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Senior Game Designer - Star Wars

Zynga is proud to announce the opening of a brand-new game development studio in Austin, TX. The studio will partner with NaturalMotion, a Zynga-subsidiary, to develop a premiere mobile action game set in the Star Wars universe. The new Austin studio will collaborate closely with BossAlien, a division of NaturalMotion, and an award-winning games developer based out of Brighton, England.

If this sounds like you, we want to hear from you! Your passion and experience for building original games will be instrumental as we bring together a brand-new collective of developers to take on next-generation thinking and innovative products. As a studio leader, you will act as a key bridge in tight and effective collaboration with your UK-based counterparts.

This is a rare opportunity to play a part in the foundation of Zynga’s first action games studio in North America, and to make your mark on a brand-new franchise in the Star Wars universe and the future of mobile gaming.

About the position

The Senior Game Designer is a key owner of game features from conception to launch and beyond. They will help write documentation, solicit feedback, oversee implementation, tweak and tune values, and ensure successful delivery at quality of those features.

They are the partner of engineers, artists, and other implementers, and should work hand in hand with them to see their designers to completion. They are a passionate fan of action games, and understand what makes competitive games rather than good. They can communicate that passion to the rest of the team and pass their knowledge and enthusiasm for the genre along to others as an effective mentor and guide.

They can construct fun, engaging PvE and PvP content, and balance and tune it using playtest feedback, live game data, and their own instinct and experience as a game designer. They are deft at weaving narrative into the gameworld, both by writing copy for the game, and by understanding that narrative is as much visual and situational storytelling and systemic emergence as it is dialogue.

They are a proponent of designing through constant playtest and iteration, and are an evangelist for this process not only within the level design team, but across the entire studio.

This role reports to the Design Director in Austin, TX.

In this role, you will

• Take features from concept phase through successful implementation and launch, with minimal supervision.
• Own the playtesting process for large parts of our game, and exemplify our values of finding fun through playtesting.
• Partner with the team at large about the design for major features and systems, while aligning with the vision as defined by the Creative Director.
• Work closely with engineering and art on features and new editor functionality as necessary to execute the design vision for the game.
• Script and implement game systems in editor, and champion best practices across the design team.
• Make smart use of analytics and data to inform design, both in development as well as in a post-live context.
• Own major game areas from start to finish.
• Grow with the business; stretch yourself and learn new skills and domains.
• Have fun; we’re making games!

What we offer you:

• Competitive salary, bonus plan, Zynga RSU’s (Restricted Stock Units), ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Plan)
• 401K Company Match Contribution
• Medical, dental, vision, EAP, life insurance, and disability benefits
• Virtual mental health and neurodiversity support programs
• Family planning support program
• Generous paid maternity/parental leave
• Subsidized Back-up child care
• Discretionary Time Off policy for many employees
• Flexible working hours on many teams
• Culture of diversity and inclusion including employee resource groups
• Work with cool people and impact millions of daily players

Zynga is an equal opportunity employer. We are proud of our broad community; we do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, disability, or any other class or characteristic protected by applicable law. We welcome job-seekers, players, employees, and partners from all backgrounds. Join us!

We will consider all qualified job-seekers with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law.

Zynga is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need an accommodation during the interview process, please let us know