Game Art Director

Overview

The K20 Center for Educational and Community Renewal is a statewide education research and development center which promotes innovative learning through school-university-community collaboration. The K20 Center is housed at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.

Our mission is to cultivate a collaborative network engaged in research and outreach that creates and sustains innovation and transformation through leadership development, shared learning, and authentic technology integration. More at http://k20center.ou.edu/

Benefits

The University of Oklahoma offers a competitive benefits program that provides economic security and builds a solid base for future retirement needs. It is an important and valuable part of the compensation package offered to you. For detail information regarding benefits please visit http://hr.ou.edu/benefits/

Job Description

The K20 Center at the University of Oklahoma is looking for an enthusiastic and talented Art Director to define the visual scope of the educational games and virtual learning environments (VLE) and assure that its elements are homogeneous and in line with the center’s vision. We are looking for an individual interested in making a difference in education through games.

The Art Director responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Define a clear vision of how products should look and feel, and the ability to lead peers to share this vision.
• Create a visual design document that ensures clear and consistent descriptions of the art production pipeline for a range of assets for outsourcers.
• Communicate the project’s style requirements (visual goals, level of quality, game ambiance, and asset content) through good visual references and documents that describe the artistic direction to outsourcers that will ensure a unified project vision.
• Work with production manager to establish reasonable budgets and costs for outsourced art.
• Monitor contractor asset submissions for consistent high quality and bring forward any red flags as needed.
• Work closely with the programmers to insure the quality of art remains high while integrating into the game engine.
• Work with concept artists in creation of characters, environments, and game look-and-feel
• Anticipates, identifies and articulates problem areas and develops preventative solutions.
• Solves complex problems in resourceful and effective ways.
• Supports content creators in their work.
• Mentors less experienced members of the team
  

Requirements

• Bachelors in Graphical Arts, Fine Arts, Media Arts, Graphic Design or related field OR an equivalent combination of education/job related experience. 
• 24 months working in game development, in a graphic artist/art development role, with an emphasis on 3D development. 
• Previous outsourcing experience required. 
• Prior Game Development Experience with a minimum of One Shipped Game Title. 
• Animation, modeling/texturing of game ready characters.
• Extensive working knowledge of 3ds Max or Maya
• Proficient in Photoshop, and version control tools. 
• Ability to work within a defined development process.

• Knowledge of Game development tools and systems
• Proficient in the Unity 3D Game Engine
• Ability to communicate effectively within a large group/multiple project environment.
• Extremely high personal standards as demonstrated in quality and pride of work.
• A personal interest in games and game development
• A digital portfolio must be made available for consideration

Skills

• Strong problem solving and trouble-shooting skills
• Imagines, envisions and devises new approaches, concepts, models, designs and processes.
• Ability to lead and mentor team members.
• Communicates effectively with the development team.
• Continuous learner.
• Ability to adapt to change.
• Strong organizational skills and interpersonal skills.
• In depth knowledge of the graphical trades (modeling, character modeling, special effects lighting, texturing).
• Skills in 3-D modeling, 2-D graphics, and virtual environment design.
• Solid understanding of game development processes, limitations, dependencies and trends.
• Excellent time-management and organizational skills.
  

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship.

If you are selected as a final candidate for this position, you will be subject to The University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Tuberculosis Testing policy. To view the policy, visit http://www.hr.ou.edu/policies/tbtesting.asp.

Applicants MUST apply for this position online at https://jobs.ou.edu searching for job requisition 22586 or use the direct link at jobs.ou.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=89354. For further information on this or other OU job opportunities, please call (405) 325-1826, or access our web site at http://hr.ou.edu. The University of Oklahoma is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Protected veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.