Franchise Design Director

SussexDigital; Horsham; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Creative Assembly / SEGA in Horsham is recruiting for the role of Franchise Design Director. The Franchise Design Director will develop the Total War design discipline, craft and methods, and franchise design strategy.

You will oversee design leadership, hire and onboard, and turn franchise design into teachable material. You will work with Product, Brand and Player Research on analysis and development, guiding designers and aligning goals with the franchise vision.

Qualifications

• Experience shipping multiple titles with at least one design leadership role.
• Experience building competency frameworks, onboarding and progression.
• Experience mentoring designers and moving colleagues into design roles from other disciplines.
• Ability to set hiring standards and attract senior design talent.
• Strong knowledge of games and player motivation; ability to explain why a game works.
• Excellent written and collaborative communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage the design discipline structure, including people management, escalation, motivation and performance management.
• Build a formal design capability pathway with a competency framework, career progression and an onboarding programme.
• Own the design hiring bar through role profiles, interview design, calibration and attracting senior design talent.
• Support Project Creative Directors by keeping communication flowing between Franchise Leadership and project teams.
• Coach Creative Directors on design craft and keep goals and direction aligned.
• Review the Total War franchise design and develop a vision and philosophy that fits the franchise vision.
• Turn Total War design into material that can be formally trained against.
• Work with Product, Brand and Player Research on franchise design analysis and development.

Skills

People management

Competency framework

Hiring & onboarding

Design leadership

Coaching designers

Data-driven design

Game craft knowledge

Written communication

Job description

Creative Assembly / SEGA

Horsham

Creative Assembly / SEGA is recruiting for the role of Franchise Design Director. The Franchise Design Director will develop the Total War design discipline, craft and methods, and franchise design strategy. The role also supports project creative directors, shapes design standards, and turns franchise design into teachable material.

Role details

• Location: Horsham
• Job type: Full time

What you’ll do

• Manage the design discipline structure, including people management, communication, escalation, motivation and performance management.
• Build a formal design capability pathway with a competency framework, career progression and an onboarding programme.
• Own the design hiring bar through role profiles, interview design, calibration and attracting senior design talent.
• Support Project Creative Directors by keeping communication flowing between Franchise Leadership and project teams.
• Coach Creative Directors on design craft and keep goals and direction aligned.
• Review the Total War franchise design and develop a vision and philosophy that fits the franchise vision.
• Turn Total War design into material that can be formally trained against.
• Work with Product, Brand and Player Research on franchise design analysis and development.

What they’re looking for

• Have shipped multiple titles, including at least one in a design leadership role.
• Show experience growing designers through structured development such as competency frameworks, progression, onboarding or mentoring.
• Show experience developing designers who moved into design from other disciplines.
• Demonstrate experience raising the hiring bar for design roles and attracting senior design talent.
• Have broad knowledge of games and an ongoing desire to learn about game craft.
• Understand player motivation and what makes gamers tick.
• Work analytically and explain why a game works.
• Write clearly and succinctly, and communicate constructively in teamwork and problem solving.

Additional role information

• The role emphasises player value as a principle.
• You will work with the wider Franchise Leadership Team on internal and external design strategy.
• The role expects confidence working with data and spreadsheets.
• Desirable experience includes strategy titles, design tools, metrics, critical thinking training, formal design education and working with IP holders.