Manager, Visual Design Art - TFT at Riot Games

Creative Boom Ltd.; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 167,000 - 233,000; Full time

Job summary

Riot Games in Los Angeles is seeking a senior UI/Visual Design Lead to manage the Visual Designers for TFT's Gameplay initiative. You will steer craft from exploration to ship, enforce UI style systems, collaborate with UX, art, motion, engineering and production, and plan workloads across multiple workstreams.

As a people manager with a strong portfolio, you will mentor designers, advocate for headcount and tooling needs, and help implement UI in Unreal Engine (UMG). This is an on-site role.

Qualifications

• Five or more years in UI or visual design for games, including leadership of visual designers
• Strong craft in graphic and interface design, with solid 2D fundamentals
• Experience creating, documenting and maintaining UI styles and systems

Responsibilities

• Line-manage the Visual Designers for TFT's Gameplay initiative with coaching and career development
• Own the standard of visual design in the gameplay UI and ensure consistency with the game's art direction
• Direct the craft from explorations to ships, including UI styles and systems behind new gameplay
• Collaborate with UX, art, motion, engineering and production on player-centered interfaces
• Plan and scope the team's workload with Production across several workstreams
• Translate TFT's wider vision into priorities for Visual Design alongside Art Direction and product leadership
• Advocate for headcount, tools, workflows and team health
• Help build and polish UI in Unreal Engine
• Brief and review external art partners when extra support is brought in

Skills

People management

UI/UX leadership

Mentoring

Multitasking

Portfolio review

Tools

Figma

Photoshop

Unreal Engine (UMG)

UE Blueprint scripting

Job description

The role

This is a people-management post leading the Visual Designers who work on the Gameplay initiative for Teamfight Tactics (TFT) at Riot Games in Los Angeles. It sits in the Art craft and reports to the Gameplay Art Director. Day to day you work alongside Producers, Artists, Designers and Engineers, and you are responsible for both the team's development and the visual quality of the gameplay UI.

What you'll do

• Line-manage the Visual Designers on TFT's Gameplay initiative: coaching, feedback, expectations and career development
• Own the standard of visual design in the gameplay UI and keep it consistent with the game's art direction
• Direct the craft from first explorations to what ships, including the UI styles and systems behind new gameplay
• Work with UX, art, motion, engineering and production colleagues on interfaces built around players
• Plan and scope the team's workload with Production across several workstreams
• Turn the wider vision for TFT into priorities for Visual Design, alongside Art Direction and product leadership
• Make the case for what the discipline needs, from headcount and skills to tools, workflows and team health
• Help get UI built and polished in Unreal Engine
• Brief and review external art partners when extra support is brought in

About you

• Five or more years in UI or visual design for games, including at least two managing visual designers directly
• A portfolio showing strong craft in current graphic and interface design, and sound 2D fundamentals such as composition, colour, hierarchy and legibility
• Experience leading on craft and mentoring other designers
• Experience creating, documenting and maintaining UI styles and systems
• Advanced Figma and Photoshop
• Experience implementing UI in Unreal Engine with UMG
• Used to running several workstreams at once and working with neighbouring disciplines such as motion graphics, UI illustration and UX
• Desirable: Unreal Engine Blueprint scripting and UI Material authoring
• Desirable: experience with external art vendors on UI projects
• Desirable: a second craft, such as motion graphics, illustration or UX

What's on offer

• Base salary of $166,600 to $232,800 (Los Angeles), plus incentive compensation and equity
• 401(k) with company match
• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
• Short-term and long-term disability cover
• Open paid time off and flexible work schedules
• Parental leave

The details

• Salary: $166,600 – $232,800 base (Los Angeles), plus incentive compensation, equity and benefits
• Location: Los Angeles
• Level: people manager