About The Position
FuturLab is seeking an experienced game designer with a strong eye for detail and a passion for creating unique, unorthodox experiences. The Senior External Game Designer will oversee the design of multiple projects primarily designed and created by external partners, working closely with the Design Director. The level of involvement will vary by project. The role owns the game design aspects of those projects and provides direction to external team members across disciplines. It may also support internal projects when necessary. The position is a six-month fixed-term contract and is UK-only, with remote or hybrid working based in the Brighton context.
Requirements
- Passion for playing and creating games.
- Employment as a Game Designer on at least one commercial game from conception to completion.
- Excellent understanding of and working knowledge of the Unity game engine.
- Demonstrable level design experience.
- Demonstrable experience providing detailed verbal and written feedback on other designers' work.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and proven ability to liaise effectively with all game development disciplines.
- Deep understanding of game design and mechanics.
Responsibilities
- Own and maintain the design vision and quality of a portfolio of externally developed game projects.
- Collaborate with internal stakeholders to align projects with product, franchise, and company goals.
- Define design goals, pillars, principles, and requirements for each project.
- Identify and document project success criteria.
- Anticipate design risks or issues before implementation and report them clearly for internal stakeholder review.
- Provide clear verbal and written feedback throughout project development.
- Determine the appropriate level of hands-on involvement for each project and development stage.
- Empower external teams to take as much ownership of design as possible, and adapt the level of design input when needed.
- Review and provide feedback on design documentation, specifications, and feature designs at implementation level.
- Work with external designers to solve design problems and optimize the gameplay experience.
- Identify design risks or gaps and work with external partners to address them, escalating to the Design Director when necessary.
- Regularly play and assess projects and use internal playtest feedback to inform design decisions and improvements.
- Ensure external partners understand and meet each project's high-level creative goals.
- Assist with design work on internal projects when necessary.
Benefits
- Competitive salary, dependent on experience.
- Performance-related bonus.
- Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm; no weekends, overtime, or crunch.
- 27 days of paid annual leave, including standard days, Christmas closure days, discretionary Duvet Days, a birthday day, UK bank holidays, and a FuturLab bank holiday; pro-rated for the fixed-term contract.
- Opportunities to attend and speak at gaming events and conferences.
- Free MS Game Pass or PS+ subscription.
- Free game codes, game swag, and merchandise.
- Bike2work scheme.
- Enhanced maternity leave: nine months full pay, including statutory benefit top-up.
- Paternity leave: eight weeks full pay.
- Enhanced sick pay.
- Enhanced pension.
- Remote therapy service through Spill, including eight 50-minute virtual sessions over six months and unlimited text questions to a therapist.
- Eye tests and standard glasses for display work.
- Amazing offices and a great culture.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
