Game Director

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.

ABOUT THE POSITION

We are seeking an innovative and strategic Game Director to lead our development team as the creative lead. This role is primarily focused on full development, overseeing projects end-to-end, the creative direction, and collaboration with external partners.

The ideal candidate will have a strong Game Design background combined with hands on experience in directing game projects from concept to pitching and right through to launch. This individual will inspire and guide our skilled team and collaborate with our other directors across all disciplines, ensuring a unified creative vision, while also serving as a credible figure capable of building trust and confidence with publishers to secure new projects.

Responsibilities

• Help identify opportunities, develop business cases and draw upon their previous experience to create compelling pitch documentation, to secure project greenlighting.
• Lead the creative direction for the development team, to maintain excellence in game design.
• Work in partnership with production on road mapping, capacity planning, dependency management and risk mitigation.
• Demonstrate strong game design expertise with a broad understanding of modern engines and workflows and confidently assess design feasibility and quality even when not hands on.
• Oversee full game development lifecycle from concept, design, prototyping, production, to launch and post launch support.
• Collaborate with talented cross disciplinary teams to deliver cohesive, innovative and commercially viable games.
• Act as the primary creative liaison to partners, presenting and selling projects effectively to secure funding and partnerships.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders inside and outside the organization.
• Foster a creative and collaborative team culture that encourages innovation, quality, and continuous improvement.
• Mentor and develop designers and other key cross discipline members of project teams , providing guidance and support in their professional growth, as well as assessing ongoing development and settings goals within our quarterly performance review process.
• Liaise with studio management and our Recruitment department to assist with the planning and hiring strategy of the Design department to ensure future project needs are met.
• Stay current with industry trends, technologies, and player expectations to inform strategic creative decisions.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a similar leadership role in full game development.
• Demonstrable track record of leading successful game projects from concept to launch.
• At least 2 shipped titles on Gen 7+ in a leadership position.
• Experience in delivering a full game from end-to-end.
• Experience collaborating effectively across all development disciplines and having shipped a full game end-to-end is essential.
• Strong experience pitching game concepts, features, and vision to internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience working directly with publishers and stakeholders, instilling confidence and securing deals for projects.
• Exceptional communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong leadership and management skills with the ability to inspire and motivate a creative team.
• In depth knowledge of game design principles, mechanics, and player psychology.
• Passion for games and a deep understanding of current and emerging trends in the industry.
• Strong decision making skills. Showing the ability to lead distributed and third party teams.

Good to have

• Experience with live games.
• Experience with creative aspects of games in addition to design e.g. narrative, cutscenes, art direction, audio.

Additional information

• Being part of the largest game development studios in Ireland.
• Dynamic career paths contributing to some of the world's biggest AAA titles in gaming.
• Opportunities to grow in a tight knit community with a people oriented culture.
• Healthy work life balance and flexible work arrangements.
• Comprehensive company healthcare plan.
• Occupational Pension Scheme (including employer contribution).
• Global training and development plans - study support, formal education, international experience, career planning and progression opportunities.
• Bank for paid sick leave and wellness leave.
• Subsidised leave.
• Relocation support.
• Taxsaver plans.
• Career and international mobility opportunities with Virtuos Internal Mobility Program.

People matter. Diverse opinions and experiences matter. At Virtuos, our talented teams are the cornerstone of our success, and we recognize that fostering and advocating for inclusivity is at the center of what we do best - we make games better, together. Virtuos is proud to be an equal opportunity employer that embraces diversity of thought, expression, culture, and backgrounds.

About Us

Founded in 2004, Virtuos is one of the largest independent video game development companies. We are headquartered in Singapore with offices in Asia, Europe, and North America. Specializing in full-cycle game development and art production, we have delivered high-quality content for more than 1,500 console, PC, and mobile games. Our clients include 23 of the top 25 gaming companies worldwide.

About Our Team

Black Shamrock was founded in 2016 and acquired by the Virtuos Group in 2017. The studio is Ireland's largest PC and console game development studio and provides unique opportunities to work on multiple AAA titles. Our people are as diverse, exciting, creative, and dynamic as the projects that we work on. Black Shamrock is a place for talent to flourish and lifelong industry connections to begin.

Our in house and full service capabilities include narrative, game, sound and level design, animation, art, rigging, engineering, and graphics, to name a few areas our skilled team members work on. At Black Shamrock, we take pride in helping put Dublin on the world map as the birthplace of award winning AAA games.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Being part of one of the largest and fastest growing game development studios in Ireland
• Dynamic career paths contributing to some of the world's biggest AAA titles in gaming
• Opportunities to grow in a tight knit community with a people oriented culture
• Healthy work life balance and flexible work arrangements
• Comprehensive company healthcare plan
• Occupational Pension Scheme (including employer contribution)
• Global training and development plans - study support, formal education, international experience, career planning and progression opportunities
• Bank for paid sick leave and wellness leave
• Subsidised leave
• Career and international mobility opportunities with Virtuos Internal Mobility Program

People matter. Diverse opinions and experiences matter. At Virtuos, our talented teams are the cornerstone of our success, and we recognize that fostering and advocating for inclusivity is at the center of what we do best - we make games better, together. Virtuos is proud to be an equal opportunity employer that embraces diversity of thought, expression, culture, and backgrounds.