Associate Director, UI/UX

At Blizzard, we craft genre-defining games and legendary worlds for all to share.  Through unparalleled creativity and storytelling, we create immersive universes and iconic characters that are beloved across platforms, borders, backgrounds, and generations - only made possible by building a work environment that nurtures the artistry of game development and unleashes the aspirations of our people.

We are looking for an Associate UX Director to help us craft Blizzard’s next great game. As a key member of the development team, you will take ownership of building and leading a world-class UX/UI team, collaborating with cross-functional leadership, and shaping the overall design direction of our game. We are a team of passionate developers who value open-minded collaboration, direct feedback, and the eagerness to deliver an exceptional player experience.

This role is anticipated to be a hybrid work position, and the home studio for this role is Irvine, CA.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Vision: Define and drive the UX strategy for our game, aligning design goals with player needs.

• Team Building: Build a team of world-class UX/UI designers that can deliver a unified UX vision across the game.

• Leadership & Mentorship: Lead and mentor a team of UX/UI designers, providing guidance and fostering a collaborative, innovative environment.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with leadership across game design, development, art, and production to integrate user experience principles into all stages of game development.

• User Research: Work closely with user research to gather insights, identify pain points, and validate design decisions. Utilize data to inform and refine design strategies.

• Design Oversight: Review and provide feedback on UX design deliverables, ensuring they meet high standards of quality, consistency, and usability.

• Innovation: Stay current with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices to drive innovation in game UX design.

• Advocacy: Champion the importance of user experience within the company and advocate for user-centered design practices.

Qualifications:

• 12+ years of experience in UX design, with at least 4 years in a leadership or managerial role within the gaming industry or a related field.

• Proven ability to lead and inspire a team, manage multiple projects, and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to articulate design concepts and rationale to stakeholders.

• Exceptional ability to conceptualize, pitch, and implement game concepts using various tools, technology, and visual language.

• Expert understanding of hierarchy and layout design principles, UX process and usability design principles, and PC/console-specific design patterns.

Pluses:

• A strong portfolio showcasing a range of game design projects and UX solutions, demonstrating your ability to create engaging and user-friendly experiences.

• Proficiency in UX design tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD), wireframing, prototyping, and user research methodologies.

Your Platform

Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and StarCraft®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard, which was acquired by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment experiences. Blizzard Entertainment has created some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and genre-defining games over the last 30 years, with a track record that includes multiple Game of the Year awards. Blizzard Entertainment engages tens of millions of players around the world with titles available on PC via Battle.net®, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.

Our World

Activision Blizzard, Inc., is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™ and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!

Our ability to build immersive and innovative worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to accommodationrequests@activisionblizzard.com. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered! Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;

• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;

• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;

• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;

• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company. You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $155,500.00 - $287,876.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.