Job Description

With a rich history of developing multiple AAA franchises such as Little Big Planet and Crackdown, as well as contributing to genre-defining titles like the Forza Motorsport and Hitman series, Sumo Sheffield\'s vast development experience spans multiple genres and platforms.

As winners of the TIGA Star Employment Award for 2021, recipients of the GI Biz 2020 Best Places to Work Award and listed as one of the UK\'s 100 Best Large Companies to Work for in 2021 and 2022, Sumo Digital has enjoyed 20 years of stability and growth since its formation in 2003 and continues to strive for excellence across every single project.

The team have a track record of working on some of the world\'s biggest and best games and received two BAFTAs for their work on Sackboy: A Big Adventure. As the scale and exclusivity of projects continues to grow, there\'s never been a more exciting time to join the Sumo Sheffield family!

The Role @ Sumo:

Sumo Sheffield is looking for an experienced Design Manager to join the team! You will be responsible for the planning and leadership of the design team, whilst also ensuring team and company goals are met to the highest standard.

You will oversee the management and mentoring of the design team through the development of a project\'s lifecycle, becoming an inspiration to unlock each designer\'s full potential. You will be responsible for creating design processes and development pipelines to ensure features are clearly defined, evangelised and created to the required quality and scope. You will need to be able to work with and motivate others to find solutions to complex problems and must have the confidence and technical ability to ensure the design department remains fluid and running at maximum capacity.

In this role you will:

• Oversee the structure and development of the design team.
• Manage the planning and leadership of the design team to ensure targets are achieved to the highest standards.
• Strive for quality and innovation while adhering to the core vision of the game.
• Form, update and maintain design goals, frameworks and success metrics.
• Guide the design of content, ensuring it conforms to discipline needs.
• Communicate design philosophies, the game vision and feature goals across the wider team.
• Mentor design team members, review and feedback on their work.
• Provide regular 1-to-1 meetings with designers to understand their needs and career desires.
• Develop and publish training resources that will support the team and studio.
• Encourage best practices and form and optimise workflows, processes and content pipelines.
• Drive team collaboration to ensure designs are understood and harmonised with all discipline requirements.
• Partner with team leadership for the accountability of timely deliveries across the project, milestones and sprints.
• Identify project and milestone issues or risks and solve within a suitable timeframe.
• Ensure efficiency and optimal resource usage.

To be successful, you will have:

• Proven experience in design, production or management positions.
• Organisational and workload management skills.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills.
• Exceptional soft skills and people management capabilities.
• Strong organisational and scheduling skills with experience of managing large teams.
• Ability to evangelise the game\'s design to multi-discipline teams and across the organisation.
• A player centric design focus.
• Rich knowledge of game theory and the science behind the design.
• Deep understanding of game design best practices.
• Ability to create/implement/improve pipelines and processes which controls and aligns feature development.
• The ability to identify project risks and recommend appropriate mitigations or contingencies.
• A diplomatic approach to leadership.

What we offer:

. Defined Annual Bonus Scheme

. ULEV car scheme

. Monthly allowance to spend on enhancing benefits

. Salary Sacrifice Pension

. Flexible Working

. 21 days free-use holiday

+ your birthday off

+ 5 learning days including 1 volunteer day

+ a duvet day

+ Christmas shutdown from Christmas Eve to New Year

+ Bank Holidays

+ extra allowance accrued for longer service

. Free dental insurance

. Life Assurance 4x Salary

. Income Protection of 75% for 5 years

. Enhanced Mat/Paternity & Adoption pay

. Employee Assistance Programme:

. Help at Hand - Remote GP, Mental Health & Physio appointments

. Free financial & home buying support consultations

. Cycle to Work Scheme

. Payroll Giving Scheme

. Access to 4,000 Udemy Courses

. Career Development Pathway

. Wrap Parties.

. Project Completion Awards

. Game/Creative Jams

. Big Family Events

. Studio social activities, e.g. running, board games, film, yoga, life drawing\xe2\x80\xa6

. Prism - Sumo\'s employee diversity focus group

. Free fruit and drinks in our studios

. Employee Referral Bonus

Where do we stand on diversity?

At Sumo, we want to enable everyone to bring their full, authentic selves to work every single day. We acknowledge that the games industry is far from perfect and a global organisation with people all over the world, from all kinds of backgrounds, we know it\'s part of our duty to provide everyone at Sumo with a safe, accepting and affirming working environment.

We encourage and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

More about Sumo Sheffield

Sumo Sheffield is located just outside the city centre in Sumo Digital\'s HQ, just off J34 on the M1 and a stone\'s throw from the city\'s primary shopping and leisure complex. With a multi-building campus comprised of industry-leading facilities, an onsite gym and subsidised canteen, Sumo Sheffield provides everything needed for all teams to create the world\'s best games.

Sheffield is the fifth largest city in the UK and is easily accessible by road and rail from Leeds, Manchester and the Midlands. The city enjoys a wealth of facilities to suit a wide array of interests, including:

o World-class sports facilities

o Iconic theatres and galleries

o Multiple retail and shopping experiences

o Diverse and renowned restaurants and eateries

o The award-winning National Video Game Museum

More about Sumo Digital

Sumo Digital is an award-winning international family of studios. Recent releases from Sumo Digital studios include: BAFTA-Award winning Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Hood: Outlaws & Legends, Control Ultimate Edition on Google Stadia, Apple Arcade Award-winning Little Orpheus, Hot Shot Racing, WST Snooker and Spyder.

Sumo Digital