Design Manager

Eleventhhour; Dallas (TX); Remote; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative indie studio is seeking a Design Manager to lead a talented team in crafting engaging ARPG experiences. This role offers the opportunity to shape design strategies and mentor designers while collaborating with a fully remote team. You'll drive the design pipeline from concept to launch, ensuring high-quality standards and fostering creativity. With a commitment to open communication and a supportive environment, this position is perfect for someone who thrives on ownership and is passionate about creating epic games. Join a growing team dedicated to empowering the next generation of creators!

Benefits

Flexible fully remote working arrangements

20 vacation days

10 sick days

5 floating holidays

90% paid health coverage

Dental and Vision coverage

401K plan

Team focused environment

Casual game nights

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of ARPGs, specifically adapting to Last Epoch.
• Experience with team management practices and mentoring.

Responsibilities

• Lead team in defining development timeframes and project planning.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure successful product implementation.

Skills

Leadership in Game Design

Communication Skills

Project Management

Systems-based Action RPG Knowledge

Education

5+ years in Game Design

3+ years in Leadership Role

Tools

Clickup

Unity

Figma

Job description

What is your role?

As a Design Manager for Eleventh Hour Games, you will develop and implement successful design strategies by outlining how the design team will create the project’s deliverables. This will include partnering with discipline leads across design to ensure a well managed and staffed discipline, that your designers have well supported growth through mentoring and feedback, and that the team's execution meets or exceeds standards. You’ll also make significant contributions to wider Design Department processes and rituals.

This position will require a candidate with deep understanding of ARPGs, specifically adapting to Last Epoch. This role is ideal for someone who craves ownership and has strong communication skills, both written and verbal. The role requires excellent communication skills and autonomy as you will be working with a fully remote team.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of industry experience in a leadership role, 3+ years experience in Game Design focused role(s)
• Experience with management practices, including team member feedback and evaluation processes
  
• Professional experience and passion for leading teams and growing skills/mentoring individuals
  
• Professional experience with project management software (Clickup)
  
• Strong understanding of the Systems-based Action RPG Genre
• Experience working as a developer specifically in the gaming industry.
  

Pluses

• Demonstratable working experience with Unity or Game Engines, Figma (or other visual tools)
• Strong understanding of Last Epoch gained through extensive playtime
  
• Comfort with data analysis and other metrics to inform design decisions.
  

Responsibilities

• Leading your team to define development timeframes, dependencies, and areas of risk to be considered in project planning.
• Manage the design team through modeling, coaching, and caring to grow their skills and deliver maximum impact.
• Collaborate effectively with the producers, engineers, artists, and other key studio leads to determine project design specifications, system mechanics, and ensure successful product implementation and execution.
  
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams—including art, product management, and engineering—to craft resonant seasonal experiences throughout the year.
• Drive the end-to-end design pipeline from early concepting to post-launch iteration, ensuring a smooth and efficient workflow that meets high-quality standards.
• Work closely with the Design Producer to ensure game meets established art and design goal
• Contribute innovative and creative design ideas to systems and the game world.
  
• Utilize many types of feedback, including from the team, playtests, data analysis, and user research feedback to create clear actionable items that improve products and design processes.
  
• Guide and mentor a team of designers, setting clear goals, providing continuous feedback, and fostering an environment of creativity, innovation, and professional development while championing best practices and standards across projects.
• Ensuring design craft standards are upheld, contribute to Design Department processes and rituals, leveling up our approach to things like recruiting, performance assessment and knowledge sharing

Why Eleventh Hour Games?
EHG is a fast growing Indie Studio,focused on a passion for top-down action RPGs. We value open communication, close-knit teamwork, and opportunity for ownership and growth!Our missionis to gather and empower the next generation of creators to forge epic games. Epic games build passionate communities, which create passionate people. Passionate people turn into next year's creators.With our debut titleLast Epoch,we are moving fast into the next round of adventure!

• Flexible fully remote working arrangements
• Team focused environment, including casual game nights
• 20 vacation days, 10 sick days, 5 floating holidays at the start of each year for U.S. based employees(increased with company tenure)
• 90% paid health coverage premiums for U.S. based employees +dependents
• Dental, Vision for U.S. based employees + dependents
• 401K for U.S. based employees

EHG is committed to full inclusion, and is an equal opportunity employer. As part of this commitment, EHG will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please [e-mail] note, general employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here.