Associate Development Manager

Job Description

Associate Development Manager (contract)

Location: Redwood City

Term: 12 months

At Maxis, we thrive on outrageous thinking. It is the fuel that inspires the best games in the world. We are innovators and great storytellers. But it is not just about amazing your peers – it is about amazing yourself. Take risks. Collaborate with brilliant minds and dare to dream big. Together, we can change the way millions play every day.

What an Associate Development Manager does at Maxis:

An Associate Development Manager (ADM) is responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of game features on time and within budget. The ADM oversees the project schedule and manages the team to deliver to a high standard. The team an ADM manages can be multi-discipline, ranging from artists, designers, software engineers, QA, and other production staff. The ADM partners closely with other Developer Managers, Producers and Craft Directors to drive the development team from one project phase to the next while ensuring a strong focus on quality, collaboration, and communication.

Responsibilities:
• Partners with Production and discipline leaders to manage project scope and quality.
• Evaluates and advises on resource requirements needed to meet project goals.
• Works with discipline leaders to define best practices and processes: Ensures all workflow is clearly defined, processes are documented, and staff trained in expectations on the workflow.
• Focuses on the immediate team, identifies team issues and facilitates solutions related to execution goals.
• Anticipates bottlenecks and proposes mitigation plans that balance the business needs with team health.
• Identifies task-related processes to improve efficiency.
• Tracks and implements project improvement plans to drive team efficiency.
• Facilitates stand-ups, planning and other sprint related functions
• Tracks team progress and provides regular status reporting and capacity plan updates.
• Mentors individual contributors within the project team
• Manages career development of direct reports, ensures all reports have professional development plans, and conducts regular one-on-ones.

Requirements:
• Minimum of 2 years of project management or team leadership experience and a minimum of 2 years in software development environment. Experience in game development is preferred.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience in any number of related fields including Game Production/Development, Business, Visual Arts, Computer Science etc.
• Excellent knowledge of software production life cycle, tools, processes, and execution planning.
• Experience in a Scrum / Agile software development environment. Scrum Master Certification is desired.
• Experience with project management/tracking tools such as Jira and ShotGrid (formerly Shotgun).
• Proficient with Excel, PowerPoint, Perforce, and Visio
• Demonstrated experience in working with broad cross-functional teams.
• Strong negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution skills
• Effective communication skills across all levels of an organization.
• People management experience is preferred.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-rj8j31-3-138-141-202-42 in your application.