Studio Art Director

Overview
343 Industries is the developer of the blockbuster Halo series of video games. As part of Xbox Game Studios, the Halo franchise encompasses games, television series, novels, comics, licensed collectibles, apparel and more. We are looking for new Spartans to join our team to build the next generation of games and experiences in our award-winning sci-fi universe. Do you understand modern console/PC games and have experience with live service games? Do you closely collaborate with teams to drive inspiring, cohesive gameplay experiences? Are you interested in Halo and want to preserve what makes it unique-while brimming with ideas to evolve an experience that millions of players love? If so, the Halo team would love to speak with you about becoming our next Studio Art Director!
The Studio Art Director is responsible for managing a high performing art organization that delivers memorable experiences aligned to each project's vision. You will provide feedback and guide the art direction for the games and the overall franchise, while providing each team with the creative flexibility and support they need. You will also guide the art organization to find and maintain the right balance between quality and delivery, at a quality bar that meets or exceeds player expectations. You will also collaborate with the creative team to generate foundational art pillars and general tone/feel direction for new game experiences. The Studio Art Director will be a member of the studio leadership team and will report directly to the Franchise GM.
Responsibilities

• Provide coaching, mentorship, art feedback and training to all 343 artists as the leader of the Studio Art team.
• Collaborate with 343's Studio Design Director, Executive Producers, and other key stakeholders to define the creative and artistic vision for Halo's future game experiences.
• Be a consistent source of clarity, positive energy, and inspiration for the art team and broader studio.
• Define art best practices and cultivate a healthy art culture that is inclusive, collaborative, player focused, and consistent in quality.
• Partner with Production teams to develop art leaders for each product team, structuring each product's art team to meet the needs of current and future projects.
• Work with art leads to create inspiring visuals and creative designs from inception through delivery of final illustrations,
• Help define visual style guides and creative briefs to aid other artists, ensuring visual quality, style, and detail throughout the games.
• Collaborate with the Studio Director of Technology and other leaders on technical decision making, tech platform/pipeline needs, and other R&D efforts for the studio.
• Inform brand standards, artistic guidelines, marketing material, key art, trailers, and other Halo collateral.
• Establish and maintain relationships with internal and external partners.

Qualifications
Required/Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or Certificate in Design, Fine Arts, Human Computer Interaction, Visual Communications or related art field AND 8+ years experience in art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 5+ years people management experience (e.g., serving as a Lead Designer, Design Manager, Creative Director, etc.).

Additional or Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or Certificate in Design, Fine Arts, Human Computer Interaction, Visual Communications or related art field AND 15+ years experience art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 12+ years experience using related software and packages (e.g., Maya, 3DS Max, Photoshop/Adobe suite, Mental Ray, Substance Designer/Painter/Zbrush, SideFX Houdini, After Effects, Unity, Softimage).
• 8+ years people management experience (e.g., serving as a Lead Designer, Design Manager, Creative Director, etc.)
• Experience working with Unreal Engine tools.
• Experience shipping 2+ multiple AAA gaming projects

Art M6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $133,600 - $276,600 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $173,200 - $304,200 per year.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.
Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.
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