Freelance Indie Games Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The Director of Career Success is a mission-critical, industry-embedded leadership role at the University of Silicon Valley. This is not a traditional career counseling position. USV is seeking a highly connected, credentialed professional with an active, senior-level network inside the software development, game design, game art, audio technology, cybersecurity, and digital media industries. The Director will architect and execute a comprehensive, university-wide Career Success ecosystem that begins on a student's first day at USV and culminates in meaningful employment at some of the most influential companies in Silicon Valley and beyond.

This role is fully integrated into the academic fabric of USV - embedded in the classroom, the studios, advising, and student life. The Director will establish and steward the USV Career Success Volunteer Network, a national community of industry professionals dedicated to opening doors for USV graduates. The ideal candidate is someone the industry already knows, respects, and calls.

WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS

USV's degree portfolio is purpose-built for the creative technology economy:

• BA Game Art & BA Game Design - training the next generation of AAA and indie game creators
• BS Game Engineering - software architects of interactive worlds
• BA Digital Art & Animation - visual storytellers for games, film, and emerging media
• BS Digital Audio Technology - engineers and producers for game audio, music tech, and XR
• BS Software Development - full-stack engineers for Silicon Valley and beyond
• BS Business Administration - entrepreneurs and producers in the creative economy
• Master of Business Innovation - graduate-level leadership for the digital age

Every one of these programs demands an industry-connected advocate who can translate a student's portfolio into a career. The Director of Career Success is that advocate - and that connector.

1. Day-One Career Integration

Career readiness begins at orientation, not senior year. The Director will:

• Design and deliver a Career Success Orientation Module embedded in every new student's first week at USV
• Establish a four-year Career Roadmap framework for each degree program, with discipline-specific milestones for portfolio development, networking, internships, and job placement
• Partner with Admissions to prime incoming students on career pathways before they set foot in class
• Maintain an individual Career Profile for every student, updated each semester in collaboration with academic advisors
• Gather data and provide reporting

2. Deep Academic Integration

The Director will operate as a core academic partner, not a peripheral service:

• Co-teach or guest-teach Career Modules in every degree program's curriculum - from Game Design Studios to Software Development capstones
• Develop program-specific curriculum: resume workshops in Game Art, portfolio reviews in Software Development, pitch sessions in Business, and demo reel critiques in Digital Art
• Collaborate with Program Chairs to embed professional development milestones directly into course syllabi
• Serve on the Curriculum Committee to ensure industry alignment in all degree programs
• Participate in student project reviews and capstone presentations as an industry-eye evaluator
• Coordinate with the Audio Technology and Game Engineering programs to host live industry critique sessions with studio partners

3. Resume, Portfolio & Interview Coaching

The Director will build a structured, iterative coaching system:

• Establish a Career Success Studio - a dedicated space and weekly schedule for 1:1 resume reviews, mock interviews, and portfolio critiques
• Develop USV-standard resume and portfolio templates tailored to each degree discipline
• Run recurring group workshops: Resume Bootcamps, Portfolio Power Hours, LinkedIn Lab, and Technical Interview Prep Series
• Coach students specifically on how to present game builds, code repositories (GitHub), demo reels, and audio portfolios to industry hiring managers
• Implement a Mock Interview Program with structured feedback rubrics, recorded sessions, and industry-volunteer interviewers
• Track each student's career readiness maturity from Year 1 through graduation using a defined Career Competency Framework

4. Internship & Job Placement

The Director owns USV's placement outcomes and is accountable for results:

• Develop and maintain a robust pipeline of internship opportunities with game studios, software companies, audio houses, and tech firms in Silicon Valley and nationally
• Negotiate and manage formal internship agreements with employer partners
• Track and report all placement outcomes - internships, full-time hires, freelance placements - in a transparent annual Placement Report
• Set annual placement goals in partnership with university leadership and publish results publicly
• Maintain an active employer relationship database (CRM) with regular outreach cadences

5. Career Fair Leadership

The Director will own and elevate the USV Career Fair as a flagship industry event:

• Plan, manage, and execute the annual USV Career Fair - recruiting studio partners, game companies, software employers, and tech firms as participants
• Evolve the Career Fair into a multi-format event including a Portfolio Showcase, a Game Demo Day, a Live Coding Challenge, and a Speed Networking session
• Secure sponsorships and in-kind support from industry partners to fund and elevate the event
• Build a pre-event preparation program so every student attending is polished, practiced, and portfolio-ready
• Develop a post-fair follow-up system to convert conversations into interviews and offers
• Explore hosting a regional or national Creative Tech Career Fair that positions USV as an industry hub

6. Alumni Engagement & Mentorship

USV alumni are one of its most underutilized assets. The Director will change that:

• Build and maintain a living USV Alumni Career Network database
• Launch a formal USV Alumni Mentorship Program pairing current students with working professionals in their target field
• Engage alumni as guest lecturers, studio critics, mock interviewers, and career fair recruiters
• Produce a semi-annual Alumni Newsletter featuring job postings, industry news, and success spotlights
• Host annual Alumni Networking Events (in-person and virtual) to keep graduates connected to USV and each other
• Create a "USVers Hiring USVers" initiative encouraging alumni companies to post jobs and internships directly through the university

7. National Career Success Volunteer Network

This is a signature initiative of the role. The Director will build and lead a national volunteer corps of industry professionals committed to USV student success:

• Recruit, vet, and onboard a national network of Career Success Volunteers - senior professionals at game studios, software companies, audio firms, and tech organizations across the U.S.
• Structure the network with clear volunteer roles: Mock Interviewers, Portfolio Reviewers, Mentor Coaches, Guest Lecturers, Job Connectors, and Event Ambassadors
• Develop a Volunteer Engagement Playbook with standardized onboarding, training, and recognition programs
• Host a quarterly Virtual Volunteer Summit to brief the network on USV student needs and pipeline updates
• Manage volunteer relationships with care, professionalism, and consistent appreciation - ensuring long-term retention
• Report volunteer activity and impact to university leadership annually, with metrics on students served, interviews facilitated, and hires made

8. Industry Relationship Development

The Director's network is a strategic university asset:

• Actively cultivate relationships with hiring managers, talent acquisition leaders, studio heads, and department directors at target employers
• Attend GDC, E3/adjacent events, Develop: Brighton, game industry meetups, software engineering conferences, and local Silicon Valley networking events as a USV representative
• Develop Employer Partner Agreements offering companies early access to student talent, studio collaboration, and event sponsorship opportunities
• Maintain a warm, relationship-first approach - the goal is to be the person industry calls when they have an opening, not the person who calls them

• Minimum 7 years of professional experience inside the software, game, or digital media industry - in a role such as Producer, Lead Developer, Studio Manager, Technical Recruiter, Talent Lead, or similar
• A demonstrable, active professional network inside the game and/or software industry - contacts who can pick up the phone and take the call
• Deep familiarity with the hiring practices, portfolio expectations, and career pathways of the software development and game industries
• Proven experience in career services, talent development, recruiting, mentorship, or workforce development
• Experience managing events, programs, or teams with measurable outcomes
• Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and public speaking skills
• Demonstrated ability to operate with high energy, initiative, and autonomy
• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferre

• Prior experience working at or recruiting for: Electronic Arts, Riot Games, Naughty Dog, Insomniac, Activision/Blizzard, CD Projekt Red, Bungie, 2K, indie studios, or major software companies (Google, Apple, Meta, Salesforce, Adobe, etc.)
• Experience in a university career services, academic advising, or instructional role
• Understanding of portfolio-based hiring in game art, game design, game engineering, audio, and software development
• Existing relationships with industry professional organizations: IGDA, ACM SIGGRAPH, AES, Women in Games, Latinos in Gaming, etc.
• Familiarity with ATS systems, LinkedIn Recruiter, Handshake, or similar platforms
• Track record of building volunteer communities or professional networks from scratch
• Experience managing a CRM or employer relationship database

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

The Director of Career Success will be evaluated annually against the following metrics:

Metric

Year 1 Target

Student internship placement rate

50% of eligible students

Graduate job placement rate (within 6 months)

70% in field

Career Success Volunteer Network size

75+ national volunteers

Career Fair employer participants

30+ companies

Students receiving 1:1 career coaching

100% of all students annually

Alumni engaged in mentorship or events

50+ alumni

Student career readiness assessment score

Baseline + 20% YoY improvement

Employer satisfaction with USV graduates

Survey score 4.0+/5.0

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

In Year 1, the Director has:

• Launched the Career Roadmap for all degree programs
• Established a Career Success Studio with a consistent weekly schedule
• Recruited 50+ national Career Success Volunteers
• Hosted a revamped USV Career Fair with 25+ employer partners
• Activated the Alumni Mentorship Program with a minimum of 30 pairings
• Achieved measurable improvement in student career readiness scores

In Year 3, USV is known in the industry as:

• A school whose graduates arrive industry-ready from Day 1
• A university that calls you - not one you've never heard of
• The destination for studios and software companies seeking diverse, creative technical talent

• Paid Time Off (includes individual PTO plus 10 holidays and winter break)
• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
• Basic Life & AD&D
• 401k (employee contribution only)
• Short- & Long-Term Disability
• Tuition Remission Benefit
• Other Voluntary Benefits Offered