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Game Design Director

At Wizards of the Coast, we connect people around the world through play and imagination. From our genre defining games like Magic: The Gathering® and Dungeons & Dragons® to our growing multiverse, we continue to innovate and build new ways to foster friendship and connection. That’s where you come in!

Skeleton Key is a new game development studio and division of Wizards of the Coast. We are a group of industry veterans who are guided by the belief that empowering our teams and providing the proper time, tools, and support we can foster a creative culture where everyone can do their best work.

Our new studio will be located in Austin, TX, and we are looking for a passionate and dedicated Game Design Director to join us and drive the overall design vision and direction for this project.

Reporting to the Creative Director you will play a meaningful role as we concept and kick off pre-production. You'll work with the other team leaders to solidify the vision for the project. You will also build and manage a diverse team of designers to bring our shared vision to life.

What You'll Do:

• Spearhead the game design vision, collaborating with peers to cultivate awesomeness and business impact via a high quality, immersive, and engaging game.
• Drive end-to-end game design execution, from concepting to prototyping through finished product, setting priorities for the team and ensuring results align with broader product goals and schedule.
• Lead all aspects of implementation and execution of moment-to-moment gameplay, systems, and level design.
• Hire, manage, encourage, and nurture a complementary team of design professionals to be leaders in their craft and grow in their careers.
• Build positive relationships with internal teams and external partners by seeking shared success.

What You'll Bring:

• Extensive game design experience in video games with multiple shipped titles and including team leadership.
• Excellent understanding of the building blocks of video game design.
• Insight into the gaming preferences and motivations of gamers, coupled with a test-and-learn approach.
• Ability to communicate game mechanics in a way that is inspiring, creative, and elegant.
• Rapid iteration of ideas: eager to seek out new perspectives, absorb feedback, pare it back to its core, and then fuel even better ideas.
• Empowering and encouraging leadership with a diplomatic and collaborative approach and seeking diverse perspectives.
• Care about being excellent at your craft, helping others to succeed, and setting a strong example for what it means for Wizards to be an industry leader.
• Able to effectively work remotely, including managing people and process through the associated challenges.
• Willing to travel to meet with development partners.

We are an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer

The above is intended to describe the general content of and the requirements for satisfactory performance in this position. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of the duties, responsibilities, or requirements of the position.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.