Technical Art & Pipeline Director - Hybrid

Job Description

Every great story has a new beginning, and yours starts here.

Welcome to Warner Bros. Discovery… the stuff dreams are made of.

Who We Are…

When we say, ''the stuff dreams are made of,'' we're not just referring to the world of wizards, dragons and superheroes, or even to the wonders of Planet Earth. Behind WBD's vast portfolio of iconic content and beloved brands, are the storytellers bringing our characters to life, the creators bringing them to your living rooms and the dreamers creating what's next…

From brilliant creatives, to technology trailblazers, across the globe, WBD offers career defining opportunities, thoughtfully curated benefits, and the tools to explore and grow into your best selves. Here you are supported, here you are celebrated, here you can thrive.

Rocksteady Studios is an award-winning, critically acclaimed video game developer. Founded in 2004, we are home to the widely celebrated Batman: Arkham series of games. Our philosophy for game development is all about treating people well to create quality entertainment that stands the test of time. We're a one-project studio that built our success by combining genre-defining gameplay and character-driven cinematic narrative with AAA production values. Born in the heart of London, our multicultural team takes inspiration from the culture and history of our home in one of the most diverse cities in the world.

Your New Role…

Rocksteady is looking for an exceptionally skilled and passionate Technical Art Director to join our dedicated and collaborative team to work on our upcoming title Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Our 'Tech Umbrella' consists of the wonderful Technical Animation, Technical Art and Procedural Tech Teams. Amazing people of various backgrounds truly passionate about tech and real time game development.

We are looking for someone who enjoys championing technical challenges, has a knack for pipeline strategies, and contemplates on effective, user-friendly workflows and processes.

The ideal candidate will have a solid understanding of pipelines, performance optimisation, user-friendly tools, efficient workflows and streamlined processes that saturate a diversity of disciplines, with highly iterative project needs.

They will further unify and bolster our Tech Umbrella; collaborate with Leads and Directors to clarify and sanitise the technical impact of game decisions ; bring clarity of vision, and foster a strong culture of empowerment.

This role can be offered on on a hybrid working, or studio based basis.

Your Role Accountabilities…
• Champion Technical Artistry in the studio by working with the Tech Animation, Technical Art and Procedural Tech Leads to build robust pipelines, workflows that empower artists, and overall strengthening our asset and build stability
• Collaborate with other Directors to realize creative visions and identify potential workflow problems - working with other tech team members, engineers and artists to achieve this
• Working with Rendering and Technical Directors to define and implement asset optimisation budgets
• Research and implement training and team mentoring on new technologies and processes
• Define the technical roadmaps and long-term vision as well as strategically plan and prioritize against the needs of the various disciplines that are being assisted by Technical Art, Procedural Tech and Technical Animation
• Managing career vectors of tech team, including regular 121 meetings with Tech Leads
• Overseeing studio needs, identifying staff and skillset requirements and working with recruitment to ensure the technical departments are sufficiently staffed

Qualifications & Experience…
• AAA Game development experience in a Lead or Director position
• Comprehensive knowledge of all CG fundamentals, with advanced knowledge in content creation techniques and technical disciplines such as optimization, modelling, texturing/shading, rigging/animation, lighting/rendering
• Strong understanding of coding fundamentals in a range of languages such as Python, C# or C++
• Need to have a creative eye and aesthetic judgement to help drive visual quality
• Proficiency in good asset management and sharing practices
• Excellent cross department communication and leadership skills
• Ability to assess things holistically and make long term plans
• Experience with Unreal Engine 4 preferred.
• Knowledge of procedural programs such as Houdini and Substance Designer preferred.
• Technical skills such as experience with Blueprints and building complex materials preferred.
• Previous experience with code organization and centralized tool development and distribution preferred.
• Knowledge of production and project management processes (Jira, Shotgun) preferred.

#LI-Hybrid

How We Get Things Done…

This last bit is probably the most important! Here at WBD, our guiding principles are the core values by which we operate and are central to how we get things done. You can find them at www.wbd.com/guiding-principles/ along with some insights from the team on what they mean and how they show up in their day to day. We hope they resonate with you and look forward to discussing them during your interview.

The Legal Bits…

Warner Bros. Discovery embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects the diversity of our society and the world around us. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, regardless of sex, gender identity, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, disability or any other category protected by law.

If you're a qualified candidate with a disability and you need a reasonable accommodation in order to apply for this position, please contact us at recruitadmin@warnermedia.com.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-g3m4bq-18-218-254-122-42 in your application.