Principal Systems Designer (Metagame) Unannouced Project

NaturalMotion; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mobile gaming company in the Greater London area is seeking an experienced Metagame Designer to oversee the development of engaging meta-features for a new mobile game. In this hybrid role, you will work closely with the development team, shape the game’s strategy, and help define its design. The ideal candidate will have experience in free-to-play games, live-ops environments, and the ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders, alongside a rich compensation package and numerous employee benefits.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Discretionary annual bonus

26 days holiday plus bank holidays

Fully paid maternity / adoption leave

Paternity leave

Pension plan

Private medical & dental insurance

Life insurance

Mental health support programs

Fitness reimbursement plan

Flexible working hours

Social events and parties

Qualifications

• Experience as a metagame designer in the free-to-play market, preferably from the mobile gaming industry.
• Design experience for a live-ops game with an understanding of key performance indicators and analytics.
• Ability to define data structures and tuning parameters in deep meta-systems.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the development team and stakeholders to shape roadmap strategy.
• Design and gain buy-in for major game systems aligning KPI and design goals.
• Present and communicate designs clearly to project leads and team members.
• Develop extensible, data-driven solutions for live-ops environments.

Skills

Metagame design

Data-driven solutions

Collaboration

Understanding of live-ops

KPI analysis

Communications skills

Job description

Who We Are

At NaturalMotion we make games that wow people. We innovate to create previously impossible experiences that would not exist without us. We take pride in making titles that reach a large audience and creating communities that last. Our commitment to excellence has earned us recognition as one of the UKs Best Places to Work in games for eight consecutive years and we were proud to be part of the Zynga and Take‑Two Interactive family.

Position Overview

We are looking for an experienced metagame designer to join us at NaturalMotion / Zynga to help build a new unannounced mobile free‑to‑play action game. As a Principal Systems / Metagame Designer you will oversee the development of meta‑features and systems that will excite and engage our players and help define the game’s design in close collaboration with the development team.

In this function you will be tasked with helping to design individual features as well as overseeing the harmonious integration of new systems within the existing framework of the game. Your experience on past projects will allow you to clearly articulate feature designs that are extensible, tunable and live‑ops ready. Finally as a Principal Metagame Designer you will support and guide other team members to develop a better understanding of metagame design expertise so that everyone can better understand the integration and impact of the design decisions you make.

We embrace a hybrid work environment. Within this role you will work 2 days per week in our London office and the remaining days at home.

What You’ll Do

• Working closely with the development team as well as product and analytics stakeholders to identify features that will support and grow the success of the game, helping shape roadmap strategy and prioritization.
• Creating design and getting buy‑in for major game systems that marry KPI and design goals while accounting for interactions with existing features and the game’s economy.
• Clearly present and communicate your designs to project leads and members of the development team.
• Developing extensible and data‑driven solutions that can be easily operated in a live‑ops environment.

What You Bring

• Experience as a metagame designer in the free‑to‑play market preferably from the mobile gaming industry.
• Experience designing for a live‑ops game with a strong understanding of key performance indicators and analytics.
• Experience in creating deep meta‑systems with the ability to define data‑structures and tuning parameters.
• Ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with stakeholders across multiple disciplines including the development team, analytics and product.

Bonus Points

• Working within a live‑ops environment; collaborating with analytics to understand user behaviour and react to live data.
• Experience working with action‑oriented mid‑core titles.

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 Opportunity

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 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 scam 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 email domain).

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