Company Overview

HB Studios creates great video games. It is an electronic entertainment company that specializes in creating the most spectacular and challenging console, handheld and computer video games ever conceived, including: THQ Big Beach Sports; EA Sports Euro 2008; EA Sports NBA Live '08; EA Sports NHL '08, EA Sports Madden Wii (in collaboration with EA); EA Sports UEFA Champions League; EA FIFA Street 2 PSP; EA Sports Rugby '04, '05, '06, and '08; and EA Sports Cricket '02, '04, '05, & '07.

Founded in 2000 by CEO and Creative Director, Jeremy Wellard, HB Studios is headquartered in picturesque Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, and currently employs 130+ talented, vibrant, and hard working people. As HB Studios continues to experience growth, the company has expanded its operations into the South End of Halifax. In 2003, Jeremy Wellard won the Ernst & Young Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Atlantic Canada and has been a finalist since.

In an international ranking of the top 100 "World's Most Successful Game Studios" according to product performance on the U.K. retail charts, HB Studios has been listed in the top 50 the past 4 years, ranking 26th in 2006.

If you are creative, hard-working, have a passion for video games, and thrive in a dynamic working environment, HB Studios is the place for you.

General Overview

To take responsibility for the design of games and to monitor these games through development ensuring that the integrity of the game and the game-play is of the highest standard, in line with required timescales and to do this in conjunction with senior members of the design team.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Day to day design work on current games in design following the game design process
• To write game design documents in accordance with the game design process 
• To hand over game designs to a development team and ensure their understanding of the design
• To be assigned a particular game to monitor during development and ensure that game is of the highest quality 
• To play and suggest appropriate changes to all games currently in development and prototyping
• To liaise between the designers and the Producers / Associate Producers of the assigned game on a regular basis
• To maintain an up to date design document with all agreed design changes of the assigned game 
• To ensure all delivered versions of games are thoroughly play-tested, reporting all game changes back through PR tracker
• Report current issues in the games in development to the Producer/Associate Producer and Creative Director
• Report any issues in the assigned game that may compromise the quality or popularity of the final game 
• Constantly liaise with Creative Director, Producer and QA Team Leader 
• Liaise with relevant prototyping programmers regarding current and new designs in prototyping

Key Contacts 

• Creative Director
• Producer / Associate Producer of assigned game
• QA Team Leader of assigned game
• Other Designers 

Personal Specification

Essential 

• Personal skills / abilities Detail conscious
• Communication Skills - Written (report writing) & Verbal 
• Time management skills
• Ability to breakdown a problem or issue with a game and then describe it in detail
• Diplomatic in reporting issues with games
• Team worker
• Unselfish attitude to games and idea ownership
• Creative thinker
• Ability to accept other people's ideas and suggestions
• Willing to learn and research subjects
• Self motivated
• Able to negotiate and argue their case on game specific issues
• Ability to work with people at all levels
• Outgoing Personality 

Desirable 

• Software / hardware / programming skills 
• M/S Office 
• Educational Qualifications Minimum 2 'A' Levels, C or better
• Degree, any subject
• Above can be overruled by games industry experience  
• Career background including amount of experience required Must be an avid player of both PC and console games
• Able to demonstrate a wide knowledge of games, both old and current
• Understand how games work, why people play games and the motivation the game gives a player to continue playing the game
• Experience of teamwork and be flexible with regard to working hours
• Must own at least one current games system, preferably more
• Technical Awareness of the development process 

If you are interested in joining HB Studios as a Software Engineer, please submit a concise covering letter highlighting how your training and experience qualifies you for the position and a resume to jobs@hb-studios.com (Attention: Human Resources).

Please quote competition number GD0718-CB.
 
HB Studios would like to thank all applicants for their interests. Only those candidates selected for the interview process will be contacted.

To learn more about HB Studios, please visit our website at www.hbstudios.ca.