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Director of Game Development Wanted

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Anonymous

TableStar Games, LLC located in Berkeley, CA is looking for a Director of Game Development. If you have management experience, would love to work in the board game industry, and want to live in the San Francisco Bay Area (or already do) please keep reading....
Please read the below job discription, qualifications, and compensation. If you are interested, please e-mail your cover letter, resume, and three references to contact@tablestargames.com.

Job Summary

The Director of Game Development is responsible for the entire game development process for TableStar Games. The Director of Game Development manages the entire creative process from idea generation through deliverables.

The Director of Game Development will work on several cross functional management teams to allow for maximization of cross training.

Essential Job Functions
• Responsible for providing creative leadership and strategic direction for the game development department. Manages the creative process from idea generation to component design to final testing, requiring co-ordination with art and marketing departments.
• Responsible for the project management for each game in development including developing budgets, developing timelines, developing goals and objectives, assigning personnel, managing budgets, managing development time, and managing deliverables.
• Responsible for the game testing process including preliminary, functionality, and marketing testing. Responsible for designing tests including setting goals, objectives, methods, and procedures.
• Responsible for mentoring, developing, and coaching the game developers.
• Responsible for managing personnel issues within the game development department in conjunction with the Director of Operations. Responsible for administering semi-annual personnel evaluations, communicating personnel issues with the game development staff, and enforcing personnel policies and procedures.
• Responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with vendors as needed by the game development department.
• Responsible for maintaining documentation for the game development department including but not limited to production schedules, development notes, progress reports, and other reports as needed or requested by management.
• Responsible for maintaining the legal integrity of the game development department including ensuring that all ideas used were legally obtained or licensed and that ideas created by the game development department are properly protected with the appropriate copyright and trademark protections.
• Leads creative meetings as needed.
• Contributes to both the strategic planning and marketing teams.
• Responsible for maintaining current knowledge of the gaming industry.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications
• Track record of successfully managed, multi-dimensional projects
• Ability to meet multiple deadlines, adhere to budgets, empower team members, and motivate staff.
• Self-directed.
• Experience managing a staff of at least five employees.
• Experience working in a team environment.
• Strong leadership ability.
• Strong computer skills.
• Experience managing in a matrix environment preferred.
• Knowledge of the board or video game market preferred.
• Knowledge of sales and marketing techniques preferred.

Compensation
• $45,000- $55,000 per year depending on experience.
• 13 paid holidays, 12 sick days, and 20 vacation days per year.
• Health and dental insurance.
• Public transportation commute stipend.

phpbbadmin
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Joined: 04/23/2013
Director of Game Development Wanted

Wow! Great opportunity.
Question: What exactly is a 'matrix environment'?

-Darke

Oh and good luck with your new company!

Anonymous
Matrix Org

A matrix environment is a form of company organization that instead of having linear, direct reports like in a standard environment (example: I am the Assistant Designer and I report to the Senior Designer), the work is team based where individual employees are on two or more teams and are responsible for many different roles (example: I am on the Dragon Game team and I am responsible for the art and I am on the Dice Game team and I am responsible for making the pawns). This type of organization is common in the software industry and smaller companies.

To avoid confusion, TableStar Games, LLCis not a new company. We were formally known as Thompson Industries-we changed our name in early May. We are currently working on a suite of 12 intercompatable games- 6 of which will begin to debut in summer 2006.

phpbbadmin
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Joined: 04/23/2013
Re: Matrix Org

tablestar wrote:
A matrix environment is a form of company organization that instead of having linear, direct reports like in a standard environment (example: I am the Assistant Designer and I report to the Senior Designer), the work is team based where individual employees are on two or more teams and are responsible for many different roles (example: I am on the Dragon Game team and I am responsible for the art and I am on the Dice Game team and I am responsible for making the pawns). This type of organization is common in the software industry and smaller companies.

To avoid confusion, TableStar Games, LLCis not a new company. We were formally known as Thompson Industries-we changed our name in early May. We are currently working on a suite of 12 intercompatable games- 6 of which will begin to debut in summer 2006.

Thanks for the explanation. I knew you were Thompson Industries, and I was sort of saying good luck with your new company. Curious, are you coming out with a new version of Time Control? I still think you have a lot of solid, good ideas for the game. It's just such a great idea for a game.

-M

Anonymous
Thanks

Thank you for that wonderful compliment. Right now, we are working on other titles, so a new version of Time Control is not in the works. We are excited about our new titles and hope that they continue to build on the base that Time Control created.

sedjtroll
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Joined: 07/21/2008
Director of Game Development Wanted

Where do the games/ideas (that a person in this position manage) come from? Is this individual responsible for finding or choosing which games the teams will work on? Will he be doing development work on the games themselves? Or is this more of a position which cracks the whip and monitors/manages the development teams and makes sure the games are moving along?

Also, what types of games are we talking about here?

Depending on the answers to those questions, I may be vey interested in submitting a resume. I'll even be in the San Francisco area next weekend (memorial day weekend) for the KublaCon convention - is there an office I should stop by to check out?

- Seth

Anonymous
Director of Game Development Wanted

This position manages 5 game developers working on several projects each. The overall ideas (theme and target audience) come from senior management team (this position will be on that team)- but the game mechanics and gameplay are done by the developers.

The Director of Game Development will not be responsible for developing any games him or herself, however, he or she will be responsible for guiding and coaching the game developers through the development process. Although we discourage corporal punishment, the Director of Game Development is ultimately responsible that the games are complete, of good quality, and delivered on time.

Currently, the games that we are developing are for the hobby game market. They are hybrid board/card games that are cross compatible. We will also be developing mass market games beginning next year.

My staff and I are also going to be at KublaCon. We will be running several playtests in Ballroom A on Saturday and Sunday if you are interested in seeing the games. If you are interested in applying for the position, it is important that you submit your cover letter, resume, and references before next Monday (5/23), however, because that is when our preliminary interviews will start.

Please let me know if you have any more questions.

ME

sedjtroll
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Joined: 07/21/2008
Director of Game Development Wanted

This does indeed sound very interesting. I have sent you an IM about it, but I realise you might not get it if you have popup blocking software (which comes automatically with some browsers). If you did not receive my IM, and would like to, you can allow popups for this site, then click the button that looks like a floppy disk at the bottom of the User List on the left.

When are you looking for this position to start, by the way?

Thanks,
Seth

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