Head of Art and Animation

Art and Animation Stratford (London)/Remote (possible), United Kingdom

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Description

Job Title: Head of Art and Animation
Line Manager: Head of Production (Console and Mobile)
FTC or Permanent: Permanent
Hybrid Working Status: Fully remote available.

We are Sports Interactive 🎮

The gaming studio behind: ⚽ Football Manager.

Founded in 1994, Sports Interactive (‘SI’) became a wholly owned subsidiary of SEGA Europe in 2006. Based at the Here East technology hub in Stratford, East London, the SI team continues to expand as we bring our titles to an ever-growing audience across an increasing variety of platforms.

To support our growth, we welcome the opportunity to connect with passionate people with the drive to match our ambitions and initiative to realise your individual potential.

Position Overview:

We are looking for an experienced and dynamic Head of Art and Animation to lead our talented team of artists and animators. The successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing the delivery, optimisation and quality of all aspects of art and animation team. The team itself consists of the following disciplines: animation, environment art, character art, and technical art specialties.
 
In this role, you will motivate and develop the Art and Animation team, fostering a culture of creativity, growth, and collaboration. You will need to be able to communicate a strong cohesive vision when it comes to Art direction and drive the creative process to ensure art deliverables adhere to the product vision.
 
As part of this role, you’ll be driven to making sure that Art and Animation is a top-level consideration within the studio.

 

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership and Team Management
  • Provide strategic leadership and direction for the Art and Animation team, promoting a culture of high performance, continuous improvement, and collaboration.
  • Actively manage and develop a team of artists and animators, including conducting performance reviews, setting professional development goals, providing ongoing mentorship and looking after the team’s welfare.
  • Facilitate team meetings to ensure alignment with project goals, encourage idea-sharing, and address any team challenges.
Artistic Direction, Operational and Strategic Management
  • Drive art direction, visual quality, and style across our titles.
  • Collaborate with the Creative Director and Head of Design, along with other key stakeholders to establish and maintain the artistic vision.
  • Oversee the production pipeline to ensure that art deliverables are completed to the highest standard, on time, and within budget.
  • Ensure that departmental objectives and priorities align with the product/project requirements across multiple projects and over multiple years.
  • Set goals and long-term planning with Art Production for product features, as well as executing shorter-term deliverables with excellence.
  • Manage resource allocation and leverage external outsourcers when needed and as approved.
  • Ongoing review and improvement of processes and tools to maximise quality, efficiency, and team effectiveness.
  • Understanding and promoting technical understanding of delivering the art and graphic requirements into the game.
  • Leaning on senior artists of animation, character art, environment art and technical art to drive progress and quality bar.
Collaboration and Communication
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for all matters related to art and animation, ensuring clear communication between your team and other departments.
  • Establishing cross-SEGA studio relationships with peers to enhance project output and explore new artistic opportunities.
  • Foster a cooperative work environment that encourages innovation in the team

Requirements:

  • Bachelor's degree in art, animation, or a related field; advanced degree or equivalent experience preferred.
  • Proven track record of successfully managing and leading an art or animation team within the games industry related creative industry.
  • Experience at a senior level within the Art and/or Animation discipline.
  • Must be a team player and a role model for collaboration and inclusivity.
  • Extensive knowledge of art workflows, pipelines, and software.
  • Deep understanding of all art-based skills: animation, 3D modelling, concept art, rendering, lighting, rigging, shaders, texturing, motion graphics, etc.
  • Excellent interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills, capable of motivating and leading a diverse team to excellence.

Benefits of Working at Sports Interactive:

  • A flexible working policy to best suit you and your team. 🏠
  • Subsidised mental health, therapy and coaching sessions are available. 😌 
  • Contributory Pension Scheme (up to 7% of annual salary). 🏦
  • Free onsite evening bar in the Sports Interactive London HQ. 🍹
  • A well-stocked breakfast bar with cereals, fruits, teas, and coffees. 🥣
  • Regular events in collaboration with our partnered football clubs. 🏟️
  • Access to our on-site physical and massage therapist services. 💆
  • Multiple clubs and societies to join e.g., book club and art workshops. 🫶
  • Free access to games released under the SEGA Europe umbrella. 🕹️
  • A range of Gym Membership options through our Benefits partners. 🏋️
  • Fully Subsidised Healthcare and Dental Plans. 🦷
  • Free Travel Insurance for yourself and your family. ✈️
  • A personalised football shirt upon passing probation. 👕

What is it like to work here?

We approach everything with passion, whether that is making our mark on the gaming and football industries or doing our bit for the world around us. We want to share that outlook with everyone who shows up to work here each day.

For us, talent wins games, but teamwork wins titles. Collaboration is the key to constantly topping our best. We believe everyone matters, no matter which part of the business you are in, so we encourage and support our people in driving your own growth and realising your full potential. But, more than anything else, we are a team. A team with a down-to-earth dynamic, that has a lot of fun doing what we do.

And whether that’s technical tweaks or fine-tuning our creative process, everything is geared at producing the best game possible for our players. To do that, we need to be tenacious and move quickly, and not be afraid of switching things up. It is these principles that have enabled us to produce a game that has defined year after year, and that will continue to push us for many more to come.

Our flexible working culture gives you the opportunity to optimise your workload, with in-office, hybrid, and remote working options dependent on role. So, if you want a work/life balance, we are behind you. Because while we live to create extraordinary games, we know that is not all you have got going on. You can trust that we always keep things in perspective, fostering an environment where work can be more than just a job.

We’re also a London Living Wage employer, boast one of the lowest staff turnover rates in the industry and are proud to have won the ‘Best Places to Work’ award by Gamesindustry.biz in 2023.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from any relevant candidate irrespective of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion, or belief.

SI is proudly a Disability Confident Committed employer, and we are dedicated to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible. Our studio has disabled access and facilities but please ensure you advise us if you require any other reasonable adjustments to be made to support you during the recruitment process.

Our Values:

  • Keep collaborating: We know that talent wins games, but teamwork wins titles. We encourage a level playing field, where no matter the department, title or niche, ideas belong to everyone. And because we have each other's backs, no-one needs to look over their shoulder. It's what brings us success, without the stuffiness.
  • Be agile: The football world never stands still and neither does the entertainment industry. We have to stay ahead as the beautiful game changes and keeps innovating. We can't be afraid to switch things up. To pitch 'out-there' thinking and put ourselves out there. Think fast and adapt faster.
  • Stay Tenacious: We don't overlook the details. Think dog. Think bone. Whether it's technical tweaks or fine-tuning our creative process, everything we do is about producing the best game possible. In other words, never settle. It took tenacious spirits to create a game that defined decade after decade. It'll take tenacious people to push us for decades to come.
  • Show Ambition: We're not lone wolves, we know a pack mentality makes magic happen. But it doesn’t hurt to let your own drive lead the way. That energy is infectious... show up and share it with your team. Make the studio's purpose personal. Your individual outlook can give everyone the edge.
  • Bring the Passion: Don't be fooled, what we do is not a game. We have the power to make our players' passion come to life and make their lives better. And with great power comes great... you guessed it. We take that responsibility seriously, even if we have fun doing it. We want people to love our games, so we need to feel the passion too.
  • Consider the Bigger Picture: There's more at play than just selling games. We want our impact to be a positive one. From the flexibility that brings our team members a better work/life balance, to initiatives that make our studio kind to the planet whilst fighting against discrimination and trying to help make the world a better place, we keep things in perspective. And we give a damn about giving back. It makes our wins mean even more when we pay it forward.

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