Lead Designer

Jam City•Carlsbad, CA

4d•Remote

About The Position

As a leading mobile games developer, Jam City is looking to “level up” our talent. We’re searching for innovators who consider themselves dynamic, collaborative, and thrive in a fast-paced environment. Jam City is looking for an experienced Lead Designer to spearhead the development of an innovative new puzzle title. The ideal candidate is a seasoned professional who combines proven creative talent with strong leadership skills and a deep understanding of the mobile F2P market. As the Lead Puzzle Designer, you will be accountable for the overall quality, creative integrity, and market performance of titles within our puzzle division. Note: If you are not local to the greater San Diego Area, we are open to this role sitting remotely for the right candidate.

Requirements

A minimum of 8 years of professional game design experience, with at least 4 years focused specifically on the mobile Free-to-Play (F2P) market.
Demonstrable experience in a lead, principal, or equivalent senior design role, with a portfolio that includes multiple shipped, successful, and high-quality casual or puzzle titles for mobile platforms.
A proven track record of successfully managing, mentoring, and developing a team of game designers

Nice To Haves

Direct, hands-on experience working with major global entertainment IPs and navigating the requirements of external partnership is a critical requirement for this position.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary "vision keeper" for a new puzzle title, defining and championing a cohesive and compelling player experience from concept to live operations.
Consistently advocate for the player's needs to ensure all designs are intuitive, rewarding, and deeply engaging, in line with our core value of "Love The Player, Love The Game."
Expertly translate the core essence of world-renowned IPs into innovative puzzle mechanics, and authentic visual or narrative themes.
Architect and balance core game loops, innovative puzzle mechanics, and long-term progression systems designed to engage a massive F2P audience for years.
Collaborate with the technical team to develop world class editors and tools for rapid puzzle level creation and tuning.
Design and tune in-game economies, monetization features, and live-ops events with a player-centric approach.
Partner closely with product managers and data analysts to define KPIs, analyze player data, and leverage insights to iterate on and optimize game features for engagement and retention.
Develop and maintain comprehensive game design documentation, including detailed design briefs, system flowcharts, and feature specifications to ensure clarity and alignment.
Guide, inspire, and mentor a talented team of game designers, actively fostering their career growth and skill development.
Cultivate a positive, collaborative, and feedback-rich team dynamic that encourages creative expression and a strong sense of shared ownership.
Delegate day-to-day design tasks effectively, assigning clear ownership of game systems and features to empower team members and promote accountability.
Deliver clear, constructive, and actionable feedback on all design work to ensure alignment with the project's creative pillars and Jam City's high bar for quality.
Remain at the forefront of industry trends, competitive landscapes, and emerging best practices within the casual puzzle genre and the broader F2P mobile market.
Partner with production to align on project roadmaps, prioritize the feature backlog, and ensure project deadlines are met without compromising creative integrity or quality.