Game Design Lead

  • Full-time

Company Description

Smoking Gun Interactive (SGI) is an industry leading independent game development studio focused on creating revolutionary gaming experiences.  It was founded in 2007 by the award-winning industry veterans and creative forces behind Company of Heroes™. Since that time SGI has developed a wide range of games- from original IP, AAA game concepts, to mobile apps, console titles, and even immersive online experiences.

We offer competitive salaries, great benefits, and a creative and driven work environment with our passionate team of talented professionals on high quality projects.

Job Description

As a Game Design Lead with Smoking Gun Interactive (SGI), you’re a talented, passionate natural leader with at least five years of industry experience in game design.  You have demonstrable hands-on experience designing systems and balancing gameplay mechanics as well as a strong literacy in game design and the ability to clearly and concisely communicate ideas in both written and verbal forms is key. You’re a naturally flexible, collaborative individual who is excited to work closely with art and programming teams to achieve excellent results. Additionally, you’re able to examine pipelines and workflows and suggest actionable improvements.

In this role, you will:

  • Collaborate with the Creative Director to deliver on driving the creative vision for the project;
  • Lead & mentor a design team in creating, improving & tuning features to create engaging player experiences
  • Build strong creative game designs that are original and imaginative
  • Track and analyze game data, and create reports with suggested design changes based on gameplay data
  • Evaluate and iterate on live game features and events to improve retention and monetization on live games;
  • Collaborate with art and programming disciplines to achieve project goals;
  • Ensure a high level of quality in all aspects of your team and your work;
  • Take initiative in problem-solving and collaborating as needed to facilitate effective resolutions;
  • Help liaison between the Design team and QA.

Qualifications

To be successful in this role, you must have:

  • 5 to 7 years’ experience as a game designer on a Mobile and PC product;
  • Shipped at least three titles as a Senior/Lead game designer;
  • Taken games all the way from concept development to live operations;
  • Experience with freemium game mechanic, KPI’s, and monetization strategies
  • Experience with Word, Excel, Photoshop;
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, able to communicate ideas clearly;
  • Ability to accept and provide direction, work well under pressure, and handle multiple tasks;
  • A naturally self-driven demeanor, taking initiative when needed – demonstrated ability to work independently;
  • Willingness to push the envelope and innovate within game parameters;
  • A positive attitude and a great team-player.

Additional Information

It would also be helpful if you had:

  • Direct experience creating, and tuning strategy titles; 
  • Multi-platform development experience (ideally, with various mobile platforms);
  • A bachelor’s degree.

Smoking Gun Interactive is an Equal Opportunity Employer.