Head of Art (PRELOADED)

PRELOADED is seeking a Head of Art with a proven track record in leading art teams in the delivery of real-time playful experiences and/or games.

We are looking for a dynamic leader who can balance a hands-on art role whilst overseeing and supporting the wider art teams' projects.

A core focus is the leadership of the art team, where you will not only guide and inspire but also nurture the individual talents within the team. You will also play a crucial role in ensuring that our Art Team is well-equipped and positioned for success in delivering a diverse range of immersive, playful, and innovative products using cutting-edge tools and technology.

Alongside this you will be responsible for managing external talent and contributing to business development to secure future projects and partnerships.

This is a hybrid role, requiring 2-3 days a week in our Finsbury Park Studio, and it reports to the Executive Creative Director.

We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL:

• Demonstrate a range and depth of experience creating games / interactive experiences alongside some experience in a lead/management role.
• Be well-versed in all facets of real-time/game art development, encompassing concept art, 2D and 3D, UI, animation and visual effects (VFX).
• Be able to demonstrate the ability to lead, manage and coach Art teams providing both short-term direction and longer-term career development support.
• Have a passion for new, unexplored platforms and technologies, such as immersive tech, and a drive to understand the artistic affordances around them.
• Be an effective leader, with an open and inclusive approach with the ability to adjust, based on feedback and team needs.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Play a hands-on art role, supporting and guiding the Art team, ensuring all art output across the studio is to the highest creative quality.
• Deliver quality line management across the art department, with a focus on personal wellbeing as well as project & personal development, motivating and inspiring the team.
• Provide strategic governance and direction to the future shape of the Art Team to achieve the studio's ambitious goals.
• Collaborate with business leadership, driving forward Art-led initiatives and having a significant impact at a business level.
• Managing a black book of external specialists, ensuring that the studio has access to a diverse pool of skilled artists and collaborators.
• Contributing to new business development, playing a pivotal role in developing proposals that align with the studio's vision and client / partner objectives.
• Play your part in contributing to a positive, inclusive and empowering studio culture.

WITHIN 1 MONTH, YOU'LL

• Complete onboarding - our onboarding program is designed to get you up to speed on our business, vision and team and understand how your role fits into the broader company.
• Met the Art Team and introduce yourself with a presentation on your management philosophy.
• Run the weekly Art Team meeting. Set the agenda, encourage participation from the team, and ensure the meeting runs efficiently.
• Have been introduced to projects in flight, Art governance requirements and support project teams in client meetings.
• Visited the studio frequently, played with the latest 'hardware', added your top games to the PRELOADED arcade machine and co-built some LEGO!

WITHIN 3 MONTHS, YOU'LL

• Work with other heads of department and production leadership to advise on project planning, staffing plans, and work estimates that are needed to deliver work.
• Coach the Art team on their day-to-day work and career aspirations, conduct regular 1:1s for your reports, evaluate their performance, and set actionable goals that help them grow and move the team and company forward.
• Define career path opportunities for the Art Team so that all of the team have clear paths for career development.
• Source, interview, and hire. Work closely with the recruiting team to hire the best candidate.
• Own and drive the Art tools / workflows and organisational roadmap to guide transformational change in the studio.

WITHIN 6 MONTHS, YOU'LL

• Own the onboarding process and L&D plan for Artists.
• Actively contribute to the expansion of the studio's Research and Development (R&D) capabilities in a hands-on capacity, while also formulating and presenting business cases for prospective art-led projects in the future.
• Play a pivotal role in driving new business development, actively contributing to the acquisition of fresh projects through the impactful application of your discipline.
• Showcase your work and empowered team members during the company showcase, demonstrating a commitment to thought leadership and championing projects through your artistic insights.
• Own the Art-team technical requirements and worked with DevOps & IT teams to optimise internal art pipelines, repos and services.
• Continued to build relationships in the industry to ensure the best talent is available.

WITHIN 12 MONTHS, YOU'LL

• Champion, and implement innovations in art processes, workflows, and pipelines to advance our practices. Disseminate these improvements through team workshops and Lunch and Learn sessions, fostering continuous learning and collaboration within the team.
• Build, nurture and grow a team of exceptional artists at every level.
• Represent PRELOADED externally on social and at speaking events.
• Define and exemplified leadership standards for the Art team at PRELOADED, focusing on one-on-ones, goal setting, feedback, coaching, career planning, and continuous education in both soft and technical skills.

ABOUT THE HIRING PROCESS

First things first, you will meet our ECD and another member of the team for a 45 minute chat to assess how your experience and skills meet the role outlined. We will ask you to present your portfolio with the aim to understand your skills and approach to Art Production. This meeting is also an opportunity for you to clarify any aspect of the role, or our studio, to make sure the fit is right for you.

If we believe the fit is right we will schedule a final meeting with our ECD and a member of our leadership team. In this interview we'll dive a bit deeper on your experience and assess key competencies for the role; as well as give you an insight into our values and culture and hear more about how you like to work and play as part of a team.

In some instances there will be a short task to prepare, which our HR team will outline. In all instances we will provide key questions in advance of the interview so you have time to prepare, and make sure that you are always interviewed by as diverse a team as possible.

Interviews are a two way thing so please prepare any questions you have for us too!

Applications for this role close on 12th January 2024.

BENEFITS

We're pleased to offer an impressive benefits package including:

• Salary: Highly competitive salary, benchmarked by the industry and reviewed annually inline with performance.
• Bonus scheme: A discretionary bonus scheme based on PRELOADED's financial performance, allowing everyone to share in our collective success.
• Share save Scheme: A share save scheme which allows you to benefit from the year-on-year increase in share price without market risk.
• Work / Life balance: This is a hybrid role and flexibility to travel to our Finsbury Park studio is essential. We operate flexible working hours so you can do "the school run" or shorter / longer days to suit your needs and there is a very strict no-crunch policy.
• Personal Development: We passionately embrace a culture of learning within the studio. Combining personal L&D time with a programme of curated courses and peer learning sessions; our aim is to develop your craft alongside wider team skills.
• Kit and tools: Everyone gets access to the best kit, technology and tools needed to do the job. If you need something we don't have, just ask.
• Holiday: Everyone starts with a 26 day entitlement plus the usual bank holidays.
• Healthcare+: Alongside a cash plan which subsidises your healthcare needs we also offer life assurance for all employees.
• Travel Loans: For anyone wanting to travel into the studio we offer loans to pay the upfront cost of travel, helping you be smarter with your money.

ABOUT PRELOADED

PRELOADED is a BAFTA-winning immersive games studio using emerging technologies to create playful, purposeful experiences for global partners.

We build games and immersive products to help organisations such as Disney, LEGO and BBC reach mainstream audiences, and partner with technology platforms such as Niantic, Meta, and Google to imagine the future.

We are passionate about bringing together the most talented and diverse teams to invent new forms of play and transform our world. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.