Lead Game Designer - Games
Netflix
Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services, with over 300 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.
Who We Are
From games on TV to mobile and web, Next Games is a Netflix first-party studio that develops approachable games to entertain a diverse, global audience.
We design games that Netflix members can enjoy every day as part of their subscription. Our games released on Netflix to date include TV games Boggle Party, Pictionary Game Night, Party Crashers: Fool Your Friends, and Underwatermelon, as well as Netflix Puzzled, available on mobile devices and on tudum.com.
We proudly combine our Finnish game development culture with Netflix's global entertainment culture, embracing the strengths of both and empowering our talented and diverse teams to deliver their best work yet.
The Role
As a Lead Game Designer at Next Games, you'll be instrumental in delivering on the game's vision, translating concepts into captivating and highly engaging designs. Your proactive approach will drive innovation, ensuring fresh and compelling gameplay experiences while taking ownership of key design elements and providing leadership within the team. Mentoring designers will be integral as you foster craft excellence and a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring accessibility in both gameplay and design processes and creating an inclusive and immersive experience for all players.
Responsibilities
- Collaborating closely with the Game Director to ensure the game vision achieves its full potential
- Leading, inspiring, and mentoring fellow designers and team members, drawing on your expertise
- Designing, planning, and implementing game mechanics, systems, and content
- Fine-tuning features using live game metrics and user experience testing
- Collaborating with experienced colleagues, user experience, sound, narrative, and other disciplines to enhance the game's performance based on key performance indicators
- Developing comprehensive design documentation covering gameplay mechanics, guidelines, game loops, and player progression
- Creating concepts and prototypes, actively participating in planning and analyzing tests
- Communicating the vision and design intentions with IP holders and Executive Leadership
Skills and Experience:
- Worked on and shipped multiple titles as the Lead Designer
- Experience in taking a game from ideation through to live operations
- Strong passion for games and excellent analytical and communication skills
- Has an understanding of player motivations and audience profiles, and the ability to align these with mechanics and systems
- Experience working with external partners and curating design work
- Strong skills in communicating with Stakeholders, including IP and Executives at all levels.
Preferred Skills and Experience
- Extensive commercial experience with a successful track record of shipping multiple titles in a Design role
- Experience in designing cooperative and/or competitive social game mechanics
- Experience with Liveops, including content and systems
The Team
You’ll be joining a new game team with people from different backgrounds. We seek a candidate who works primarily from our Helsinki office alongside the game lead. We value transparent communication, proactive problem-solving, and an enthusiasm for crafting accessible experiences.
We aim high here at Next Games and will ask you to do the same. In exchange, you’ll be part of a team that is great to work with, dedicated, and passionate about what we do.
We look for what each person brings to our collective skillset, culture, and values to make them richer. Will you be the person to make us better?
Apply now.
Inclusion is a Netflix value and we strive to host a meaningful interview experience for all candidates. If you want an accommodation/adjustment for a disability or any other reason during the hiring process, please send a request to your recruiting partner.
We are an equal-opportunity employer and celebrate diversity, recognizing that diversity builds stronger teams. We approach diversity and inclusion seriously and thoughtfully. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, caste, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic makeup, marital status, or military service.