Hybrid Project Manager

at Keywords Studios

• Job title: Project Manager
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Junior, Mid level
• Salary: Not specified
• Degree requirement: No Education Requirement
• Location requirements: Hybrid, Pasig, Philippines

About the role

• Project Manager overseeing gaming projects in a hybrid work environment with focus on profitability and quality. Leading project teams and ensuring effective communication with clients and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provides leadership to the project team and ensures that project goals with regard to profitability, quality and timelines are met
• Works with the team to ensure that projects are scoped efficiently and that Effort Estimates are competitive Plans and manages projects efficiently
• Ensures that defined organizational processes and best practices are implemented Proactively identifies project risks and ways to mitigate them
• Works with the Leads and the Art Team to solve project problems Communicates in an effective and timely manner with team, client and team
• Takes all reasonable precaution to ensure that own work, and that of the team, are error free Regularly reports Project Status to management and to clients
• Leads the way in adopting new tools and processes mandated by management
• Drives team to capture client’s requirements quickly, and to gain a complete and correct understanding of it before the work is estimated or scheduled.
• Works with the Inda Leads and Final Reviewers to ensure that the team creates effort estimates – and bids - that are realistic and competitive.
• Communicates regularly with the client and other internal stakeholders on the project progress through various stages, including delays, in an error free manner.
• Shares the client feedback with the Art team promptly and accurately to ensure that the feedback is understood.
• Ensures that all questions, clarifications and delivery notes from the team are clear and easy to understand.
• Creates realistic but competitive Project Budgets. Is able to make and present a compelling case to management when the Planned Margin is less than the threshold margin
• Creates efficient but realistic schedules that take into account all stages of the workflow and has some buffers for possible delays at any of the stages. Buffers are always reasonable. Tries to ensure that all artists have at least two assets allocated to them at a time so that they can work on the second asset while waiting for the review feedback on the first asset, so as to minimize artist idle time.
• Uses industry standard software like MS Project/MS Excel to plan and create schedules.
• Ensures that the project is set-up correctly, and on time. Creates a project schedule, risk plan and commnication plan before any work starts. All trackers, templates and best practices are implemented into the project pipeline from the onset.
• Ensures that tasks are allocated appropriately to all artists. Along with the task, all relevant information such as the asset specifications, amount of time available for creating the asset, location of any assets that the artist should work on etc. are clearly communicated
• Ensures projects are executed as per plan and within the planned budget
• Stays alert to potential issues and problems. Tries to proactively resolve problems. Escalates problems and issues in a timely manner.
• Makes significant effort to ensure that Monthly Billing Milestones are met. In case of delays at the client end that could impact monthly billing, escalates the same to management on time.
• Works with the Lead to establish an effective work review process for the project, including effective quality checkpoints, to ensure that the project quality goals are met.
• Works with the Lead to ensure that the project can be executed without subjecting the team to long hours of work or unnecessary stress.
• Ensures that the work completion status for each artist is tracked on a daily basis. Updates schedule daily accordingly. Takes appropriate remedial action when artists are running late.
• Ensures that the team consistently and correctly creates, updates and uses all key documents such as Feedback Tracker, Query Tracker etc.
• Correctly and appropriately archives all project documents, assets etc. at the end of the project.
• Is well versed OR quickly adapts to using various project management tools like JIRA, Basecamp, Slack, Shotgun, etc.
• Treats team – including QC artists assigned to the project - fairly and with respect.
• Maintains a regular and constant dialogue with the team to stay abreast of their concerns, challenges etc.
• Recognizes good performance and highlights it to the team. Similarly, does not hesitate to pull up artists for poor performance or bad behavior.
• Develops and empowers the team with appropriate delegation of authority and responsibility.
• Tracks and maintains records of progress for the project to ensure that the delivery happens as per plan, quality standards and within the budgeted effort. Highlights any support required by the artists to the Lead and notes and highlights any special contribution by the artists during the project.
• Regularly communicate with the Art team share feedback from client and the direction of the project.
• Provides regular and authentic feedback to the leads and team, with a view to develop their art and delivery skills. Seeks regular inputs on artists’ skill enhancements and updates the information for appropriate work allocation.
• Listens to the team’s suggestions and empowers team in order to develop them without compromising on the quality or timelines of the project.
• Represents the concerns and interests of the Project Team to Management and other Key Stake Holders
• Demonstrates leadership skills to communicate and lead the team to a course of action which may be difficult or unpopular, but which may be necessary for the achievement of project goals.

Requirements

• Good knowledge of managing services projects, especially in a video games company
• Good knowledge of Project Management Best Practices
• Knowledge of game art production pipeline desirable, but not essential
• At least 2 years of experience of working as a Project Manager is a services organization

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Remote/hybrid work set-up
• Learning opportunities as we work with the top gaming brands