Game Technical Director

The Game Technical Director is responsible for the technical aspects of game development, being one of the most senior technical roles within the organization. In the initial stage, he/she is involved in strategic meetings and judges the technical feasibility of envisioned strategies. In addition, he translates the game concepts into technical needs and tools. During the production stage, he supervises programming, monitoring of the budget and manages the overall code quality. He provides guidance on any technical problems and makes available all technical tools for successful game development. He also ensures that there are right technical capabilities and trains the technical team on new technology and concepts. The work involves technical leadership and guidance to the technical teams as well as high amount of coordination with creative and business teams. He is expected to attend a variety of meetings in order to connect the creative and technical requirements of a project. He is the lead advisor on all technical matters and will have to engage with multiple teams to address all technical issues. He is an authority on all technical aspects of game development, as well as an evangelist for new technologies. He is an expert problem-solver with the ability to resolve complex game design and implementation challenges. He should be proficient in team management, communicating and influencing to deliver to the expectations of the role effectively.

Skills and Competencies

Technical Skills & Competencies

Audio Programming
Proficiency Level
"Define the technical goals of games audio programming and identify technologies best suited for games audio implementation."
5
Database Administration
Proficiency Level
Establish strategy and guidelines for database management and administration, directing processes, resources and IT investments to optimize database performance.
5
Game Analytics
Proficiency Level
"Define game metrics, ideate suitable hypotheses for game analytics and provide feedback for game performance improvements based on insights from game analytics."
4
Game Artificial Intelligence Development
Proficiency Level
"Define the technical goals for the design and implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems for game development."
5
Game Engine Development
Proficiency Level
"Define the vision and technical goals of the game engine to meet current and future game development requirements."
5

Generic Skills & Competencies

Communication
Proficiency Level
"Negotiate with others to address issues and achieve mutual consensus."
Advanced
Decision Making
Proficiency Level
Make decision in a volatile and ambiguous setting using a structured process and limited sources of available information to achieve intended goals.
Advanced
Leadership
Proficiency Level
Lead by example at team level. Encourage and guide others to adopt a point of view, make changes or take action. Provide a team environment that facilitates relationships building, teamwork and the development of others.
Intermediate
Problem Solving
Proficiency Level
Anticipate potential problems beyond the current scope and apply higher order problem solving tools and techniques to turn problems into opportunities.
Advanced
Developing People
Proficiency Level
Provide mentorship to help others to develop their professional and personal development to improve performance and further their careers.
Advanced

Critical Work Functions and Key Tasks

Plan game development

• Define the game’s vision and scope by collaborating with the production team
• Establish the technical objectives of game development for the project
• Identify the technical expertise needed based on the game vision and concept
• Identify technical requirements and tools to deliver on the game vision and concept
• Supervise technological design and design review
• Establish technical architecture and process decisions for the technical game development
• Develop an overall budget for the technical development of the game
• Recommend investments into new cutting-edge technology

Execute game development

Establish quality standards and efficiency for the technical deliverables of projects
• Drive the technical development of the game by guiding the team in the achievement of the technical deliverables
• Report technical progress of projects to internal and external stakeholders as required
• Drive the development of technical tools to aid game development
• Recommend solutions for technical challenges encountered in the development phase

Promote best practices within game development

• Track industry developments and best practices in game technologies and development approaches on a regular basis 
• Evaluate proofs-of-concept for emerging technologies and approaches to understand suitability for the organisation's requirements
• Drive adoption of suitable technologies and approaches to improve organisation's technical game development standards
• Drive programmes for the adoption, promotion and sharing of best practices amongst technical development teams

Manage projects

• Drive projects to meet schedules, budget, manpower and technical quality targets
• Drive the design, art and technical teams to define requirements and iteratively build solutions
• Lead users, technical staff and management to determine and resolve issues associated with project implementation
• Lead regular project reviews to recommend schedule changes, cost or resource adjustments

Manage teams and/or departments

• Define common goals, direction and accountability among staff
• Define staff development strategies by coaching, mentoring and career discussions
• Define effective performance management practices within department in accordance with organisational policies and procedures
• Oversee budgets, forecasting, work allocations and staffing of the various departments

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