About the position
At Visual Concepts, we believe great games are made by diverse and empowered teams with a shared passion for play. As one of the world’s top game development studios, we have shipped over 100 multi-sku titles to critical acclaim and commercial success. Our teams are independent and entrepreneurial. Our studios in Agoura Hills, Novato, Irvine, Budapest, Shanghai, Austin, Boise, Seoul, and Parksville, Canada are committed to artistry and technical innovation, offering top candidates the opportunity to learn and grow with some of the smartest and most creative minds in the industry. Our NBA 2K Novato studio is looking for a UI/UX Director to help shape the UI, wrapper, player status and overall presentation of the next installment of the NBA 2K franchise. You’ll work with a large and versatile team to design flows and 2D and 3D art, static and in motion, develop consistent visual language, and implement a striking and intuitive user experience across every mode of the game. NBA 2K is an exciting and ambitious game with a diverse set of features and requirements. You will grow and develop in many different areas, learning from a highly skilled team while working on innovative technology. We are committed to building the most diverse team possible, so while a list of qualifications is provided below, please do not hesitate to apply if you don’t meet 100% of the qualifications.
Responsibilities
- With the UI team, inspired by NBA branding, develop overall graphic design of NBA 2K
- Establish the visual style, response, and visual flow for NBA 2K’s UI/UX
- Work across functions to develop the full scope of game needs
- Create and provide feedback for concepts, mockups, ensuring stylistic consistency and strong UX fundamentals
- Develop and build digital assets, provide feedback, and propose improved UX/flows
- Direct creation of UI assets for consistency and ease of implementation
- Establish standard methodologies and shared literacy for organization, screen, and component construction
- Iterate on designs based on findings to enhance the user experience
- Inspire and manage the UI team to be the most creative and efficient they can be
- Push and work to improve tools, process and pipeline to be the best they can be
- Foster and Direct UI team members to work collaboratively and communicate effectively
- Anticipate challenges; build relationships with Tools and UI engineers to improve functionality
- Manage, track and level team’s workload and progress with Art Producers
- Perform yearly assessment and evaluation of individuals on team with written and verbal feedback
Requirements
- 7+ years of video game experience in a UI/UX role, 3 years in a leadership position
- Experience on multi-sku, multi-resolution console and PC projects
- Proficient experience with industry standard 2D graphics applications and prototyping tools used in UI (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.)
- Catalog, assign and track UI screens and accompanying 2D assets and animations
- Experience with 3D packages, Illustrator, game engine and UI tooling
- Professionalism to deal with numerous demands, needs or requests
- Leader that has a keen eye for trends and direction in the UI/UX environment, especially in its relation to professional sports
- Strong leadership, coordination, alignment-building, and development process
- Ability to create high-quality work in a fast-paced environment and able to incorporate feedback from multiple collaborators across multiple teams
- Organized, with communication skills and a collaborative demeanor
- Attention to detail and completeness, ability to see ahead and anticipate issues
- Highly motivated lead that inspires the team and can complete objectives
- A love for video games (not just ours!)
Nice-to-haves
- VFX and animation literacy and experience
- Experience working in 3D with motion including Maya, Cinema 4D, Element 3D, or other industry standard software
- Technical skills in scripting, instructional logic, programming or coding
- Knowledge of the NBA brand and style
Benefits
- Base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations.
- Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits.
- Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.
