Franchise Design Director: Design Mastery & Growth

HellaGoodAudio; Horsham; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work participation

Relocation package

Private medical and dental insurance

Wellbeing support

Job summary

Creative Assembly is seeking a Franchise Design Director to lead the Total War design discipline, craft the design craft and strategy, and grow world-class design talent. You will shape how we deliver player value, guide design leadership across projects, and align with product, research, and branding teams.

Hybrid working with studio presence, a strong track record in design leadership, and a passion for games across genres are essential.

Qualifications

• Multiple shipped titles, including at least one shipped in a design leadership role
• Proven track record of growing designers with structured development programs
• Experience developing designers who came from other disciplines with formal training
• A track record of raising the hiring bar and attracting senior design talent
• Passion for game design and broad knowledge of games and craft
• Strong understanding of player motivation and what makes gamers tick
• Craft as a practice—design as art and science with teachable methods
• Clear design philosophy and ability to explain it to teams
• Up-to-date with trends in the games industry and entertainment
• Ability to analyze and explain why games work across genres
• Interest in history, attention to detail, and quality
• Self-motivated, focused, and high-quality delivery
• Strong written and verbal communication; collaborative problem solving
• Ability to drive consensus and build bridges for best outcomes
• Accountability and evidence-driven leadership
• Comfort working with data and spreadsheets to interrogate design decisions

Responsibilities

• Design discipline management and establish a clear career progression and onboarding for designers
• Oversee and guide Project Creative Directors, coaching on design craft
• Lead general franchise design analysis and develop a franchise design vision
• Collaborate with HR, Product teams, and leadership to align strategy
• Promote CA values, foster positive inclusive environments, mentor high-performing teams
• Define and own the overall design strategy for the franchise
• Work with Franchise Leadership Team on internal and external design discipline strategy
• Anticipate problems, build consensus, and drive decisions quickly
• Promote cross-disciplinary collaboration with Product, Brand, and Player research

Skills

Shipped titles

Design leadership

Hiring & mentoring

Design frameworks

Franchise design

Data-driven design

Player motivation

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

C++

Python

VB

Tools

C++

Python

VB

Job description

Creative Assembly is seeking a Franchise Design Director to lead the Total War design discipline, craft the design craft and strategy, and grow world-class design talent. You will shape how we deliver player value, guide design leadership across projects, and align with product, research, and branding teams.

Hybrid working with studio presence, a strong track record in design leadership, and a passion for games across genres are essential.