Audio Lead

About Deck Nine
Here at Deck Nine Games our passion is storytelling games. We are an independent game developer dedicated to crafting AAA interactive story games that inspire, transform, and entertain players. In 2021 we released Life is Strange True Colors, which went on to win multiple awards for storytelling and visuals, including best storytelling for 2021 and a VGA for Games for Impact. Recently we announced that we are developing a game for the hit sci-fi Amazon series, The Expanse. Our prior titles have won multiple awards, including Game of the Year and nominations for VGA and BAFTA awards. The studio is 150+ amazing people both located in our headquarters in sunny Westminster, Colorado and spread throughout the world permanently remote.
As the crafters of stories that encompass the full breadth of life's experiences, Deck Nine is committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and multicultural team in which people from all walks of life feel inspired to do their best work. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and believe deeply in the creativity and strength built from diversity of race, religion, disability, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, nationality, and the many other qualities that make us different.
If this sounds appealing to you, please apply now!
The Position:
Deck Nine Games is looking for a full-time, remote Audio Lead with the capability to design and implement assets, lead the audio efforts for our project, and specialize in key audio systems.
Our narrative-driven projects require a wide array of knowledge and high collaboration with other gifted creatives, to deliver an engaging video game experience. The Audio Lead will directly manage a team of Audio Designers to design engaging sound effects, record and implement quality V.O., and oversee integration of a captivating score and music.
Responsibilities

• Encourage a culture of respect, support, collaboration, comradery, and creativity throughout the audio team and beyond.
• Manage a team of audio designers, providing guidance and feedback on audio quality, consistency, and implementation.
• Collaborate with the game director and other key stakeholders to define game audio quality bar and vision.
• Work with team leads and production to ensure audio staff are represented in all strike teams throughout development, and that they are fully scheduled and tasked.
• Manage music direction for the project, coordinating with artists/composers producing score, and integrating all music for an alluring gaming experience.
• Oversee, develop, and document project pipelines and onboard new audio team members.

Requirements and Skills

• At least 5+ years of experience in a leadership role for game audio, involved with full development cycles of multiple shipped titles preferred.
• Comprehensive understanding and practical experience in every facet of game audio production, including experience with Wwise across multiple full development cycles.
• Expert understanding of Foley, recording, mixing, sound design, implementation, scripting voice over, and localization techniques and best practices.
• Proven experience working and coordinating with game developers from different disciplines.
• Familiarity with the different kinds of production and implementation of music in a game engine, from looping tracks to linear pieces and stingers.
• Organized leadership skills in an environment of competing priorities and time management.
• Sound design portfolio or reel.

Pluses

• A bachelor's degree or higher in an audio-related field.
• Experience working on narrative-driven games with emergent audio features and systems, including branching conditionalized sequences (e.g., dialogue branches).
• Experience using Unreal Engine and Blueprints on at least one full development cycle.
• Music composition experience for a visual medium (portfolio/samples preferred).
• Relevant television/film experience.

Benefits

• Competitive salary depending on experience
• Generous vacation time and paid parental leave
• Health insurance for you and your family at a low cost to you
• Dental and Vision insurance for you and your family at NO cost to you
• Life and Disability benefits at NO cost to you
• Optional Flexible Spending Account (including Healthcare and Limited Purpose), Dependent Care Account, and Health Savings Account available
• Optional Supplemental Health and Life Insurance
• 401(k) Plan with an Employer Match
• Growth opportunities for your career

Salary Range: DOE
At this time we are unable to sponsor visas.