Outsource Manager – AAA Console Games – Stockholm, Sweden

This vacancy may offer a work-from-home start until it’s safe to work in-house or relocate to the location.
 

Our client is looking for an experienced Outsource Manager to help craft cutting-edge game worlds for titles. In this role, you will be responsible for setting up, communicating and monitoring our outsourcing efforts and the deliveries related to this. You will also be responsible for the relationship with partners. 

Outsourcing Strategy

• Establish strategy together with Leads of what content can and will be outsourced.
• Creates and maintains comprehensive brief templates and best practice documentation throughout production. 
• Works closely with the Project Leads on multiple small titles, providing insight on vendor estimates; communicating instances of pipeline congestion, internal or external; relaying insight on quality, timeliness and professionalism of vendors work; and maintaining an efficient, navigable task tracking platform that enables easy use for developers not invested in the daily outsourcing process.

Outsourcing Execution

• Manages day to day communication with outsourcers on behalf of Lead Artists, seeking clarification from Leads when necessary. This includes kickoffs, updates, inquiries and feedback.
• Accountable for the OS packages sent to external Vendors. Ensures briefs are executed to the established standards and includes the correct supplementary content such as: greybox models, reference imagery and concept art is provided.
• Acts as gatekeeper of content quality, making sure content is delivered at specification and meets creation guidelines. Responsible for first pass evaluations of outsourced assets on behalf of lead artists.
• When content passes first evaluation, works with the lead to distribute deliveries to the right people for feedback.
• Acts as gatekeeper of feedback quality, making sure that  feedback to our vendors is consistent and adheres to set standards.
• Accountable for delivering actionable feedback to vendors in a timely manner at key stages of asset creation, such as: Low poly, high poly/sculpt, material bake and final delivery phases.

Content Knowledge

• Helps direct vendor work on multiple asset types including but not limited to hard surface, organic, vegetation, vehicles, materials, under guidance and direction from the Art Director, and Lead Artists.
• Can coordinate optimization and polishing of assets after external delivery including UVs, baking, material and texture adjustments and optimization.
• Maintains up to date experience and knowledge of content creation and quality bars across multiple asset types.

Required Qualifications

• Extensive outsourcing experience and with at least one shipped title
• Experience in game art asset creation in a variety of software packages including Maya, Zbrush, Substance and Photoshop
• Comprehensive experience working directly with outsource studios and independent vendors
• Clear and concise communications and people skills
• Must be highly organized, self-driven, customer focused
• Experience creating style guides and briefs to be used by external vendors
• Complete understanding of game production process, end to end
• Developed communication skills, able to work with a range of stakeholders
• Team player able to work with and without direction
• Comfortable providing art feedback
• Passion for playing and making games

Desired Qualifications

• Experience working on Open-world games
• Experience across multiple Art Departments such as Concept, Props, Structures, Organic, Hard Surface and Vegetation.
• Strong understanding of physical based rendering and texturing pipelines

Tagged as: Outsourcing Manager