TECHNICAL DIRECTOR / DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING

Description

The Director of Engineering is responsible for assessing and validating the technical development of all WB Games products, including those developed internally and those developed by 3rd parties. In this role, the Director of Engineering:
• Works closely with the Director of Design, Director of Art, and VP of Development as a key member of WB Games’ Development group
• Participates in developer due diligence activities to assess technical pipelines and engineering processes
• Reviews and provides feedback to WB Games’ Producers on all product Technical Design Documents (TDDs) and ongoing technical deliverables for all milestone drops
• Collaborates across internal divisions to ensure our development partners are implementing the optimal technical vision for each product by balancing input from the Development, Research, and Production groups
• Defines and spearheads the creation of engineering services used for development support such as contracting assistance and outsourcing

Responsibilities
Due Diligence and Milestone Oversight:
• Work with the other members of the WB Games’ Development group to assess the viability of development partners
• Analyze technical pipelines, processes, budgets, personnel plans and engineering staff through on-site visits to potential development partners and through the assessment of builds and documentation. Understand development partner’s team structures, roles and responsibilities, and leadership skills. Assess technical pros and cons and complete due diligence reports with clear written recommendations
• Regularly review all product milestone drops including builds, schedules, documentation, tools, assets, etc. as required to provide clear recommendations to the WB Games’ Production staff
• Represents engineering concerns for all projects during slate plan development, milestone review meetings, and ongoing “green-light” meetings (as necessary)
• Identify tools, programs, 3rd party software and/or hardware that could be helpful to our development partners and make recommendations as necessary to assist them in achieving success
• Coordinates with WB Games’ Producers to assure our products adhere to required Warner Bros. technical specifications (as necessary)
Communication/Relationships:
• Interact with executives and management to keep abreast of WB Games’ long-term objectives and adjust short-term objectives to match
• Collaborate across internal divisions to ensure our development partners are implementing the optimal technical vision for each product by balancing input from the Development, Research, and Production groups.
• Establish, maintain and enhance company relationships with inside and outside engineering resources, third party vendors, and development partners
• Participates in departmental meetings to share ideas
Strategic Planning:
• Collaborate with the VP of Development and VP of Production in the creation, implementation and management of WB Games’ engineering production processes, policies and procedures
• Analyze competitive products and new business opportunities from a technical perspective and make recommendations to senior management
• Work with other Warner Bros. and Time Warner divisions (including WHV, DD, GBM, Theatrical, Television and Animation) as required identifying and executing synergistic opportunities
Engineering Services:
• As needed, identify and spearhead the concept of engineering services for WB Games’ development partners
• Ensure development partners and teams have sufficient management bandwidth to successfully incorporate engineering outsourcing into their development pipeline, and make recommendations on best practices
• Assist development partners in selecting engineering subcontractors and approve engineering subcontractors on WB Games’ behalf as required per project
• Coordinate between development teams to facilitate the sharing of information, assets, services or ideas that may be helpful to another team
Personnel Management:
• Create a positive, forward-focused work-environment that indentifies and prioritizes issues for solution
• Mentor internal staff and act as a role-model for all development partner engineers by emphasizing project goals and maintaining core focus