Design Director / Creative Lead

At Rovio you will get to work with multiple groundbreaking IP’s including one of the most famous game IP’s in the world: Angry Birds! We craft joy with player-focused gaming experiences that last for decades. In order to do that, we know that people need to bring their own joy to what we do. That’s why we value work-life balance, say no to crunch culture, and welcome people from all walks of life to join the flock. Today, we are a proud team of 500+ caring and talented professionals representing over 50 different nations.

We trust our teams to work autonomously by providing them the right tools and level of responsibility. We believe in our teams to remain creative and to keep learning – as well as ensuring everyone has opportunities for personal growth.

We’re looking for a Design Director who will primarily act as a Creative Lead on a new casual game and also lead Game Design Craft in Puzzle studio. We expect that you share our passion to take puzzle gaming to the next level by providing deeper gameplay experiences.

As a Creative Lead you will:

• Work together with Game Lead to challenge each other to raise the thinking of the game vision to new heights and support each other with shared common goals to drive a unified vision, but each with their own area of ownership
• Own and drive the game’s creative vision which includes concept, gameplay, story, characters and functionality
• Lead the designers team and continuously challenge the way of thinking and facilitate new practices
• Lead by example when needed by executing ideation, design, documentation and iteration
• Work with other Craft Leads to ensure the game vision is being executed as intended
• Collaborate with UA and PMM to ensure that the promise of creative strategy is effective and aligned with the game strategy.

As a Director of Game Design Craft you will:

• Assist Senior Director (Studio Craft lead) with guiding the department. This includes studio initiatives, cross-team and cross-studio sharing, hiring, and overall development of the department
• Actively develop Game Design Craft to build an environment that maximizes people’s growth and potential
• Lead and mentor game designers in the studio to guide their career and craft growth
• Have a voice in our local industry, and attend and participate in local meetings.

Experience and skills we are looking for:

• Extensive experience and knowledge as a Lead Designer on several casual mobile free to play titles
• Strong expertise in players’ motivation, engagement, retention and monetization
• Understanding of all game design aspects, e.g., systems, economy, narrative, levels, social
• Experience owning the game vision from ideation to LiveOps
• Experience guiding a team through the creative process to ensure a single vision and a high quality execution
• Ability to challenge status quo and encourage game team to reach excellence across the whole game

Recruitment process:

• First meeting: You will meet the TA Partner to get acquainted and learn more about Rovio and the specifics of the role.
• Call with a Hiring manager: We will dive deeper into your skills and background, and also discuss what motivates you.
• Craft interview: You will meet potential peers to delve deeper into domain knowledge.
• Final rounds: You will be invited to meet the Game lead and team members. Our aim is to get a clear overview of your skills, how you would fit with our working culture, your ambitions, and where we can help each other develop.

#LI-Hybrid

Rovio’s Puzzle Studio has their sights set on becoming the most successful casual puzzle game studio in the world. Exploring new and emerging trends in puzzle games, the studio has built a deep understanding of the puzzle genre and its players since its founding in 2014. The studio has introduced innovations in puzzle game core with the free-flowing Angry Birds Dream Blast, several match 3 games such as Angry Birds Match and Small Town Murders as well as slingshot games like Angry Birds Friends and a great newcomer Angry Birds Journey. With their games, Puzzle Studio aims to create a true emotional connection that stays with players even when they’re not playing.

We welcome applicants to use the name they want to be addressed by in the application form, regardless of whether it is their legal name.