Head of Design

Housemarque; Helsinki; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Housemarque is seeking an experienced design leader to provide strategic leadership for our Design craft. You will shape how the design discipline grows, building the environment, structures and capabilities empowering designers to create genre-defining action experiences.

As a critical partner to Creative Directors and Game Directors, you will ensure our teams have the people, tools, processes and shared practices to bring ambitious visions to life, while growing and retaining top design talent

Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading and developing design teams within AAA, PC/Console game development environments.
• Proven track record coaching senior designers and design leads, building high-performing teams.
• Deep understanding of game design principles and contributions to high-level design discussions across multiple disciplines.
• Knowledge of modern game development pipelines, tools, engines and production workflows.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the long-term strategy for Housemarque's Design craft, ensuring the discipline evolves alongside the ambitions of our games and studio.
• Lead, coach and develop Design Leads and other senior design talent, building strong leadership capability and succession across the craft.
• Own the growth and health of the Design organisation, including hiring, onboarding, performance, career development and retention.
• Establish and evolve shared design principles, best practices and quality standards, creating a common language that enables designers to collaborate and make confident decisions.
• Champion the tools, workflows and processes that enable designers to work effectively, removing unnecessary friction and continuously improving how the craft operates.
• Partner with Creative Directors, Game Directors and Design leadership to understand the needs of our games and ensure the Design craft is equipped to realise their creative ambitions.
• Collaborate with other craft leaders to strengthen cross-disciplinary ways of working and build a highly collaborative studio environment.
• Represent Design in studio-level planning, balancing talent and resources across teams, projects and development phases.

Skills

Design leadership

People management

AAA game development

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Game design principles

Job description

OUR STUDIO

At Housemarque , we believe gameplay always comes first. With technical excellence and compelling narrative, spiced with our trademark neon flair and top-notch audiovisual feedback, we want our players to always feel actively engaged with the worlds we have created for them.

Our award-winning game Returnal, released on PS5 in 2021, and Saros, released in 2026, embrace all these qualities. THIS is our DNA!

We value Nordic work-life balance by growing sustainably and ensuring our employees have the time and means to develop personally and professionally during work time.

We were established in 1995 with strong roots in the Finnish demoscene . In June 2021 we joined the PlayStation Studios , after years of partnership.

The Job

Want to help shape the future of Design at Housemarque, the award-winning PlayStation studio behind Returnal and SAROS ?

We're looking for an experienced design leader to provide strategic leadership for Housemarque's Design craft. You'll shape how our design discipline grows and evolves, building the environment, structures and capabilities that enable exceptional designers to create genre-defining action experiences.

Working closely with Creative Directors, Game Directors and Design leadership, you'll ensure our teams have the people, tools, processes and shared practices they need to bring ambitious creative visions to life. While our project leaders set the creative direction for our games, you'll focus on building a world-class Design craft capable of delivering against that ambition.

You'll have an impact across the entire studio: developing our design leaders, growing and retaining exceptional talent, evolving how our designers work together, and defining a long-term strategy for the discipline as Housemarque continues to evolve.

What you will do

• Define and drive the long-term strategy for Housemarque's Design craft, ensuring the discipline evolves alongside the ambitions of our games and studio.
• Lead, coach and develop Design Leads and other senior design talent, building strong leadership capability and succession across the craft.
• Own the growth and health of the Design organisation, including hiring, onboarding, performance, career development and retention.
• Establish and evolve shared design principles, best practices and quality standards, creating a common language that enables designers to collaborate and make confident decisions.
• Champion the tools, workflows and processes that enable designers to work effectively, removing unnecessary friction and continuously improving how the craft operates.
• Partner with Creative Directors, Game Directors and Design leadership to understand the needs of our games and ensure the Design craft is equipped to realise their creative ambitions.
• Collaborate with other craft leaders to strengthen cross-disciplinary ways of working and build a highly collaborative studio environment.
• Represent Design in studio-level planning, balancing talent and resources across teams, projects and development phases.

Who you are

• You have extensive experience leading and developing design teams within AAA, PC / Console game development environments.
• You are an experienced people leader with a strong track record of coaching senior designers and Design Leads, building high-performing teams and developing future leaders.
• You have a deep understanding of game design principles and can contribute meaningfully to high-level design discussions across multiple design disciplines.
• You understand modern game development pipelines, tools, engines and production workflows, and how Design works effectively alongside Art, Code, Production and other disciplines.
• You can think beyond the needs of an individual project, translating studio ambitions into a clear long-term strategy for the Design discipline.
• You know how to balance creative ambition with production realities and can help teams navigate complexity, ambiguity and competing priorities.
• You are a highly collaborative and empathetic communicator who builds trust across disciplines and levels of seniority.
• You influence through expertise, judgement and the quality of your thinking, creating alignment rather than relying on hierarchy.

Bonus points

• Experience leading a Design discipline across multiple projects, teams or development phases.
• Experience scaling or transforming a Design organisation, including establishing career frameworks, craft standards or new ways of working.
• Experience working on high-quality action, action-adventure or systems-driven games.
• Experience within a first-party studio or another environment involving significant cross-studio collaboration.

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Equal Opportunity Statement

Housemarque is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to a culture of inclusion and mutual respect for all employees from every walk of life, reflecting the community we make games for. We welcome and encourage applications from all suitable candidates regardless of age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race and ethnicity, religion or belief, and marriage and civil partnerships. We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees and embrace diversity.