AUDIO DIRECTOR JOB DESCRIPTION

Directing audio for a AAA title means owning every sonic decision from concept through ship. The Audio Director sets the creative and technical standard for an entire discipline - defining how sound design, music, and dialogue cohere into a single player experience. This is not a hands-off executive seat. It demands direct craft knowledge: understanding multichannel mixing, interactive audio middleware, and how a Live service model changes what "done" means post-launch.

As the Audio Director, you establish and execute the full audio vision for a AAA game title, ensuring every sonic element serves the player experience from early development through post-launch updates. You lead a dedicated audio discipline, collaborate daily with directors across design, animation, and programming, and serve as the final creative authority on mix quality and sound direction for the project.

Career Impact: Leading audio on a AAA title - particularly one with a Live service component - establishes you as a senior creative voice in a discipline where shipped credits at this scale are rare and directly valued by studios hiring at the director level.

Business Impact: The audio direction you set determines whether players feel immersed or pulled out of the experience, a gap that shapes review scores, player retention, and the studio's reputation for craft.

Growth Opportunity: Ownership of cross-platform audio architecture and Live product audio planning builds expertise that translates directly to Principal or VP-level roles as studios expand their multi-title and service-based portfolios.

• Define the overarching audio vision, principles, and creative direction for the game title.
• Own the final mix and audio quality across all platforms, ensuring cohesion from prototype through gold.
• Establish audio production processes in collaboration with programming, design, and animation teams.
• Lead hiring, mentorship, and performance development for all members of the audio discipline.
• Partner with directors and leads across disciplines to integrate audio into multi-discipline creative decisions.
• Represent the audio team to external partners, stakeholders, and cross-studio collaborators.
• Monitor industry trends in interactive audio and advocate for innovations that improve the player experience.
• Ensure the audio foundation supports a Live product model, allowing for regular post-launch updates.

• Bachelor's degree in Music, Audio Production, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 7 or more years of game audio experience, with at least 2 years in a lead or director-level role.
• Full development cycle credited on at least 2 shipped AAA titles, including one in a leadership position.
• Demonstrated ability to define and manage audio direction and production roadmaps for large-scale projects.
• Deep knowledge of modern sound design techniques, multichannel mixing, and interactive audio principles.
• Proven ability to run recording sessions including dialogue, Foley, and studio and field recording contexts.
• Strong leadership, communication, and mentoring skills with experience managing a multi-person discipline.
• Experience with visual scripting or audio pipeline tooling within a major game engine environment.

• Experience shipping a title with a Live service or games-as-a-service component requiring ongoing audio updates.
• Background in cross-platform audio development spanning current-generation console and PC targets.
• Familiarity with sound-to-picture workflows or film audio production as a complement to game experience.
• Demonstrated ability to build studio-wide audio community or establish shared standards across multiple teams.

• Audio vision approval rate from creative directors, tracked across milestone reviews.
• Final mix sign-off completed within scheduled certification windows, measured per platform submission.
• Audio team retention and internal promotion rate, reflecting mentorship and discipline health.
• Post-launch audio update cadence, measured against the Live content release schedule.
• Cross-discipline collaboration score, assessed through milestone retrospectives with partner leads.
• Typical tools: audio middleware (commonly Wwise or FMOD); DAW (commonly Pro Tools or Reaper); game engine audio integration (commonly Unreal Engine 4/5 blueprint environments).

• Base Salary Range: $150,000 to $210,000 annually, depending on seniority and studio size.
• Bonus: Annual performance bonus, typically 10 to 20% of base salary.
• Equity: RSUs or profit-sharing common at mid-to-large studios.
• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employee and dependents.
• PTO: 15 to 25 days annually, plus studio holidays.
• Common Perks: Relocation assistance, remote or hybrid flexibility, professional development budget.

Figures are estimates based on general US market benchmarks and may be outdated. Adjust based on location, company size, and seniority level.

Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation during any stage of the application or interview process should notify the hiring team. A background check is required as a condition of employment. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

The Audio Director shapes the full sound and music output of a game title, from overseeing sound effect creation tied to story and gameplay experience through to managing recording sessions and supplier deadlines. Working in close coordination with Programming, Design, and Animation teams, this position leads the Audio team's hiring, coaching, and performance evaluation to ensure the project meets its creative and production audio goals.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee the creation of all sound effects for the project, related to the story and the game experience.
• Establish technical processes for audio production in collaboration with the Programming, Design and Animation teams.
• Plan recording sessions and liaise with suppliers by ensuring production deadlines.
• Participate in the hiring process for the Audio team.
• Supervise and coach the different members of the Audio team within the project.
• Participate in the performance evaluation of the Audio team members.

Required Qualifications

• Diploma specialized in Music or any other relevant training.
• 8+ years of experience as an Audio Designer, including at least 2 as a Lead Audio Designer.
• Experience in producing sound samples and sound integration in Video Games.
• Solid knowledge of modern studio equipment and sound tools that meet industry standards (e.g. Pro-Tools, Sound Forge, etc.).
• Good knowledge of various sound middleware applications (wWise, Fmod, etc.).
• Leadership, sense of responsibility and priorities; ability to express ideas clearly and concisely.
• Positive and results-oriented attitude; maturity to receive and give constructive criticism.

Embedded within the game development studio, the Audio Director delivers a unified vision of sound and music backed by a production plan aligned to the game's creative promise, while keeping pace with the latest trends in interactive audio. Working closely with directors and leads across all disciplines, this role owns the hiring and career growth of the audio team, represents the studio to external partners, and ensures the audio foundation is built for Live product updates.

Core Functions

• Start with a player-first mentality, embedding an obsessive drive to know, understand, and serve the players engaged with the game.
• Develop and manage a vision of sound and music and a production plan capable of delivering upon the promise of the game.
• Keep up-to-date with the bleeding edge of audio trends within video game development and evangelize ideas that innovate the player experience.
• Participate in the hiring of the audio discipline.
• Responsible for the career growth and mentorship of the audio discipline on the project.
• Act as the key audio contact for the studio, representing the project and team to all external partners and stakeholders.
• Define and uphold audio principles to ensure the sound and music direction of the game is cohesive, inspiring, and with distinct style.
• Work side-by-side with all directors and leads to take a multi-discipline approach to creativity and problem solving.
• Proactively identify opportunities and risks to improve the work of the team, the quality of the project, and studio knowledge.
• Ensure the audio direction of the game starts with a Live product foundation, capable of regular updates and malleable to key changes.

Qualifications & Experience

• Portfolio of visionary, industry-leading audio work demonstrating audio direction and capacity to execute within a game.
• 8+ years of professional AAA game development experience, including at least 2 projects shipped in a leadership position.
• At least one AAA action title shipped and one product shipped during the current generation of games (PS4/XBOX ONE).
• Proven ability to define and manage the sound direction and roadmap for very large scale projects.
• Cross-platform mindset with ability to support seamless experiences across different systems and form factors.
• Experience creating assets in and shipping a game using Unreal Engine 4 a plus.
• Outstanding management, communication, and team collaboration capabilities.

Reporting to the game development core leadership team, the Audio Director leads the end-to-end audio vision for a major game title, owning the final mix quality and advocating for audio pipeline features and workflow processes. Partnering with audio team members and game team collaborators across multiple global studios, this role builds a stronger audio community and delivers high-quality audio content that meets the creative and technical standards of AAA game development.

Primary Duties

• Work with the audio team and game team partners to establish a strong creative audio vision.
• Communicate and execute vision at all levels.
• Own the final mix and audio quality of the game.
• Advocate and design audio pipeline features and workflow processes.
• Bring out the best in team members and peers.
• Collaborate and communicate with multiple studios across the world.
• Help build a stronger audio community within EA.

Skills & Qualifications

• Minimum of 7 years of game audio or related industry (film) experience in a leadership capacity.
• Proven track record delivering high quality audio content for games and/or films.
• Strong artistic and creative sensibilities with a focus on developing and driving an audio vision.
• Expert knowledge of modern sound creation techniques, processing, and standards.
• General experience using game development tools, technology, and/or pipelines.
• Highly skilled in the areas of mixing and presentation in all formats.
• Analytic thinker and problem solver in a collaborative environment.

Sitting at the intersection of creative leadership and technical audio craft, the Audio Director shapes a game's full sonic identity, championing innovation and excellence as a core member of the studio's stakeholder team. Operating across the Audio department and all other disciplines, this role mentors team members, maintains key relationships with studio leadership and the Development Director, and drives the high standards that determine how audio impacts the game development lifecycle.

Duties

• Shape the game's audio identity and drive diversity as the backbone of the team's audio discipline.
• Communicate a strong vision for audio direction and take the helm directing all audio aspects of the product.
• Champion audio innovation and excellence as part of the core stakeholder team.
• Maintain key relationships across the studio, working with the Development Director, team stakeholders, and studio leadership.
• Mentor and support team members and push for creative collaboration across the Audio department and other disciplines.
• Drive high standards and maintain a holistic understanding of how audio impacts the game development lifecycle.
• Advocate confidently for the audio team and its needs across the wider project.

Experience & Qualifications

• Full cycle work experience as an Audio Designer on at least 4 shipped AAA titles; current gen console development and production experience.
• Experienced in multichannel sound design, field and studio recording, Foley recording, and sound to picture.
• Comfortable running dialogue sessions; working experience creating UE4 Blueprints or similar visual scripting.
• Advanced working knowledge of Wwise middleware; experienced Reaper user or equivalent.
• Strong communication, mentoring, and organizational skills; excellent written and oral ability.
• Demonstrable creative sound design skills; high technical ability; self-motivated and able to work to tight deadlines.