Manager, Audio Direction

Job Overview

At Riot, our Audio Teams are dedicated to creating memorable and enduring sonic experiences for players. Sound is a vital element used to imbue life into games, cinematics, esports, albums, and various other projects. The team is continuously focused on elevating techniques through experimentation and engagement with games.

As the Sr. Manager, Audio Direction on an unpublished R&D Product, you will be responsible for building the game’s audio direction and driving the vision through all aspects of audio including Voice, SFX, and Music. You will partner with the Creative Director, craft leads, Product Owners, Designers, and Engineers to create globally-appealing content. You will report directly to the Art Director.

Responsibilities

• Create audio assets for highly iterative gameplay features using industry-standard methods and tools.
• Develop audio vision and strategy, ensuring all audio content for the product is delivered.
• Collaborate with product leadership to align audio around product mission and goals.
• Clearly define and communicate audio goals including how they align with product goals to direct reports, product leadership, and others.
• Ensure your team has the appropriate process and pipelines in place for effective audio content delivery.
• Create and execute on a hiring plan to ensure the audio team has the appropriate staff and resources to accomplish product goals.
• Run weekly reviews, audio playtests, and feedback consolidation to create high-quality audio experiences.
• Define and manage milestones, schedule, priorities, and work output against audio vision and product goals for multiple teams from pre-production onward.
• Manage 2-5 audio developers, including other managers/leads for performance and growth, through the use of PDP’s, recurring 1:1’s, and performance reviews.
• Work with narrative/voice over team to develop consistent quality and output of all in-game and linear voice over content.
• Use in-house engine tools and Wwise to implement assets directly into the game for characters, features, and other systems.
• Manage outsource partners for quality control and workload overflow.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of industry experience working in game audio (SFX, VO, Music), including designing, mixing, implementing, mastering, and shipping audio.
• 6+ years of professional experience directly working with audio middleware (i.e. Wwise, FMOD, Unreal Audio, etc.).
• 5+ years of professional experience as a Lead Sound Designer.
• 5+ years of proven experience managing and mentoring direct reports in the audio discipline.
• Experience navigating products from prototype through late production and launch in a sustainable approach.

Desired Qualifications

• Professional experience working with various game engines from licensed to proprietary (Unity, Unreal, etc.).
• Expertise working in the holistic game audio process (sound design, voice-over, music, implementation, pipelines, technology, player experience, etc.).
• Knowledge of programming or scripting languages (Unreal Blueprint, C++, etc.).
• Strong sense of game design and gameplay.
• Excellent communication, time-management, and organizational skills.
• Comfortable and experienced with JIRA and Perforce.
• Ability to navigate product stakeholder, studio leadership, discipline, and team feedback.

Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary range: $185,200.00 - $258,000.00 USD.
• Additional compensation: Incentive compensation, equity.
• Benefits: 401K with company match, medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, short and long-term disability.
• Time off: Open paid time off policy.
• Flexibility: Flexible work schedules.
• Parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children.

Important Information

• Location: Los Angeles, USA or Mercer Island, USA.
• Application process: May require a portfolio or demo reel and completion of an audio test.
• Criminal History Disclosure: Duties involve safeguarding confidential data, communication with others (including minors), accessing secure digital systems, and ensuring a safe interactive environment. Candidates will be considered in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law, including Fair Chance Acts.