We are looking for a Design Director within Action gameplay to lead our game design teams on an ambitious new game IP here in Melbourne Australia

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As a Design Director, you’ll be an expert in the fundamentals of game design and be able to set vision for and deliver on core moment-to-moment gameplay. You will utilize your exceptional communication skills to ensure that the work of multiple teams developing action gameplay aligns to create cohesive, exciting, and clearly understandable gameplay. You will also ensure that the work of this area aligns with that of the wider design direction of the project.

In this role, you’ll lead a team of Designers and will report directly to the CEO who oversees holistic design strategy. Collaborating within your craft, but also cross-functionally, you will direct and generate briefs for your Lead Designer to report and their teams, steering high-level vision and helping guide teams of complementary skills and abilities to deliver design ready to be experienced.

In this role you will…

• Work with other disciplines leads to ensuring the features being developed will bring the vision to life.

• Understand genre needs and ensure that the elements developed by the team will contribute to player satisfaction and enjoyment

• Assess the workload against. production capacity, help plan the work, and set priorities for the game design team and influence plans for the team

• Assign tasks for the design team and evaluate quality of the deliverable and give feedback for improvement

• Able to drive and follow-up on prototyping (both digital and paper based) with all disciplines

• Communicate the project objectives, sprint objectives, strategies, and general information to all team members so as to give visibility to the advancement of the development of the game and the other crafts

• Actively participate and act as a regular liaison in the decision-making process with management and oversee the necessary adjustments to ensure that the game design team meets expectations

• Supervise and be responsible for providing clear and structured project documents to ensure that gameplay intentions are understood and that team members are working on the right elements (ingredients, game system, gaming modes, behaviour specifications, etc.)

• Participate in the hiring and mentoring of team members

• Help manage any conflicts that arise within the team

• Drive a positive and productive culture in the design department and the project team

• Have significant experience as a game designer

• Are a natural leader who understands many aspects of game development and are able to unite a multidisciplinary team behind a creative vision

• Know how to visualize behaviors and game situations on paper and best practices for prototyping iteratively

• Are curious while analytical, alert to new developments and trends and know how to best propose changes by adhering to consumer expectations

• Have a solid understanding of how to communicate effectively and know when to question yourself

• Strong communication skills & from a range of different levels in the business.

• Experience working within Unity3D.

• Experience working on a range of platforms such as VR, PC and fp2 mobile.

• Sound knowledge in analytics and 

• product management.

• Scripting experience.

• Playdays - an additional 5 paid days off per year to do something you love.

• Incredible studios based in gorgeous Port Melbourne, right next to the city and many public transport options.

• Industry leading Parental Leave benefits

• Employee Assistance Program to support mental wellbeing

• Mentoring. We're agile and fast growing, giving plenty of chances for you to grow in your role.

• Half price state of the art Gym access! (right next door) - you can wear your free PlaySide Swag!

• Social events! Including Games night, karaoke nights, Movie Nights (We hire out the cinema!), group activities  and food trucks! Just as some examples!

• Relocation allowance, if you move to one of our head offices

• The chance to work on some of the most exciting projects, with the most incredible companies in the world  - just take a look at our website

Email your application to jobs@playsidestudios.com.

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Your application should include your CV and any relevant portfolio links.
 

Only candidates successful will be contacted. Do keep an eye on our LinkedIn page and careers page to future roles.