Hiring authority & authenticity

The short answer

• Accountable (final say): Studio Head/GM and/or Executive Producer (EP) — own budget, headcount, and the quality bar.

• Responsible (makes the hire): Department Directors/Leads (Tech, Design, Animation, Art, Audio, QA). They define roles, run loops, pick finalists.

• Enablement: Recruiting/Talent Acquisition runs the funnel; Finance/HR/Legal handle approvals and compliance.

• Authenticity co-owner: Director of Product Authenticity (DPA) is a required voice for realism-touching roles and holds a veto on authenticity grounds for those hires.

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Accountability ladder (who signs what)

1. Dept Lead (Hiring Manager): Problem statement → role definition → evaluation rubric.

2. EP/Studio Head: Approves headcount/level/comp band.

3. Recruiting: Opens req, sources, screens logistics.

4. Interview Loop: Panel runs; HM consolidates signal.

5. Decision: HM selects; DPA co-signs (or vetoes) realism-critical roles.

6. Offer: EP/Studio Head signs; Recruiting delivers.

7. Onboarding: Producer sequences; DPA owns authenticity gates for first 90 days.

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RACI with the Director of Product Authenticity (merged)

Step	Dept Lead (HM)	EP/Studio Head	Recruiting	Producer/Dev Dir	DPA
Headcount planning	R	A	C	C	C
Job description & authenticity rubric	R	C	C	C	R
Work-sample design (boxing realism)	C	I	C	C	R
Sourcing & screening	C	I	R	I	I
Interviews/assessments	R	I	C	I	R
Final selection (realism-critical roles*)	R	A	C	I	A (authenticity veto)
Final selection (non-critical)	R	A	C	I	C
Offer & compensation	C	A	R	I	I
Onboarding plan & authenticity gates	C	I	I	R	A

*Realism-critical roles: Gameplay/AI Engineer, Combat/Systems Designer, Animation Lead/Tech Anim, Fight Tech, Camera/Presentation, Audio/Commentary Lead, QA Leadership for gameplay realism.

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Where the DPA plugs into the funnel

• Role definition: Co-authors the authenticity competencies (boxing IQ, realism heuristics, film-study literacy).

• Rubric & work sample: Specifies tasks that reveal judgment on footwork, timing windows, clinch/ref logic, hit-zone mapping, stamina/recovery, vulnerability and judging models.

• Interview panel: Mandatory interviewer for realism-touching roles; runs scenario and footage-annotation exercises.

• Decision: Co-signs the hire; holds a veto if authenticity criteria aren’t met.

• Onboarding: Owns the authenticity checklist and exit criteria for 30/60/90 days.

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Boxing-specific hiring standards (applies across Design/Engineering/Animation/QA)

• Boxing literacy: Stance, range control, defensive responsibility, ring craft, judging criteria.

• Mechanics realism: Footwork locomotion/IK, stamina & recovery curves, vulnerability windows, referee & clinch systems, damage zones/hit reactions.

• Evidence-based tuning: Uses telemetry + film breakdown to justify changes; distinguishes spectacle vs sport.

• Content authenticity: Likenesses, era/style accuracy, commentary correctness, presentation/camera that reads like real broadcasts.

• QA realism bar: QA leads must validate authenticity (not just stability).

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Sample interview loop (merged)

1. Recruiter screen (30m): Motivation, constraints, compensation.

2. Hiring Manager deep dive (60m): Portfolio; deconstruct a complex combat/system.

3. DPA “Sparring Review” (45–60m): Candidate annotates a real bout clip → maps to engine states (zones, timings, transitions) and defends choices.

4. Technical exercise (90m live or take-home):

   • Eng: implement a footwork state machine with timing windows & stamina hooks.

   • Design: prototype a clinch/ref break system with vulnerability tradeoffs.

   • Animation/TechAnim: retarget punch set with contact alignment + recovery timings.

5. Cross-discipline panel (45m): Cameras/Audio/Presentation and QA realism scenarios.

6. Debrief & decision: HM proposes; DPA co-signs (veto power if realism fails); EP signs offer.

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Practical add-ons you can adopt today

• Authenticity Gate: No offer for realism-critical roles without DPA sign-off.

• Advisory bench: Coaches/cutmen/historians as consulted interviewers, curated by the DPA.

• Work-sample library: Re-usable tasks covering footwork, clinch/ref, hit-zones, judging, commentary eventing.

• 90-day acceptance criteria:

  • 30d: Baseline film-study pack; implement 1 realism ticket end-to-end.

  • 60d: Ship a tuning change backed by telemetry + film evidence.

  • 90d: Lead a mini-feature review through the DPA checklist.

If you want, I can turn this into a one-page template (role brief, rubric, loop, work-samples, 90-day gates) you can drop into every realism-touching req.