Production Director

PLAY, GROW and WIN

To be a part of Virtuos means to be a creator.  

At Virtuos, we harness the latest technologies to make games better and more immersive than ever before. That is why we pride ourselves in constantly pushing the boundaries of possibility since our founding in 2004. 

Virtuosi is a team of experts – people who have come together to share their mutual passion for making and playing games. People with the same enthusiasm for exploring new ideas and the constant drive to excel in their field. People who believe in earning success through dedication.

At Virtuos, we are at the forefront of gaming, creating exciting new experiences daily. Join us to Play, Grow and Win – together.

Company Overview: Black Shamrock – a Virtuos Studio is the leading AAA games studio in Ireland, dedicated to delivering immersive and groundbreaking gaming experiences on our own projects and in collaboration with our AAA partners. With a passion for pushing the boundaries of the industry, we pride ourselves on fostering creativity, innovation, and excellence in our teams. Already the largest games studio in Ireland, we are looking to grow our team to take on even more ambitious, large-scale creative projects, including our own original games!

Position Overview: As our Production Director, you will be at the helm of our Production efforts, steering the course of our projects and ensuring our teams are properly equipped to deliver projects are delivered on-time and on-budget. This role demands an experienced operational leader who can inspire and fortify our growing production team. You will oversee all studio projects, lead and mentor producers, and collaborate closely with diverse teams to enable the overall product vision across a myriad of titles in partnership with high-profile clients. 

• Lead and strengthen the growing Production team and shape the vision to maintain the excellence of our games in an ever-growing environment. Simultaneously, support the growth of our Production teams by collaborating with our Recruitment and HR departments.
• Continuously oversee projects with Producers to identify risks and challenges, and help formulating actionable contingency plans.
• Oversee all the productions of our studio and support Producers in their roles, assisting your team to set milestone content and realistic production schedules in coordination with team leads and management.
• Manage communication of projects’ progress to the Studio General Manager, the Head of Game Division and internal senior management teams, as well as clients, assessing risk on an ongoing basis through your team.
• Set and maintain best practices in terms of planning, tracking and reporting. Leverage your experience to ensure that the right things are being reported on by Producers at studio-level, implementing changes where necessary and tracking the efficacy of these changes.
• Coach the Production team with regard to change management, ensuring project scope is kept under control and teams deliver their various mandates within time, quality and budget.
• Mentor junior Production staff, ensuring that each member of the team is working from a tracked schedule and has a strong sense of ownership, responsibility and accountability for the quality and timeliness of their contribution. 
• Collaborate with Game Design, Engineering, QA, Art and Animation teams to make recommendations and decisions regarding our overall operational model.
• Oversee the performance review process for your department, establishing and tracking KPIs for your team.
• Develop trust and secure buy-in from multiple teams including key members of the client’s team, the development team and the business development team.
• Pivot to quickly master proprietary tools and development processes both within Virtuos and with our partner and client studios.
• Keep abreast of current trends in the marketplace, especially with regard to similar and/or competitive products. 

• 10+ years of experience at a senior level working in AAA game production, having been through at least one full development cycle, from ideation to post-release support, in a management role.
• Experience of leading a team with emphasis on collaborating with Senior and Executive level leadership.
• High level of accountability, with a desire to strongly contribute to a creative environment.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the capacity to adjust to the audience (team, internal or external stakeholders). A proven record in client relationship management is a plus.
• Critical thinking, and analytical skills to resolve complex issues.
• Excellent decision-making capabilities.
• Exceptional knowledge of project management practices including excellent knowledge of SCRUM and Agile practices.
• Strong ability to work under pressure while maintaining attention to detail.
• A desire to foster a dynamic and collaborative team environment.
• A natural inclination to lead and mentor a team.
• A technical understanding of the games industry and game development, while maintaining the passion that brought all of us to this industry.