Web Services Scrum Master (Video Games)

at  modio

WHO IS MOD.IO?

mod.io is the world’s most trusted platform for the creation and discovery of fully cross-platform User-Generated Content (UGC) and mods in video games.
Many of the industries most innovative and successful games have UGC at their core. We’re talking about Counter-Strike, DotA, and PUBG. These games have become house-hold names and that same innovation is what drives us. We are a fast-growing, early-stage startup, backed by leading video game venture capital firms including LEGO Ventures, Tencent, and Makers Fund.
Our mission is to connect game studios and publishers with their communities by harnessing the power of UGC. And we’re doing it; our platform is embedded in over 150 games, including some of the biggest and best games in the world. Games like Deep Rock Galactic, Snowrunner, and Dying Light 2, and we support over six-and-a-half-million monthly users.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR IN CANDIDATES?

We are looking for humble, enthusiastic, self-starters who take ownership over what they create and will help us shape and improve the company. Even if you don’t match the qualifications exactly, if you’re confident you can do the job, or can grow into the role, please throw your hat in the ring.

To be successful, you are an engineer who is happy to manage the work for a team of engineers, or an engineer who has already transitioned to a scrum master role.

• Exceptional delivery capabilities including identifying value and prioritising competing requests in a complex, ambiguous environment
• An engineer by trade, you have extensive experience building web sites, mobile, data pipelines and APIs
• You are Agile certified or have equivalent on-the-job experience
• You have excellent organisational skills and can effectively coordinate work across a large team (10+ engineers, one tester and one UX/UI).
• You easily convert high level requirements into detailed tasks ready for engineers to build and QAs to test.
• Excellent facilitation skills
• Familiar with task-management software (ClickUp, Trello etc.)
• Excitement to dig in and experiment, with real attention to detail.
• It would be great if you have:
• a solid technical understanding of SDKs, the major commercial video game engines such as Unity and Unreal Engine, and video game platforms such as Playstation, Xbox, Steam etc.
• worked in the video game industry as an engineer, or worked as part of a team(s) that shipped a commercial title, or maintained a live service game.
• a passion for video games and an understanding of the unique challenges UGC presents us and similar businesses like YouTube and Steam.

HOW DO I APPLY?

This is a full time role. You can chose to work from home or enjoy the perks of our brand new office in Prahran if you’re in Melbourne.

If you fit the criteria and the job description sounds exciting, then please click the application button and provide:

• Your CV
• A cover letter outlining how you meet the criteria

If you don’t think you’re right for this role, but you’d love a role at mod.io, please fill in our Expression of Interest form.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING IN THE ROLE (YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES)?

You will enable us to deliver industry leading features at the right time, across our Web Services tech stack. Features that make UGC success massive and repeatable for every game using mod.io.
You will do this by managing the delivery of prioritised work for the web, mobile, data pipeline and API components of our UGC service.

Product Priorities

• Convert the priorities provided by the Head of Web Services into a delivery plan (sprint plan), ensuring the highest priority work is delivered on time and to spec. This involves managing delivery of multiple concurrent features, bug fixes, enhancements and other requests.
• Your comprehensive understanding of mod.io’s product priorities and technology enables you to make great calls when setting plans and resolving blockers.
• You easily recognise and adjust for nuances when dealing with requests as diverse as tech issues, bugs, Studio requests, Product Focus Group priorities, new features, enhancements and tech debt.
• Understand our web and API tech stack sufficiently to accurately identify the following at a level which enables you to efficiently set and deliver plans:
• technical impacts (eg: plugin relies on SDK),
• complexity (high, medium, low),
• required skill sets
• effort (small, medium, large)

Product Specifications

• For simple requests, you convert requirements into an agile delivery plan, write required cards, confirm estimates and add to sprints. On very rare occasions, this may require input from the Tech Lead.
• For complex requests, you convert high level requirements (One Pager) and/or Technical Specifications (provided by the Tech Lead), into an agile delivery plan. Some requests may involve discussions with the Tech Lead and/or Head of Web Services to clarify, discuss and refine the plan, including estimates and order of delivery.
• Ensure the designer is briefed on UX/UI requirements, write UX/UI tasks and ensure designs are signed-off. Head of Product Services will brief and sign-off on designs.

• Write tasks (epics / stories) for all work, ensuring they are sufficiently detailed to enable an engineer and QA to pick up the card and easily build and test without needing to seek additional (missing) information.Ensure post-delivery maintenance and support is covered.

Product Delivery

• You understand desired live dates and the type of solution this dictates, and develop a plan to suit (resource allocation, scheduling, scope etc.).
• Manage sprint planning to ensure the most important work is done first (as set by the Head of Web Services), and we meet our desired live dates.
• Provide advice on the impact of requested changes to current or future sprints to enable Head of Web Services to finalise decisions.
• Minimise changes to current sprint through great planning: you are constantly reviewing and refining the backlog and adjusting the allocation of tasks in future sprints
• You keep the team accountable so they deliver the work allocated to the current sprint
• Facilitate daily stand ups to ensure accountability for delivery of tasks, progress is made each day, and we remain on track on a daily basis.
• Work with the team to identify blockers and remove or resolve them.
• Have a focus on constant improvement, ensuring we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past and recognise what is working well (via retros or other approaches).
• Work with the QA to ensure testing is accurate, robust, efficient and timely and support QA efforts as needed with hands-on testing / UAT.
• Confirm which tasks are ready for release as part of the deployment process.
• Provide progress updates to Head of Web Services (via Stand Ups, ClickUp boards or other mechanisms)
• Ensure all work has a task in Click Up and status of work is clearly visible
• Enable reporting as desired from Click Up (eg: bugs v studio requests etc.)
• Ensure Technical Support is completed for each features going live

Culture

• Embody our values, setting an example for others to follow, which strives for and delivers the best outcomes for our partners and prospects with the available resources.
• Embrace feedback, ensuring constructive feedback is given and received in the right way.
• Provide clear communication ensuring all interactions (meetings etc.) are effective and ensure processes are lightweight and serve a clear purpose.

To be successful, you are an engineer who is happy to manage the work for a team of engineers, or an engineer who has already transitioned to a scrum master role.

• Exceptional delivery capabilities including identifying value and prioritising competing requests in a complex, ambiguous environment
• An engineer by trade, you have extensive experience building web sites, mobile, data pipelines and APIs
• You are Agile certified or have equivalent on-the-job experience
• You have excellent organisational skills and can effectively coordinate work across a large team (10+ engineers, one tester and one UX/UI).
• You easily convert high level requirements into detailed tasks ready for engineers to build and QAs to test.
• Excellent facilitation skills
• Familiar with task-management software (ClickUp, Trello etc.)
• Excitement to dig in and experiment, with real attention to detail.
• It would be great if you have:
• a solid technical understanding of SDKs, the major commercial video game engines such as Unity and Unreal Engine, and video game platforms such as Playstation, Xbox, Steam etc.
• worked in the video game industry as an engineer, or worked as part of a team(s) that shipped a commercial title, or maintained a live service game.
• a passion for video games and an understanding of the unique challenges UGC presents us and similar businesses like YouTube and Steam