Design Director

THE d3t STUDIO

d3t is at the cutting edge of technology and creativity, delivering co-development video game services to our global triple-A clients. Our successful studio is part of the Keywords Studios Group, and is continuing to grow as we work on multiple exciting projects at any one time offering plenty of variety and involvement.

Our studio is based near Runcorn in Cheshire, and we offer an amazingly professional, fun and supportive working environment. We are incredibly passionate about what we do and pride ourselves on our anti-crunch mentality, mentoring ethos and have been awarded ‘Best Places to Work’ multiple times by gamesindustry.biz including 2021 and 2022. In addition, we recently won ‘Best Creative Service Provider‘ at Develop 2022.

Projects that we have worked on include; Hogwarts Legacy, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Alan Wake Remastered, Mafia II: Definitive Edition, Assetto Corsa Competizione, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and more.

THE ROLE - Design Director

Our successful studio is continuing to grow and we are looking for a Design Director to join the expanding Design Team.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide clear, concise direction and guidance across all Design development at d3t, providing feedback in a timely manner.
• Share your passion for excellence, create inspiring design guides to clearly promote the quality standards we are aiming for and ensure that everyone is working in creative cohesion to meet these standards.
• Drive the vision forward by working alongside the design team, helping fulfil design tasks to inspire and guide the other Designers.
• Continually look for opportunities to innovate and improve the design quality on all projects.
• Take an active role in planning of project pitches and be comfortable dealing face to face with publishers and other clients to discuss working with them on their games.
• Help to build and raise the profile of the growing design team.
• Mentor Designers, providing support and nurturing to encourage their continued growth and helping to improve their skills and build their knowledge.
• Champion the principle of encouraging Designers to approach tasks from a design psychology perspective.
• Oversee and provide detailed feedback to multiple design disciplines including systems, levels, blueprints and others.

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• An impeccable eye for game quality, design excellence and a high attention to detail demonstrated through experience.
• Highly proficient in current Unreal.
• A confident design leader with excellent verbal and written communication skills. You will have the ability to articulate abstract ideas with clarity and conviction and provide clear feedback and guidance.
• Good understanding of essential design principles; player psychology, game balance, cognitive load etc.
• Able to creatively supervise and drive design work, directing Designers and leading by example.
• The Design Director needs to be agile, overseeing all Design teams and able to adapt to a variety of existing design approaches, whilst always pushing for excellence on every game title.
• With exceptional understanding of up-to-date game development technical processes, you will take a keen interest in latest technology workflows and advancements and have an interest in learning, evaluating and evangelizing appropriate usage of new software, tools and technologies.
• You will have good leadership skills, be a collaborative team player with 3+ years of game design leadership experience.
• You will have a calm, positive and professional attitude alongside excellent time-management and organisational skills.

BENEFITS AND PERKS

Just some of the many offered by d3t:

• 25 days holiday (+ bank holidays + up to 5 days extra for length of service)
• Company Pension Scheme
• Flexible working hours
• Private Medical Insurance Scheme (including dental) & Eye Care Scheme
• Employee Share Scheme
• Anti-crunch ethos – an amazingly professional, fun and supportive working environment!
• Income Protection
• Annual Bonus – be rewarded for great teamwork!
• Free Parking
• Tech and Bike Scheme
• Company Share Scheme
• Company Socials, Project Launch/Wrap Parties + Annual d3t Events
• Breakout Areas – filled with perks such as games, BBQ area, complimentary snacks to suit all dietary preferences etc.

We offer a flexible working policy – the Design Director role will ideally be hybrid or studio based at either d3t (Runcorn, Cheshire) or Coconut Lizard (Gateshead, Tyne & Wear).

Initial interviews will be help by video call with a second interview held potentially at the studio.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Not a problem – please apply. At d3t we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace and culture. If this opportunity excites you but your current skills or past experience don’t align perfectly with the job description, we encourage you to still apply. You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles within our team.

Apply Now

PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY

d3t is strongly committed to protecting your personal information. By sending your CV/Resume, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and consent to your data being managed and retained in accordance with our data privacy and retention policy.

We will keep your personal details on file for 6 months and they will not be kept longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it is being retained. If you prefer that your personal details are not retained then please advise.