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Senior Manager, Sound Design
Montreal, Quebec
You are:
A creative and experienced audio director who has a proven track record running an audio team to deliver amazing sounding games. You have a history of developing and managing other sound designers and sound supervisors to become leaders in their field. You want to work alongside our development partners at AAA studios such as Naughty Dog, Santa Monica Studio, Insomniac Games, Guerrilla Games, Sucker Punch Productions and more…
As it turns out:
We are looking for a Senior Manager of Sound Design to help lead our award winning, global team to craft high quality audio experiences for the PlayStation Studios family of development partners. As part of our team, you will have the opportunity to continue to set the bar alongside some of the most quality-driven developers in the industry on some of the most exciting AAA games for PlayStation.
Responsibilities:
Design: Working with our development partners, you will help oversee all aspects of multiple titles’ sound design, help define the sound vision, hire, help assemble the PlayStation Studios sound design team, and coordinate across various sound disciplines internally.
- Sets sound design direction and vision for sound design department regionally
- Recognized as a leader in the sound design industry
Direction: You will be accountable for the overall sound direction at the regional level, and work with our development partners to establish creative and conceptual direction.
- Directs and approves internal sound design team's quality to meet the vision of the development partner
- Influences and guides quality of designs and best practices for technical execution across sound design team within a region
- Works with other sound design supervisors to set best practices and quality bar for all project work within a region
Implementation: You will rely on your expert understanding of all sound design domains and seek to bring new and emerging technologies to our projects.
- Recognized within industry for ability to set visionary implementation goals across multiple disciplines (level art, animation, etc.)
- Consistently delivers best in class sound design implementation solutions
Tool and Technical Proficiency: You will learn and adapt in an ever-changing environment when it comes to game and sound technologies and educate and share your knowledge with the team.
- Helps define future direction of PlayStation Studios sound design technical efforts
- Cleary articulates PlayStation Studios sound design technical goals with PlayStation Studios leadership
Communication: You will help build and maintain meaningful relationships across our internal and external groups, based on trust and delivering consistent, high-quality results.
- Drives communication efforts for sound design team regionally
- Drives a culture of active communication and transparency for regional sound design teams
Process & Planning: You will help elevate our internal processes for scheduling and managing the PlayStation Studios sound design team.
- Works closely with internal production staff to monitor sound design budgets and schedules for multiple development partners within region
- Works with multiple development partners or groups to create plans to increase quality and efficiency where possible
Innovation: You will push the envelope to challenge the status quo. You will be flexible and take risks to expand boundaries to deliver breakthrough solutions, creatively and technically.
- Helps drive external communication for regional sound design team - works with PR to showcase how PlayStation Studios is innovating on projects within sound design industry
- Encourages other sound design leadership to push themselves to innovate in design and technology across region
- Drives regional process to assess sound design quality in a methodical, detailed fashion to create actionable feedback for internal and external teams
Collaboration & Influence: You will be open, candid and push those around you in a positive way to succeed to together. You will help drive the process of coming up with, synthesizing and iterating on ideas with our internal team, external partners, and stakeholders to achieve quality.
- Drives collaboration efforts across different groups, projects, and development partners, as well as the sound design community at large
- Understands and addresses development partners' perspective while leading sound design collaboration efforts to achieve mutual goals within region
- Builds lasting relationships with development partner audio directors/leads in region
Talent Acquisition & Management: You will help ensure there is a continuous and candid communication process for evaluating performance within our group and provide both positive and constructive feedback for your peers. You will also help lead talent acquisition globally and represent PlayStation Studios during the recruiting, interviewing, and hiring processes.
- Leads the candidate selection and interviewing process for sound design department regionally
- Works with internal production staff and Talent Acquisition to help forecast fiscal hiring needs
- Drives performance management in regional sound design group to ensure goals are set, quarterly/annual conversations are held, regular coaching and feedback are occurring; is an overall role model for regular performance activities
What we're looking for:
- Minimum Bachelor’s degree
- Minimum 15 years’ experience
- Minimum 6 shipped AAA games in sound leadership role
- Minimum 6 development cycles managing, coaching, and mentoring sound designers
- Excellent executive communication and presentation skills
- Proven leadership skills and capabilities
- Expert in interactive audio and post-production techniques
- Robust command of sound design & mixing techniques, processes, and tools
- Multi-specialized; able to facilitate world class audio content creation spread across multiple aesthetics
- Strong history in advanced authoring techniques within commercial or proprietary middleware (Wwise, FMOD, etc.)
- Deep knowledge of working with game development teams and coordinating with various game departments such as animation, level design, AI, physics, mechanics, etc.
- Proven track record of being able to deliver AAA projects to a high-quality bar, including driving the final mixing process
- Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines
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Equal Opportunity Statement:
Sony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All persons will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender (including gender identity, gender expression and gender reassignment), race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, disability, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, trade union membership or membership in any other legally protected category.
We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees and embrace diversity. We encourage everyone to respond.
PlayStation is a Fair Chance employer and qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for employment.
