Design Manager

Welcome to Striking Distance Studios!

Driven by people. Inspired by challenges. Relentless to deliver creative excellence.

At the intersection of art, design and technology lies Striking Distance Studios. We are a AAA development studio within the San Ramon Hills of the San Francisco Bay Area. With the release of our first title, The Callisto Protocol, we are excited to continue to grow our studio.

Here at Striking Distance Studios it is amazing people, an immersive experience and a passion for excellence that drives us each day. We are looking for people who push themselves creatively and learn with every new challenge. We give you the setting and the opportunity to do work you are proud of. We’re looking for the best to come join us and become part of a world-class team.

To us excellence is not a skill, but an attitude!

What we are looking for:

Striking Distance Studios is looking for a Design Manager to provide guidance and leadership to the design team. 

 Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with Directors, Leads and teammates to create vision that is innovative, strong, appropriate, fitting with IP, and implementable by the team
• Follow through and ensure that the project vision is reflected in all stages of design and implementation of game mechanics, systems, controls and the player experience 
• Inspire and energize the team, utilizing pillars, research, and references to lead them towards creative success
• Guide and support the game design team, defining the methods and strategies appropriate to the project and championing them
• Demonstrate pragmatism, weighing the ‘perfect vision’ against the realities of development and seeing your project through to completion
• Act as the visionary who makes sure the finished game fulfills team, studio and company goals
• Serve as a resource to designers and development staff assisting in the mediation and resolution of complex problems or leading larger projects.
• Act as a role model within their craft and be able to mentor other designers.
• Possess a highly advanced understanding of all game development disciplines and their inputs into the content pipeline. 

Qualifications: 

• 8+ years of Game Design experience
• Proven ability managing small to large teams
• Expertise working with UE4 or UE5
• Possesses a mastery of game design principles such as design theory and methodologies, environment, directing player experience, player behavior, choice and motivation, game progression and pacing, etc.
• Exceptionally deep knowledge of competitive products and trends. 
• Strong understanding of competitive game design elements and the correlation with player experience and satisfaction
• Exceptional ability to communicate design concepts effectively, verbally, in written format, or visually to other disciplines. 
• Experience overseeing the development and establishment of proposals and design goals for area(s) of responsibility. 

In California, the expected salary range for this position is $180,000-$215,000. The listed expected salary range represents a good faith estimate and the actual pay may depend on a variety of job-related factors that can include experience, education, skills, and location.

Striking Distance Studios provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Due to recent scams, our recruiters will only reach out to you via @sds.com, @krafton.com or @pubg.com. If you received an email and are unsure you can always email [email protected].