External Game Designer

Futurlab Ltd; Kemp Town Estate; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Performance bonus

27 days annual leave (FTC)

Remote therapy

Pension

Job summary

FuturLab Ltd in the United Kingdom is seeking a Senior External Game Designer to guide the design of externally developed projects and mentor external partners. You will own design vision, set pillars, and ensure alignment with product goals across disciplines.

You will collaborate with internal teams, provide clear feedback, manage design input levels per project, and contribute to internal titles when needed. This 6-month FTC offers a competitive salary and a supportive studio culture.

Qualifications

• Experienced game designer with a strong eye for detail and a passion for unorthodox experiences.
• Employed as a Game Designer on at least one commercial game from conception to completion.
• Excellent understanding and working knowledge of the Unity game engine.
• Demonstrable level design experience and ability to provide detailed feedback.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain the design vision and quality of externally developed projects.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to align projects with product goals.
• Define design goals, pillars, principles, and requirements for each project.
• Provide clear verbal and written feedback throughout development.
• Assess and adjust level of hands-on involvement per project stage.
• Empower external teams to own design and meet high-level goals.
• Review design documentation and feature designs at implementation level.
• Work with external designers to solve design problems and optimize gameplay.

Skills

Unity engine expertise

Level design

Feedback delivery

Cross-disciplinary liaison

Game design

External collaboration

Tools

Unity

Job description

Working closely with the Design Director, the Senior External Game Designer will oversee the design of multiple projects that are primarily designed and created by external partners. Each project will require a different level of involvement with regards to the game's design. They will take ownership of all game design aspects of the projects and be confident and effective in providing direction to members of the external teams across all disciplines. The Senior External Game Designer will also assist on internal projects when necessary.

Core Responsibilities

• Own and maintain the design vision and quality of a portfolio of externally developed game projects.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to ensure each project is aligned with product, franchise and company goals.
• Define design goals, pillars, principles and requirements for each project.
• Identify and document the success criteria for each project.
• Forsee risks or issues with a game's design or feature before implementation and provide clear reports on these for review by internal stakeholders.
• Provide clear verbal and written feedback throughout the development of each project.
• Assess and provide the suitable level of hands‑on involvement for each project and each development stage within them.
• Empower the external teams to take ownership of the design as much as possible.
• Recognise and adapt when a project needs an adjustment to their level of design input.
• Review and feedback on design documentation, specifications and feature designs at an implementation level.
• Work with external designers to solve design problems and optimize the gameplay experience.
• Identify risks or gaps to the design and work with the external partners to resolve them, escalating to the Design Director if necessary.
• Regularly play and assess the projects and use feedback from internal playtest sessions to inform design decisions and improvements.
• Ensure external partners always understand and meet the high-level creative goals of the project.
• Assist with design work on internal projects when necessary.

Requirements

• We are looking for an experienced game designer with a strong eye for detail and a passion for creating unique unorthodox experiences to join our team on a 6-Month Fixed Term Contract.
• A passion for playing and creating games.
• Employed as a Game Designer on at least one commercial game from conception to completion.
• Excellent understanding and working knowledge of the Unity game engine.
• Demonstrable level design experience.
• Demonstrable experience in providing detailed verbal and written feedback for other designers' work.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a proven ability to liaise effectively with all game development disciplines.
• Deep understanding of game design and mechanics.

Salary and Benefits

• Competitive salary (dependent on experience)
• Performance related bonus.
• Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm (No weekends, No overtime, No Crunch!)
• 27 days of paid annual leave, including 21 standard days, 3 days over the Christmas closure, 2 discretionary 'Duvet Days,' 1 day to celebrate your birthday, plus all 8 UK bank holidays and an extra day off for our very own FuturLab bank holiday! (Pro-rated for FTC)
• Opportunities to attend and speak at gaming events/conferences.
• Free MS Game Pass or PS+ subscription
• Free game codes, game swag and merchandise.
• Bike2work scheme.
• Enhanced Maternity - 9 months full pay (statutory benefit topped up by FL)
• Paternity leave - 8 weeks full pay
• Enhanced Sick Pay.
• Enhanced Pension.
• Remote therapy service through Spill -8 x 50-minute virtual sessions over 6 months whenever you need them. Unlimited 'ask a therapist' text questions.
• Eye tests & standard glasses for display work.
• Amazing offices with a great culture.

Company Culture

FuturLab foster an inclusive and welcoming culture, check out the Life at FuturLab page (www.futurlab.co.uk/life-at-futurlab) for reasons why you'd love working here!