a division of NaturalMotion, and an award-winning games developer based out of Brighton, England.

Hiring Update: The safety of our candidates and team members is our top priority. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our workforce transitioned to working from home, with all interviewing and onboarding being conducted virtually until further notice.

Job Purpose

We are looking for Creative Director to join us at BossAlien, a division of NaturalMotion, in creating Star WarsTM: Hunters, a competitive arena combat game for the Nintendo Switch system and mobile devices. Star Wars: Hunters will bring players together to engage in thrilling, team-based, multiplayer battles featuring a diverse array of distinctive new Star Wars characters.

As the Senior Creative Director on Star Wars Hunters, you will be the vision holder for Zynga’s premier new game and establish it as a forever franchise. You have a deep experience, love and intuitive feel for games and a passion for leading creative teams.

You are the creative ambassador to other stakeholders, both on the team and above it. You will ensure understanding of the design vision across disciplines, and ensure design coherence and a fun player experience in the finished product.

You believe strongly in the cross-platform future of AAA game experiences on mobile, console and PC, and recognize the revolutionary and exciting prospects of bringing extremely high-quality and feature-rich games to the unprecedented global audience that cross-platform affords.

You are a proponent for designing through constant playtest and iteration, and are an evangelist for the process not only on the design team, but to all disciplines within the studio. Finally, you have a love and admiration for the Star Wars universe, and embrace the opportunity to make your mark and tell your story within one of the most beloved and storied franchises of all time.

This is a studio leadership role that will report directly to our General Manager / Studio Head.

This role can be based out of our UK studios (London or Brighton) or Austin, Texas.

Key Roles & Responsibilities

Creative and Product Vision

• Define, maintain, and communicate the creative vision for the project to ensure a best-in-class player experience
• Develop strong relationships with Art, Engineering, Sound, Product, and other departments to make that vision a reality
• Partner with Production, Product Management, Marketing, and Consumer Insights to ensure proper creative positioning of the product, understand and build with our audience in mind, and inform the vision based on analytics and data
• Provide ongoing creative support for the project at all stages of the product lifecycle
• Define and drive playtest and iteration culture both on your design team and for the team at large
• Communicate and evangelize the direction and vision for the game upwards to executive stakeholders, outwards to external partners and inwards to the team

Design Expertise

• Guide development of features and systems
• Ensure design cohesion and best practices across the team, and communicate them via documentation, presentations, and mentoring
• Review and provide feedback on systems, feature, and content designs and provide guidance to other leaders and designers
• Stay abreast of the latest trends in gaming and ensure the team are developing a pioneering game that matches evolving player expectations and innovations

Management

• Inspire, lead, and motivate a team of designers from diverse backgrounds
• Mentor and guide the design team on their respective career trajectories
• Impart your experience and methods to the team, and leverage their own strengths and backgrounds to build a versatile team capable of tackling any challenge

Required Skills & Experience

• An experienced Design Director or Creative Director with shipped action titles under your belt
• Experience of games-as-a-service design methodologies and building a living game for a large community of players
• Deeply familiar with what it takes to develop and ship a AAA quality title on time and at quality
• A master of design systems, workflows, and processes
• An effortless communicator, visually and verbally
• A believer in the power, reach, and potential of the next generation of cross-platform gaming, even if you’ve never built one before
• Experience working with IP holders as partners

• Competitive salary, bonus plan, Zynga RSU’s (Restricted Stock Units), ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Plan)
• 401K Company Match Contribution
• Medical, dental, vision, EAP, life insurance, and disability benefits
• Virtual mental health and neurodiversity support programs
• Family planning support program
• Generous paid maternity/parental leave
• Subsidized Back-up child care
• Discretionary Time Off policy for many employees
• Flexible working hours on many teams
• Culture of diversity and inclusion including employee resource groups
• Work with cool people and impact millions of daily players

We are an equal opportunity employer and we are committed to building a diverse and talented workforce. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, colour, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, disability, or any other class or characteristic protected by applicable law. We welcome job-seekers, players, employees, and partners from all backgrounds to join us!

We will consider all qualified job-seekers with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with physical or mental disabilities in order to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at [email protected] to request an accommodation associated with your application for an open position.

#LI-DD1