THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. Based in Los Angeles County, California, the company develops and publishes content for all viable gaming platforms including home video game consoles such as the Microsoft Xbox 360®, Nintendo Wii™, Sony PlayStation® 3 and Sony PlayStation® 2; handheld platforms such as Nintendo’s DS™ and Sony’s PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, wireless devices and personal computers. The company boasts a portfolio of top-selling, award-winning interactive entertainment and a network of internal development studios whose focus on new intellectual property creation positions THQ at the forefront of gaming innovation.
THQ’s product strategy is focused on delivering high quality innovative games to core gamers, extending its leadership in the fighting category, maximizing the profitability in its kids licensed business, aggressively addressing new audiences and casual forms of gaming, and extending its brands online. The company maintains a strategic balance of internally created and externally licensed content in its product portfolio. THQ’s internally created franchises include Saints Row®, Red Faction®, Frontlines™, MX vs. ATV™ and others. The company also holds exclusive, long-term licensing agreements with leading sports and entertainment content creators including World Wrestling Entertainment® (WWE®), Games Workshop (Warhammer® 40,000™), Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®), Marvel Entertainment, DreamWorks Animation, Nickelodeon and Disney•Pixar.
The Compliance QA Manager is responsible for all QA activities relating to compliance with First Party or THQ-developed standards for all consoles and platforms, including PC/Windows and Macintosh. S/He leads, manages and grows THQ’s Compliance QA organization as well as THQ’s operational-level relationships with the major console manufacturers, including but not limited to Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony, and their discrete entities in various regions of the world. Responsibilities include thorough and timely compliance testing of all THQ titles, effective working relationships with the leading First Party console manufacturers (currently Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony), and all submission activities (concept, pre-cert/pre-tech and final). In addition, the Compliance QA Manager works closely with PD teams to ensure that standards implementation and testing runs as smoothly and effectively as possible.
Responsibilities of the Compliance QA Manager: • Work with the Director of Worldwide QA and other QA managers as well as Compliance QA leaders to establish a strategic vision for the Compliance QA organization, including growing the partnership between the Compliance and Functional Test efforts. Effectively lead the team and fulfill the vision. • Mentor and grow Compliance QA leaders. Assist all members of the Compliance QA team in developing their chosen careers in the industry. • Push quality upstream by providing standards training as well as early-cycle standards analysis, evaluation and design services to PD teams. • Ensure that all titles are thoroughly tested in a timely, efficient manner and that all standards issues are found and reported. • Coordinate all First Party activities with Compliance QA, Product Development and the Sr. Manager of Global PD Operations. Establish communications processes with these teams in order to remain aware of schedules and impending activities that relate to First Parties. • Work with the Sr. Manager of Global PD Operations to educate Product Development teams regarding First Party processes, timelines and constraints. • Work closely with the PD teams to prepare titles for concept submission, pre-cert/pre-tech and final submission. • Manage the submission process including delivery, feedback, reports and release approvals. Work with the Sr. Manager of Global PD Operations to schedule submission activities. • Track THQ’s submission success rates; work with the Sr. Manager of Global PD Operations and Compliance QA teams to evaluate results and formulate improvement plans. • Ensure that all members of the Compliance QA team are thoroughly trained, that their knowledge remains up-to-date with the latest standards and information from the First Parties or as defined by THQ and that the knowledge is shared with the Functional Test team and others, as needed. • Establish best practices and formally defined processes and procedures; ensure that all PD teams are educated about these. • Conduct analyses of historical compliance data in order to improve development and testing processes. • Participate in the quarterly and annual budget and finance processes; manage as closely to the budget as possible while conforming to accepted processes when varying from budget. • Anticipate and respond to change as needed to continue to meet and exceed team goals.
Skills required: • Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to effectively communicate with all levels of the organization, including Executive Management • Highly organized, detail-oriented, analytical and flexible • Able to handle multiple simultaneous projects and adapt quickly in a changing environment • Independent worker/self-starter who is able to work with minimal supervision as well as part of a cohesive management team • Strong computer skills, particularly with MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.)
Qualifications for the position: • Four or more years experience in video game or software Quality Assurance, including one or more years of that experience in a role that required intimate knowledge of compliance testing, First Party standards, submission requirements and processes, etc. • One or more years experience in a management or similar leadership role, especially one that required internal and external relationship-building, such as Account Management. • Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or related technical field preferred.
THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) is a leading independent developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide. The company develops and publishes content for all viable gaming platforms including the Microsoft Xbox 360™, Nintendo Wii™, Sony PlayStation® 3 and Sony PlayStation® 2; handheld platforms such as Nintendo's DS™ and Game Boy® Advance, Sony's PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, wireless devices and personal computers. THQ's product strategy is simple - deliver the right games on the right platforms at the right time. The company maintains a strategic balance of internally created and externally licensed content in its product portfolio. THQ's internally created franchises include Saints Row™, Stuntman®, Frontlines™: Fuel of War™, Red Faction®, MX vs. ATV, Juiced, Company of Heroes™ and others. The company also holds exclusive, long-term licensing agreements with leading sports and entertainment content creators including World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Games Workshop (Warhammer® 40,000™), Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®), Nickelodeon and Disney•Pixar.
