Position Overview

Zynga is seeking a talented Art Director to lead on one of our most successful franchises - Words with Friends. This position begins with immersing oneself into the culture of a well-established brand, team, and player community. The mission is to carry forward and grow each of these through artistic vision, effective leadership, and well-informed decision making. 

The Art Director will lead the multidisciplinary team of artists and their development process while regularly collaborating with Production, Design, Engineering, and Product Management. Beyond the ability to meet production deadlines and business goals, this position requires an eye for aesthetic quality, kinetic personality and fun, as the Art Director is ultimately accountable for work that will be seen and experienced by millions of players every day. 

Our ideal candidate is incredibly passionate about leadership and experienced in managing high performance teams with a positive and creative work culture. We are seeking leaders with an elegant understanding of situational management, effective communication and cultivating inspiration. 

We are looking for someone that loves playing casual mobile games. Someone that enjoys thinking about them and discussing their features, mechanics, experiences and art! This candidate is tuned-in to the casual gaming space and has a strong understanding and intuition of what players appreciate and seek out. This position will be located at any of Zynga's offices in Austin, Chicago, San Mateo, Toronto, Eugene or Carlsbad.

Main Responsibilities 

• Set the vision - create goals and targets that continuously elevate the visual and kinetic experience of Words with Friends. 
• Cultivate a positive team culture that fosters creativity, high performance, employee growth and a positive work environment.
• Continually improve and optimize the art development and art production processes.
• Ensure feature estimates are accurately scoped and planned.
• Assist in the setting of goals and objectives for the art team.
• Guide, mentor, and assist with hiring/recruiting of team members, source freelancers and external studios as needed.
• Develop and upkeep style guides and documentation
• Lead both formal and informal art critique, working through leads when applicable to disseminate feedback.
• Collaborate with inter-department groups consumer insights, marketing, and user acquisition, leading communications as they relate to art.
• Assist Art Producers in developing plans and task assignments.
• Manage and mentor Art Leads.
• Support the team’s career development. 

Desired Skills and Experience 

• Experience Art Directing on a live-ops game
• Experience working on a title in Unity
• Passionate about casual mobile games - Words with Friends especially!
• Bachelor’s in a creative field.
• 7+ years of experience leading a creative game development team.
• Have a comprehensive understanding of multiple creative disciplines and how they function in the gaming pipeline.
• Knowledge of software like Creative Suite, Perforce, JIRA, and other software.
• High level of EQ and communication skills.
• Be well-versed in the casual market and competition.
• Have a high quality portfolio with works that apply.
• Experience in casual games is not required but is highly desirable.
• Be an artist at heart!

What we offer you:

• Competitive salary, bonus plan and ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Plan)
• 401K Company Match Contribution (US)
• RRSP/DPSP company match contribution (Canada)
• Health coverage, dental, disability, critical illness, EAP, and life insurance (Canada)
• Medical, dental, vision, EAP, life insurance, and disability benefits (US)
• Virtual mental health and neurodiversity support programs
• Global Fitness reimbursement program
• Global Wellbeing Program
• Financial wellness program with unlimited access to certified financial planners
• Discretionary Time Off policy for many employees
• Family planning support program
• Generous paid parental, pregnancy-related disability, caregiver, and compassionate leaves
• Subsidized Back-up child care
• Zynga happy hours and frequent employee events
• Flexible working hours on many teams
• Culture of diversity and inclusion including employee resource groups
• Work with cool people and impact millions of daily player

We are an equal opportunity employer and we are committed to building a diverse and talented workforce. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, disability, or any other class or characteristic protected by applicable law. We welcome job-seekers, players, employees, and partners from all backgrounds to join us!

We will consider all qualified job-seekers with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with physical or mental disabilities in order to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at AccommodationRequest@zynga.com to request an accommodation associated with your application for an open position.

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