Head of Design

Radical Forge, a UK-based developer known for co-development and original IPs like 'Bright Paw' and 'Southfield', is seeking a Head of Design. This leadership role involves managing Lead Designers, fostering a psychologically safe culture, and ensuring design quality across all projects. The successful candidate will define game visions, work hands-on in engines, and collaborate with business development and executive leadership on future opportunities, bringing senior-level experience across diverse game genres.

Must Have

• Lead the Design department and manage Lead Designers
• Demonstrate emotional intelligence and contribute to psychological safety
• Collaborate with heads of other departments
• Take responsibility for design quality across all Radical Forge projects
• Define and communicate Game Vision across multi-discipline teams
• Stay hands-on in the engine and make things
• Work closely with Business Development and Executive leadership on future opportunities and pitch development
• Experience working closely with external partners/publishers
• Depth of experience at a senior level on multiple games of different genres
• Strong market awareness and interest in innovation and experimentation
• Take ownership of overall quality and delivery of Design aspects (3Cs & game feel, systems, features, & mechanics, narrative and genre)
• Set team priorities, assign tasks, and delegate work considering project priorities and individual growth
• Proactively collaborate with producer and team to create a realistic and achievable feature set
• Consistently create, update, and share key design information to support project teams across disciplines
• Line manage Lead designers to provide guidance, quality feedback, and support their progression
• Lead and/or support the development of pitch decks, prototypes, and RFPs
• Build strong relationships with external partners and publishers

Perks & Benefits

• Open & Honest communication about studio direction
• Flexible work hours with options for part-time or always working from home
• Private healthcare including a cash plan for dental, optical, physiotherapy
• First Fridays for group projects, self-directed learning, and research
• Two annual Duvet Days
• Extra holiday day for each year of service
• Optional yearly charity day
• Safe-haven for creativity with fairness, respect, and honesty
• LGBTQ+ and POC friendly, inclusive environment
• Partnership with Safe in Our World for mental health education
• Trained mental health first aiders
• Access to therapy and GPs through private healthcare

Our Mission

Radical Forge is a Middlesbrough, UK-based developer that has provided co-development services on a range of AAA and indie titles. In 2021 the company created their first original IP, 'Bright Paw', which was published on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One/Series S/X, Google and iOS by Rogue Games. We are currently working on our newest IP, Southfield, which you can look forward to playing soon!!

Since its beginnings in 2017, the company has grown to over 60 incredibly talented, collaborative, and creative individuals. We are the sum of our skills, passion, and, most of all, our people. We firmly believe that treating individuals with genuine respect, understanding, and kindness creates a welcoming culture that allows creativity to thrive and for individuals to join together to create games they are genuinely proud of.

Your Mission

Radical Forge is hiring a Head of Design to lead our Design department.

The role brings leadership of people and leadership of craft together. You will manage Lead Designers, demonstrate emotional intelligence and contribute to a culture of psychological safety to enable your team to flourish.

You will work collaboratively alongside the heads of other departments, take responsibility for design quality across all Radical Forge projects, including setting standards and supporting the department’s learning and development.

You will also have the opportunity to take a design leadership role on projects. This means you must be able to define a Game Vision, hold and communicate that vision across multi-discipline teams. Staying hands on in the engine and making things!

The Head of Design will work closely with Business Development and Executive leadership on future opportunities and pitch development.

We are seeking someone who has experience in working closely with external partners/publishers as well as a depth of experience at a senior level on multiple games of different genres, who has strong market awareness and is interested in innovation and experimentation.

The Head of Design will report to the COO.

Responsibilities

Design leadership - Take ownership of overall quality and delivery of all aspects of Design, including 3Cs & game feel, systems, features, & mechanics, narrative and genre. Owning and defining design deliverables, quality, and player experience - delegating appropriately to achieve outcomes.

Delivery of work -Set team priorities, assigning tasks and delegating work; taking into consideration project/product priorities and individual growth and development. Proactively collaborate with producer and team to create a realistic and achievable feature set.

To be a key communicator - Consistently create, update, and share key design information to support project teams across disciplines via documentation, presentations, talks and updates.

Leadership/people management - Act as a role model for Radical Forge behaviours and be a skillful leader of people and projects. Line manage Lead designers to provide guidance, quality feedback, and support their progression as well as the quality of design work across the organisation.

External stakeholder management and BD support - As directed, lead and/or support the development of pitch decks, prototypes, and RFPs. Build strong relationships with external partners and publishers.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Implementation within Unity & Unreal Engines
• Rapid design/paper design
• 3Cs and game feel
• Systems, Features, & Mechanics
• Adaptive, communication skills, written & spoken
• Version control (Perforce)
• Task management & delegation (Jira)
• Pitching
• Mentoring
• Team building and team leadership
• External stakeholder management/experienced working for external publishers
• Previously demonstrated the capability to work with external partners and publishers, effective stakeholder management skills, a proven understanding of the business development process and how design and production support this.
• Demonstrated the ability to lead design teams across multiple genres.
• Has depth of experience leading design through all phases of development, from prototyping, preproduction, production, launch and live service.

This role is fully remote within the UK.

We will require all applicants to have a pre-existing right to work in the UK.

Equal Opportunities Promise

All employment decisions are made without regard to race, colour, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status or veteran status. We will also consider employment for qualified applicants with criminal records in accordance with applicable law.

Department

Design

Locations

Remote within the UK

Remote status

Fully Remote

Number of open roles

1

KICK ASS BENEFITS

• ### Open & Honest

We keep our employees in the loop every month about where we are heading as a studio and what's going on behind the scenes.

• ### Flexible Working

We offer flexible work hours with the option to work from home part-time or always.

• ### Employee Health Benefits

We offer private healthcare, including a cash plan to help with day-to-day health costs such as dental, optical, physiotherapy, and more.

• ### First Fridays

Every first Friday of the month, everyone is free to work on group projects, self-directed learning, research games, and share what they've learned.

• ### Time to Yourself

Not feeling it this morning? Then, take one of your two annual Duvet Days. Plus, you get an extra holiday day for each year of service and an optional yearly charity day for everyone.

OUR CULTURE

We offer a safe-haven for your creativity, where you’ll be treated with fairness, respect and honesty. We take that shit really seriously. We’re transparent with all our staff about what we’re doing and where we’re going, and our leadership keep you in the loop.

We’re inclusive too. We’re devotedly LGBTQ+ and POC friendly, and we know the best teams are diverse ones where everyone feels accepted and supported.

Speaking of support, we’ve partnered with the mighty Safe in Our World to continuously educate our understanding of mental health so we can better serve our team. We also have trained mental health first aiders throughout the studio, and provide private healthcare that includes access to therapy and GPs.