Head of Gameplay Development

chillbase; United Arab Emirates; Hybrid; AED 661,000 - 1,102,000; Full time

Job summary

ChillBase is seeking a Head of Gameplay Development in Dubai to own the technical direction of OneState's Gameplay Development and lead a 60+ strong team. You will define the gameplay vision, guide architectural decisions, and drive live product evolution for a large-scale mobile game built in Unity.

You will collaborate with Game, Production, Art, QA, and other teams to deliver on ambitious product goals, optimize performance, and scale systems while shaping engineering culture and processes

Qualifications

• 7+ years of game development experience with significant leadership
• Deep hands-on experience with Unity and Unity-based architecture
• Experience as Technical Director/Engineering Director or similar
• Experience leading large gameplay/engineering teams
• Proven experience developing and operating live games at scale
• Strong technical leadership, architecture, and people development skills
• Fluent in Russian

Responsibilities

• Lead the Gameplay Development function at OneState with 60+ specialists
• Own and evolve the technical vision for gameplay development with leadership
• Make architectural and technical decisions shaping long-term product evolution
• Improve quality, performance, and stability of gameplay systems
• Identify bottlenecks and manage technical debt while maintaining code quality
• Drive live product evolution including new features and optimization
• Ensure high-quality releases and predictable development
• Address performance, memory, networking, and other large-scale mobile game challenges
• Shape team structure, roles, and ownership as the department grows
• Establish engineering standards and culture
• Increase team autonomy and cross-team collaboration
• Collaborate with Game Design, Product, Art, QA to meet product goals
• Translate product/business requirements into scalable technical solutions
• Participate in roadmap planning, technical planning, and complexity estimation
• Identify and communicate technical risks and impacts

Skills

Unity

Leadership

Live games

Architecture decisions

Job description

Head of Gameplay Development

Department

Development

LOCATION

Dubai, Limassol

ChillBase is an independent game studio. We build only the products that truly excite us — and that's our core value. Our projects are already live and continue to grow rapidly.

OneState is a full-scale life simulation game for mobile, built in Unity and set in a realistic open world. We use advanced technologies and approaches, developing our own solutions in ECS, networking, physics, graphics, and more. Our team includes some of the most talented developers in the industry, working together to create a game of exceptional scale.

We're looking for a Head of Gameplay Development to own the technical direction of OneState's Gameplay Development function and lead a team of 60+ specialists.

You’ll set the technical vision for gameplay, make high-impact architectural decisions, and shape the team and engineering culture — with a direct influence on the future of the product.

Expectations

What you will be doing

• Lead the Gameplay Development function at OneState, overseeing a team of 60+ specialists
• Own and evolve the technical vision for gameplay development in partnership with Game and Production leadership
• Make key architectural and technical decisions that shape the long-term evolution of the product
• Drive improvements in the quality, performance, and stability of gameplay systems
• Identify and remove technical bottlenecks, while managing technical debt and maintaining high code quality
• Drive the technical evolution of OneState as a live product — from new features and large-scale systems to optimization, scalability, and stability
• Ensure high-quality releases and predictable development
• Address performance, memory, networking, and other technical challenges specific to a large-scale mobile game
• Shape the team structure, roles, and areas of ownership as the department grows
• Establish and strengthen engineering standards and culture
• Increase team autonomy and improve collaboration across development teams
• Work closely with Game Design, Product, Art, QA, and other functions to deliver product goals
• Translate product and business requirements into scalable technical solutions
• Contribute to roadmap planning, technical planning, and complexity estimation
• Identify and manage technical risks, ensuring clear communication of their potential impact on the product

What we want to see

• 7+ years of experience in game development, with significant experience in technical leadership
• Deep hands-on experience with Unity and a strong understanding of Unity-based architecture
• Previous experience as a Technical Director, Engineering Director, Lead, or in a comparable technical leadership role
• Experience leading large gameplay or engineering teams, including experienced technical leads
• Proven experience developing and operating live games at scale
• Strong technical expertise with the ability to make architecture and technology decisions at the level of an entire development function
• Strong understanding of performance, scalability, technical debt, and code quality
• Strong leadership and communication skills, with the ability to develop people, establish effective processes, and align technical direction with product and business goals
• Fluent Russian

Additionally, it would be great to have

• Experience working on mobile games
• Experience with MMO or multiplayer projects

What we offer

Growth And Development

Our project is actively growing, as is the team behind it. We invest in every specialist's development, regularly review salaries based on performance, and offer a promotion system that allows people to grow into more responsible roles.

Employee Care

Paid sick days with no salary loss, support during difficult life situations, minimal bureaucracy, and no processes for the sake of process.

Relocation support

This position requires a hybrid work format from one of our hubs in Tbilisi, Yerevan, Almaty, or Cyprus. If you decide to join the team, we will support the relocation process for both you and your family.

Employment Options

We provide a flexible setup including official employment in Kazakhstan, Cyprus and Dubai, as well as contractor agreements and other formats that suit you best.

Employment process

You apply for an open role via our careers portal. We carefully review your CV and any additional materials you provide.

If your experience matches our needs, we'll invite you for an initial conversation with a recruiter. It's a chance to get to know each other, talk about your motivation and expectations, and share more about the role and company.

You may be asked to take part in one or more technical interviews with the team. In some cases, we might also send you a test assignment to better understand your practical skills.

A closing conversation with a hiring manager or team lead. We'll discuss the outcomes of the previous stages, cover any remaining questions, and align on expectations.

If everything goes well — we'll extend a job offer. Once the details are confirmed, we'll guide you through the onboarding process and welcome you to the team.

Sounds cool