Associate Game Designer - Racing

Zynga; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A global interactive entertainment leader in Greater London is seeking a Junior Designer for their Racing team. The position involves designing in-game events, balancing features, and collaborating with other designers. Ideal candidates will have a passion for problem-solving, a keen interest in gaming, and a proactive attitude. The role includes a hybrid work environment, with 3 days in the London office and 2 days remote. Competitive benefits are offered including a salary, bonus scheme, and generous leave policies.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Discretionary annual bonus

26 days holiday plus bank holidays

Private medical and dental insurance

Flexible working hours

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Fitness reimbursement plan

Qualifications

• Eager to solve problems related to game design.
• Interested in games and technology, staying updated on trends.
• Strong willingness to learn and adapt.

Responsibilities

• Design new game features and balance existing ones.
• Collaborate with teams to create engaging live content.
• Document design ideas and communicate them effectively.

Skills

Problem-solving

Interest in gaming

Self-motivation

Emotional intelligence

Tools

Unity

C#

Python

Google Sheets

Excel

Job description

Level Up Your Career with Zynga!

At Zynga, we bring people together through the power of play. As a global leader in interactive entertainment and a proud label of Take-Two Interactive, our games have been downloaded over 6 billion times—connecting players in 175+ countries through fun, strategy, and a little friendly competition.

From thrilling casino spins to epic strategy battles, mind-bending puzzles, and social word challenges, our diverse game portfolio has something for everyone. Fan-favorites and latest hits include FarmVille™, Words With Friends™, Zynga Poker™, Game of Thrones Slots Casino™, Wizard of Oz Slots™, Hit it Rich! Slots™, Wonka Slots™, Top Eleven™, Toon Blast™, Empires & Puzzles™, Merge Dragons!™, CSR Racing™, Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells™, Match Factory™, and Color Block Jam™—plus many more!

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in California, our teams span North America, Europe, and Asia, working together to craft unforgettable gaming experiences. Whether you're spinning, strategizing, matching, or competing, Zynga is where fun meets innovation—and where you can take your career to the next level.

Join us and be part of the play!

Our Racing business is responsible for the CSR Racing franchise, including the #1 racing game on mobile, CSR2 and the groundbreaking next installment, CSR3. We are one of the most ambitious, successful, and creatively inclusive studio groups in the world. Based across two locations – London and Bangalore - the team loves welcoming diverse, humble, straightforward and ambitious talent, aspiring for award-winning excellence. People who want to find a place where they will be supported and encouraged to do the best work of their career.

We embrace a hybrid work environment. Within this role you will work 3 days per week in our London office and the remaining days at home.

Position Overview:

We are seeking a Junior Designer to join our Racing team to design and implement in-game events and other live content, balance cars, and even create and design their own features for the rapidly evolving landscape of our Racing portfolio. You are smart, adaptable and flourish under pressure, with a proficiency and appetite for solving problems with speed and accuracy.

As a member of the Racing Design team, you will closely collaborate with other disciplines to create and implement new features and functionality, and work with other designers to evolve and implement the ongoing vision for the game.

What You'll Do:

• Design & Balancing: Come up with new game feature ideas, and iterate and improve on existing features and systems.
• Content Creation: Work with the Live Ops and Design Teams to help plan out and author
• content that will go live in the game. This can include events, multiplayer competitions, and rewards.
• Documentation & Communication: As a Junior Designer you will be required to explain your designs and ideas in documents that give a clear vision and detailed plan for how they will work in game. This can take the form of text, flow diagrams, tables and mockups – whatever you feel will help you to convey your thoughts.
• Playtesting: A big part of the role will be having an in-depth knowledge of how both the live game and the in-development features work and are being experienced by our players. You will be required to organise and take part in helping your peers to test, iterate and improve features in the game

What You Bring:

• Eager to solve problems
• Interested and engaged with games and technology and up to date on the latest industry trends
• Incredibly self-motivated and willing to learn
• A fascination with design principles and their application in everyday life
• Strong emotional intelligence and a willingness to understand other cultures and perspectives

Bonus Points:

The following skills are appreciated but not required; you might not possess these currently, but instead demonstrate a strong interest in developing and understanding them.

• An understanding and deep appreciation of game design, how games work and why design decisions were made
• A keen communicator and a good command of written language
• Experience and knowledge of game engines such as Unity
• Knowledge of scripting languages such as C#, Python or JSON
• Good knowledge of Google Sheets, Excel, and other office suite software
• An interest in cars and car culture

What We Offer You:

• Competitive salary and discretionary annual bonus scheme
• 26 days holiday, plus bank holidays & 2 paid personal days
• 6 months fully paid maternity/adoption leave and 16 weeks fully paid paternity leave (eligibility criteria applies)
• Pension plan, with a double matching employer contribution
• Private medical & dental insurance and healthcare cash plan
• Life insurance, personal accident insurance and income protection
• Mental health and neurodiversity support programs
• Company Employee Stock Purchase Plan (eligibility criteria applies)
• Fitness reimbursement plan, worth £600 per annum
• Flexible working hours
• Weekly happy hours, seasonal parties and monthly social events
• Annual rail season ticket advance and cycle to work scheme

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, which means we are committed to creating and celebrating diverse thoughts, cultures, and backgrounds throughout our organization. Employment with us is based on substantive ability, objective qualifications, and work ethic – not an individual’s race, creed, color, religion, sex or gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, alienage or citizenship status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, status as a victim of domestic violence or sex offenses, reproductive health decision, or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to providing the necessary support and accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities, health conditions, or impairments (subject to any local qualifying requirements) to ensure their full participation in the job application or interview process. Please contact us at [e-mail] to request any accommodations or for support related to your application for an open position.

Please be aware that Zynga does not conduct job interviews or make job offers over third-party messaging apps such as Telegram, WhatsApp, or others. Zynga also does not engage in any financial exchanges during the recruitment or onboarding process, and will never ask a candidate for their personal or financial information over an app or other unofficial chat channel. Any attempt to do so may be the result of a scamp or phishing attack, and you should not engage. Zynga’s in-house recruitment team will only contact individuals through their official Company email addresses (i.e., via a zynga.com, naturalmotion.com, smallgiantgames.com, themavens.com, gram.gs email domain).