Senior Game Designer - Trading Card Systems Lead

Fanatics Collectibles; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Fanatics TCG is seeking a Senior Game Designer in Seattle to shape how the design team organizes and executes its work. You will own major systems and releases while establishing frameworks, documentation, review practices, and decision‑making processes that keep the team aligned.

This is a hands‑on senior role for a designer who can solve difficult design problems, guide others, and protect the long‑term health and consistency of the game.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional game design experience, including substantial work on trading card games, collectible card games, strategy games, or other systems‑driven titles.
• A record of owning complex game systems or major releases and carrying them from early design through production.
• Experience creating or improving design processes, documentation, and team practices that support high‑quality work at scale.
• Strong understanding of systems design, rules architecture, balance, game economies, metagame health, and long‑term content development.
• Ability to lead through influence, give clear feedback, and guide other designers without stepping away from hands‑on design work.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, sound design judgment, and comfort working across disciplines in a fast‑moving studio environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead set-level and mechanic design for major releases, including prototyping, playtesting, iteration, balance, and final design handoff
• Own the design and evolution of systems, rules, formats, and other major features from concept through implementation
• Establish clear design frameworks, documentation standards, review practices, and workflows that help the team make consistent decisions and execute across multiple releases
• Review design work, provide actionable feedback, and mentor other designers while remaining deeply involved in hands‑on design
• Partner with product, creative, development, and playtesting teams to resolve tradeoffs and maintain alignment from early concept through launch
• Identify systemic design risks, player‑experience concerns, and long‑term balance issues, then drive solutions informed by testing and player behavior

Skills

Trading card games

System design

Balance design

Mentor others

Communication

Job description

Fanatics TCG is seeking a Senior Game Designer in Seattle to shape how the design team organizes and executes its work. You will own major systems and releases while establishing frameworks, documentation, review practices, and decision‑making processes that keep the team aligned.

This is a hands‑on senior role for a designer who can solve difficult design problems, guide others, and protect the long‑term health and consistency of the game.