Technical Producer
Join our award-winning God of War team
Here at Santa Monica Studio, our production team excels at creative problem solving and communication. We thrive on being at the intersection of people and productivity as the glue that holds the studio together. Whether we’re being leaders of project management, or a rock in which our teams can depend, the production team is here in service to the studio, to achieve quality, and to move development forward.
A Technical Producer supports and manages scheduling and the day-to-day production of the internal development team with a focus on technology including rendering, engine, build pipelines, etc. Responsibilities include collaborating with senior producers, creative leads, directors and studio managers to develop and maintain a specific discipline or project plan to determine resource, budget or schedule needs.
Responsibilities
Manage the production of one of more discipline teams in all areas including:
Manage the production pipeline of a specific discipline or disciplines throughout all production phases
Responsible for specific phases or portions of the product development cycle from design through final approval
Manage development efforts to keep product development on schedule and within budget
Oversee day-to-day production issues in all aspects of game quality. Schedule and maintain day to day tasking of departmental and interdisciplinary teams. Partner with other producers to balance resource contention.
Foster and maintain relationships with internal and external team members
Ensure effective communication between team members, outside developers, consultants, all inter-company resources and other producers
Plan and troubleshoot production and execution challenges with design, scope and budget considerations accounted for and forecasted
Assist Senior Producers and Lead Producer to create and maintain schedules, scope and resource planning
Manage the day-to-day production issues through analytic thinking and information gathering including:
Break down large or complex projects into meaningful subprojects
Assimilate diverse information and assess the impact on each piece of the project as well as on the project as a whole
Identify all groups that may be affected by the project, and involve them – actively solicit their input and follow up through execution
Hold regular meetings with the project teams, individuals and business partners to discuss status, resolve issues and share information
Ensure a common understanding and agreement on project scope and objectives and on any subsequent changes
Contribute to current and future Product Development needs including:
Maintain and enhance creative relationships with internal development team
Partner with team managers to deal with personnel issues and individual growth, such as meeting task expectations, as well as actively tasking individuals toward determined growth goals
Participate in yearly performance review process, helping to gather and provide feedback under the supervision of team managers
Maintain and enhance necessary processes and procedures for product development while coordinating with development team to ensure SIE company-wide policies are adhered to
Provide resolutions to a diverse range of complex problems and uses judgement within defined policies and practices
Requirements
Minimum 4-7 years of industry experience in a product development environment
Minimum 2 years as Producer on a 50 plus person internal team
Two or more published titles considered a strength
Experience working on technical teams and projects such as Engine/Rendering, Build Pipelines, DevOps, or Tools is preferred
Familiarity with programming and/or scripting languages (e.g. C++, Python)
Experience producing for large scale, AAA game preferred
Four year undergraduate college degree or equivalent skill set
Preferred Experience
Project Management
Ability to create and maintain project schedules and milestone documentation, monitoring the progress of department milestones and individual tasks against those schedules
Proven experience producing cross-functional, creative development teams and resources to quality and schedule goals
Familiarity with traditional waterfall production management techniques and Agile techniques, including Scrum, Kanban or Crystal.
CI-ACP, CSP, PMP or equivalent certification a plus
Excellent organizational & prioritization skills, attention to detail, process knowledge and ability to multi-task
Experience with Microsoft Office (emphasis on Excel), Hansoft, JIRA, Confluence and other project tracking and bug database software
Communication & Collaboration
Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively across product development and management teams
Interpersonal and facilitation skills
Strong ability to work in partnership with various producers, developers and other SIE business units
Ability to identify other business units with necessary technical knowledge and cultivate relationships
Ability to adapt quickly in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
Industry
Knowledgeable of current industry trends: stays up-to-date on competitive products and best practices
Must love games and have a passion for creating them!
We value talent, self-motivation, and team spirit. In turn, we provide an environment with a large degree of autonomy and opportunities for growth.
Sony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All persons will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, legally protected physical or mental disability, covered veteran status, status in the U.S. uniformed services, sexual orientation, marital status, genetic information or membership in any other legally protected category. We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees and embrace diversity. We encourage everyone to respond. We genuinely appreciate the time and effort you spent in contacting us and we thank you for your interest in Santa Monica Studio.