Studio Audio Director - US
The Studio Director of Audio is the senior audio leader responsible for defining, advancing, and championing audio excellence across a portfolio of game studios in the United States. This role provides strategic, creative, operational, and people leadership for all audio disciplines, including sound design, music, voice, audio implementation, and audio technology.
As the steward of audio quality across the portfolio, the Studio Director of Audio plays an active role in evaluating games throughout development and live operations. Through regular gameplay reviews, critical listening, and collaboration with studio audio leaders, this individual identifies opportunities to elevate player experiences, provides actionable feedback, and establishes standards that drive consistency, innovation, and excellence.
- Define and drive the long-term audio vision and strategy across US studios.
- Establish audio quality goals, creative principles, and best practices that support world-class player experiences.
- Champion the role of audio as a core pillar of gameplay, immersion, accessibility, emotional engagement, and brand differentiation.
- Evaluate emerging technologies, tools, workflows, and industry trends to continuously advance audio capabilities.
- Serve as a key advisor to studio and product leadership on audio opportunities, risks, and investments.
- Serve as the principal authority on audio quality across the US studio portfolio.
- Regularly play and evaluate games throughout development and live operations to assess audio quality, implementation, usability, and overall player experience.
- Provide clear, constructive, and actionable feedback to Audio engineers, audio teams, and studio leadership to elevate the creative and technical quality of game audio.
- Establish, communicate, and maintain studio-wide audio standards, quality benchmarks, review criteria, and best practices.
- Lead audio reviews, listening sessions, quality audits, and cross-studio feedback forums.
- Identify portfolio-wide strengths, trends, and opportunities for improvement and translate findings into strategic action plans.
- Promote consistency in audio excellence while preserving each studio's unique creative vision and identity.
- Foster a culture of craftsmanship, continuous improvement, and player-focused design.
- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing organization of Audio Engineers, managers, sound designers, composers, dialogue specialists, implementation experts, and external partners.
- Create an environment that encourages collaboration, innovation, accountability, and inclusion.
- Develop organizational capabilities and succession plans that support both current and future business needs.
- Conduct talent reviews, performance management, career development planning, and leadership coaching.
- Partner with Human Resources and studio leadership on workforce planning, recruitment, retention, and organizational design.
- Oversee audio development across multiple studios and projects.
- Ensure audio teams deliver high-quality work that meets project goals, timelines, technical requirements, and budget expectations.
- Collaborate with production, engineering, creative, and product leaders to optimize workflows and improve development efficiency.
- Identify project risks and proactively implement mitigation strategies.
- Help studios balance creative ambitions with production realities and business priorities.
- Partner with engineering teams to establish audio technology roadmaps and infrastructure priorities.
- Advocate for scalable tools, pipelines, middleware solutions, and implementation standards.
- Support innovation in areas such as adaptive music systems, voice technologies, accessibility features, spatial audio, and emerging interactive audio capabilities.
- Promote technical excellence and sustainable development practices across teams.
- Build and maintain relationships with composers, recording facilities, voice talent agencies, localization partners, contractors, and technology vendors.
- Evaluate, onboard, and manage strategic partners to extend internal capabilities when needed.
- Ensure external deliverables meet quality expectations and align with studio standards.
- Support contract negotiations, resource planning, and budget management activities.
- Develop and manage departmental budgets, forecasts, and resource allocation plans.
- Drive operational effectiveness through continuous improvement initiatives and efficient resourcing strategies.
- Define and track performance metrics related to quality, delivery, team health, and organizational effectiveness.
- Contribute to portfolio planning and strategic investment decisions.
- 12+ years of experience in game audio, interactive entertainment, or related digital media industries. (required)
- 5+ years of leadership experience managing managers and/or senior audio leaders. (required)
- Proven success shipping multiple commercial game titles across console, PC, mobile, or live-service platforms. (required)
- Demonstrated expertise in sound design, music production, dialogue systems, audio implementation, and interactive audio workflows. (required)
- Strong understanding of game development processes and cross-functional collaboration. (required)
- Experience providing creative direction, quality reviews, and feedback across multiple projects or teams. (required)
- Exceptional communication, mentoring, and stakeholder management skills. (required)
- Experience managing budgets, headcount planning, vendor relationships, and strategic initiatives. (required)
- Experience leading audio organizations across multiple studios or products. (preferred)
- Experience creating and implementing quality standards, review frameworks, and best practices for audio development. (preferred)
- Knowledge of modern audio middleware tools such as Wwise, FMOD, Pro Tools, Reaper, or equivalent technologies. (preferred)
- Experience supporting distributed teams and global development environments. (preferred)
- Familiarity with accessibility standards and inclusive audio design practices. (preferred)
- Experience in live-service game development and post-launch operations. (preferred)
- Estimated starting compensation range of $170k – $200k USD.
- Bonus or commission opportunities depending on the role.
- 401(k) savings plan with company contributions.
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
- Life and disability coverage.
- Paid time off.
- Tuition reimbursement.
- Wellness programs.
International Game Technology (IGT) is a global gaming company best known for designing and manufacturing slot machines, casino systems and digital gaming content. Founded in 1975 and long headquartered in Las Vegas, with major operations in Rome and Providence, it has been one of the largest gaming-machine and lottery suppliers in the world. In 2025 the group's lottery business was renamed Brightstar Lottery, while IGT's gaming and digital division was acquired by Apollo Global Management and combined with Everi, continuing to trade under the IGT brand. The company supplies land-based and online casino games to operators across the globe.
