Lead Designer

PlaySide Studios, Ltd; City of Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid days off

Docklands studio

Parental leave

Employee assistance

Mentoring

Social events

Job summary

PlaySide Studios is seeking a Lead Designer for its External Projects division. You will drive project vision, champion engagement, and lead a team of designers across development phases, while aligning client and studio goals.

The role supports in-studio or remote work and places emphasis on collaboration and data-informed design. The position requires strong ideation, deep game design knowledge, and a proven track record in managing complex projects within a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Proven experience with ideation for new projects.
• Excellent understanding of game design principles with multiple years of experience as a game designer.
• Well-rounded understanding of the game development process and ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Experience in AI and/or Agentic pipelines.
• Strong client relationship building skills.
• VR/XR and/or Mobile experience would be a plus.

Responsibilities

• Manage design workflows across one or more projects, championing collaborative ideation, validation, iteration, and effective decision making.
• Devise and drive project vision that aligns with business goals, client goals, scope constraints, and market expectations.
• Lead a team of generalist and specialist designers across all development phases, ensuring quality outcomes in pre-production, production, and live-ops.
• Drive collaboration and communications across all team levels and disciplines, ensuring buy-in and alignment from clients and internal stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities to utilize data for game tuning and inform design decisions, making recommendations based on risk, scope, and value.
• Oversee prototyping, ensure regular feedback, and support the pitching of new ideas within the studio's framework.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, growth, and multidisciplinary partnership within the design team.
• This role can be in studio or remote.

Skills

Ideation

Game design

Stakeholder alignment

Team leadership

VR/XR experience

Mobile games

Client relations

AI pipelines

Job description

PlaySide Studios is a dynamic and innovative company that employs individuals across Australia, New Zealand and the UK. As Australia's largest publicly listed independent video game developer, PlaySide is committed to delivering cutting-edge interactive experiences across mobile, VR, AR, and PC platforms. With a diverse portfolio of more than 60 titles and collaborations with industry giants like Netflix and Activision Blizzard, working at PlaySide is not just a job but an opportunity to be part of innovating the gaming industry.

Overview:

A Lead Designer in PlaySide's External Projects division is a creative force that drives project vision, champions engagement, and forms collaborative processes - delivering meaningful experiences for both players and clients. They are someone who can discover and refine fun, lasting gameplay through iterative process. They are able to align stakeholders towards impactful features that resonate regardless of platform, ensuring our products not only exceed client requirements but also player expectations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage design workflows across one or more projects, championing collaborative ideation, validation, iteration, and effective decision making.
• Devise and drive project vision that aligns with business goals, client goals, scope constraints, and market expectations.
• Lead a team of generalist and specialist designers across all development phases, ensuring quality outcomes during pre-production, production, and live-ops.
• Drive collaboration and communications across all team levels and disciplines, ensuring buy-in and alignment from clients and internal stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities to utilize data for game tuning and inform design decisions, making recommendations based on risk, scope, and value.
• Oversee prototyping, ensure regular feedback, and support the pitching of new ideas within the studio's framework.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, growth, and multidisciplinary partnership within the design team.
• This role can be in studio or remote.

Required Skills and/or Qualifications:

• Proven experience with ideation for new projects
• Excellent understanding of game design principles with multiple years of experience as a game designer
• Well-rounded understanding of the game development process and ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Experience in Ai and/ or Agentic pipelines
• Strong client relationship building skills
• VR/ XR and or Mobile experience would be a plus but not essential

Bonus Points!

• Being versatile in working around client requests in a challenging environment
• Experience in client pitching process

What we offer here at PlaySide:

• Playdays - an additional 5 paid days off per year to do something you love.
• Incredible studio based in Docklands , right next to the city and many public transport options.
• Industry-leading Parental Leave benefits.
• Employee Assistance Program to support mental well-being.
• Mentoring opportunities to help you grow in your role.
• Social events including Games night, karaoke nights, Movie Nights (We hire out the cinema!), group activities, and food trucks! Just as some examples!