Technical Director – VR Skydance Interactive

At Skydance Interactive, we believe in pushing the boundaries of what is possible in interactive entertainment. Innovation in game design, technology, and storytelling is the passion that drives our agile studio of dedicated and talented game creators. Collaboration across all disciplines is vital to our success and is at the core of the inclusive culture we strive to foster every day.

We empower our employees to take ownership of the features they develop and create their own solutions when challenges arise. As our studio grows, we want to bring even more risk-takers, innovators and diverse voices along for the ride as we continue to create the games that will defy convention and define the future of the medium.

Our studio was founded in 2008 by several Treyarch veterans as The Workshop. For eight years, we built our reputation in the AAA console space, working on hit titles such as Gears of War, XCom 2, Sorcery and The Evil Within.

In 2016, we joined forces with Skydance Media to form Skydance Interactive and set our sights on becoming the premiere studio in the burgeoning arena of Virtual Reality. Following the success of our first VR title Archangel, we elevated our ambition and tackled The Walking Dead universe in VR. The result was the 2020 genre-defining hit The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners.

Skydance Interactive, one of the world’s leading VR developers and creators of the award winning multi-platform hit The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, is seeking a Technical Director for our upcoming next-generation game project.

We are searching for someone with a passion for innovation and a commitment to process, a high tolerance for risk tempered with sober judgment – a collaborative leader who will bring out the best from the engineering team and the team as a whole.

If you aspire to create games that break the mold and elevate the thrilling prospects of the VR gaming space, we’d love to hear from you.

Responsibilities

1. Lead a team of engineers as part of a cross-disciplinary game development team
2. Oversee game runtime, tools/infrastructure and team workflow
3. Coordinate with Creative Director, Art Director, Senior Producer and other project leadership to identify team needs, set team goals and feature specifications
4. Determine team policy and practice with all technical matters – specs for art and design, code standards, code reviews, etc. within the framework of overall company best practices
5. Collaborate with other project TDs and Architect(s) on shared company technology and process decisions, under the Chief Technologist
6. Help build the engineering team, including interviewing, hiring engineers
7. Mentor and develop engineering talent within the team
8. Hands-on coding as appropriate

Requirements

1. BS/MS in Computer Science or related field
2. 7+ years experience
3. Shipped at least one PC or Console game in Senior or Lead capacity
4. Broad understanding of all major facets of large-scale game engine architecture – game, physics, animation, rendering, engine/system architecture, multi-platform, network, build environments, etc.
5. Excellent skills in C++ programming and object-oriented architecture
6. Excellent Math Skills
7. Detail-oriented planner. Sound technical judgment in estimating task complexity
8. Strong personal communication skills
9. Leadership experience directing other engineers
10. Impeccable work ethic and commitment to excellence

Plusses

1. UnrealEngine expertise
2. PS5 or XBox Series X experience
3. VR Experience
4. Prior director-level leadership experience

The salary range for this position in Los Angeles is $225,000 – $260,000. The salary offered may vary based on the candidate’s location, qualifications, experience and relevant expertise, among other factors. The range indicated is for base salary only and does not reflect the total compensation package, including bonus, benefits, etc.