Niantic Labs, creator of Ingress and Pokémon GO, is seeking an Art Manager to lead our visual design team and the creative process, from concept design to final assets. You will be responsible for leading a team of 3D artists and animators, including the artist’s processes and pipelines. This role is working on a new and exciting AR location based game that will merge the virtual with the real world and encourage players to explore the world, together.
The ideal candidate will bring bold leadership to a team seeking to push the boundaries of location-based AR and live experiences. We believe in creating unforgettable emotions and memories inside games players love to play, inspiring discovery, exercise, and meaningful social interaction.
Niantic values managers who are respectful, empathetic, and who embrace the values of servant leadership and a diverse and inclusive workforce.
Responsibilities
- Partner with the Art Director, collaborate with other Art and Design leadership, and build consensus with cross-functional leaders across Product and Engineering.
- Provide leadership and be a strong advocate for your team members.
- Recruit, hire, develop, and mentor artists through active coaching and setting measurable goals that support the creative goals and ambitions of the art team.
- Set strategy, priorities, and resource allocation decisions that help achieve product goals while maintaining design aesthetics, standards, and brand integrity.
- Create and manage internal and external team schedules and ensure proper workflow throughout the art department to achieve production goals.
- Anticipate and recognize potential production issues and recommend appropriate solutions.
- Cultivate Niantic’s culture and principles within the group, while setting new standards in executional and operational excellence.
- Foster and maintain the creative relationship between external partners and internal art teams.
Qualifications
- 5+ years managing artists.
- Demonstrated leadership skills with excellent diplomatic skills.
- Demonstrated ability to manage and mentor a large team of artists in a dynamically changing production environment.
- Demonstrated success in creating a collaborative culture of Design, Product, and Engineering.
- Project management experience in PC, console, or mobile game development, or in other areas such as CG production or animation.
- Experience working on feature development from end to end.
- Familiarity with all types of game art: 2D, 3D, UI, animation, and visual effects.
- Excellent communication, presentation, interpersonal, and analytical skills; the ability to communicate clearly and persuasively across different audiences and varying levels of the organization.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Expertise with project tracking software.
- Excellent problem solving and troubleshooting skills.
- Previous experience working with outsource partners.
Plus If...
- You have a background in art, animation, or content creation.
- You have shipped 1 or more AAA console games or high profile mobile titles as an Art Manager.
- You have a passion for games, AR, Mixed-Reality, and new technologies.
Join the Niantic team!
Niantic is the world’s leading AR technology company, sparking creative and engaging journeys in the real world. Our products inspire outdoor exploration, exercise, and meaningful social interaction.
Originally formed at Google in 2011, we became an independent company in 2015 with a strong group of investors including Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, and Alsop Louie Partners. Our current titles include pioneering global-control game Ingress, record-breaking AR game Pokémon GO, and recently released third title, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.
Niantic is an Equal Opportunity employer. We believe that cultivating a workplace where our people are supported and included is essential to creating great products our community will love. Our mission emphasizes seeking and hiring diverse voices, including those who are traditionally underrepresented in the technology industry, and we consider this to be one of the most important values we hold close.
We're a hard-working, fun, and exciting group who value intellectual curiosity and a passion for problem-solving! We have growing offices located in San Francisco, Sunnyvale, Bellevue, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Hamburg, and Zurich.