Niantic Labs, creator of Ingress and Pokémon GO, is seeking an experienced Technical Art Manager to manage our technical art team and the creative process from rapid prototyping to final scene implementation. We’re a fast-moving, multi-disciplinary team of software developers and creative professionals based in San Francisco, Seattle and Tokyo. You will be the people manager for a team of technical artists that design tools, handle asset development and integration and maintain performance for Pokémon Go, helping merge the virtual with the real world and inspiring people to explore the world, together.

Responsibilities

Partner with the Technical Art Leads and collaborate with other Art and Design leadership as well as build consensus with cross-functional leaders across Product and Engineering.
Provide leadership and be the strongest advocate for the technical art team.
Mentor, develop and support team members, in terms of their work and career progression.
Set strategy, priorities and resource allocation decisions that help achieve product goals while supporting design aesthetics, technical pipeline standards, performance and brand integrity.
Create and manage team schedules and insure proper workflow throughout the technical art department.
Anticipate and recognize potential production issues and recommend appropriate solutions.
Foster Niantic’s culture and principles within the group, while setting new standards in executional and operational excellence.

Qualifications

Minimum 5-7 years experience managing or leading technical art teams.
Demonstrated ability to manage and develop the well being of a large team of technical artists in a dynamically changing production environment.
Project management experience in PC, console or mobile game development. Could also be other industries such as CG production or animation.
Experience working on feature development from end to end.
Familiarity with the tools and tech of game art: shaders, fx, rigging, animation, UI, optimization.
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.
Experience with version control systems.
Excellent problem solving and troubleshooting skills.
Demonstrated success in creating a collaborative culture of Design, Product and Engineering.
Experience working with geographically distributed teams.

Plus If...

Experience as a technical artist or background in game development, graphics engineering or content creation experience.
Passion for games, AR and location based experiences.

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 consumer titles include pioneering global-control game Ingress, record-breaking AR game Pokémon GO, and Harry Potter:Wizards Unite. Our developer platform, Lightship, launches soon.

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, London, Tokyo, Hamburg, and Zurich.