Lead Game Designer, NYT Games

9 Months ago • 7-7 Years • $140,000 PA - $165,000 PA

Job Summary

Job Description

Lead Game Designer for NYT Games, must have 7+ years experience designing digital games, shipped mobile games with social features, proven leadership in game design.
Must have:
  • Digital Game Design
  • Mobile Game Shipping
  • Social Game Features
  • Leadership in Design
Good to have:
  • Core Loop Design
  • Metagame System Design
  • User Research Methods
  • Data & Research
Perks:
  • Remote Work Option
  • Competitive Compensation

Job Details

About the job

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world-renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for.

Mission Overview & Responsibilities

The New York Times is looking for a Lead Game Designer for the NYT Games portfolio. You will partner with multiple departments to design puzzle games and game systems that delight audiences and further our creative and business goals.

At NYT Games, we aim to be the premier destination for digital puzzle games, and we publish human-made puzzles daily, including beloved games like Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections, and the New York Times Crossword. Our games are played by tens of millions each week.

The Games team is based in New York City, but we are open to remote candidates.

As a Lead Game Designer, you are a trusted leader who influences the growth of those around you. You’ll collaborate with team members from other disciplines to identify and improve critical aspects of our game experience across iOS, Android, and web platforms. Partnering with UX/UI designers and researchers, you'll uncover player challenges and use these findings to inform your design decisions. You’ll also work with engineering partners to ensure the quality of shipped features.

This is an individual contributor role focused on proactive collaboration and communication to achieve team goals. You will guide and deliver high-quality game design and features, seeing them through the release cycle and ensuring they meet team goals. You will be a standard-bearer for quality and a trusted partner who influences the growth of those around you.

NYT Games is not a traditional gaming company. We are excited by proactive, consumer-first leaders who leverage their industry experience, pattern-matching, and ability to steer project direction. While prior games/puzzles industry experience is required, you must also uphold essential NYT values like trust, curiosity, and empathy, recognizing that independent journalism is core to everything we do.

Responsibilities

  • Design and document systems and requirements for new games, and features (including metagame features) for existing games.
  • Articulate and communicate a consistent vision for game design goals, and keep the Games mission and partnering sub-teams aligned with that vision.
  • Be accountable for engagement and retention goals.
  • Design holistically and with the broader NYT Games aesthetic and style in mind.
  • Use multiple visualization tools to express design concepts, engagement systems, retention mechanics, such that teams can align behind the designs and build.
  • Map out rough flows and interactions, which Product Design can turn into assets for testing and implementation.
  • Develop tuning goals for main systems, and follow development through to validate tuning assumptions.
  • Work with Data and Research to validate designs and instincts, and iterate toward solutions.
  • Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.
  • You will report to the Product Design Director of Games

Basic Qualifications

  • 7+ years of experience as a digital game designer or in an adjacent role.
  • Have shipped at least one mobile game with social features that has had commercial success.
  • 7+ years experience leading and communicating a motivating vision, unifying diverse perspectives towards common goals, maintaining team focus on important priorities.
  • Proficiency in multiple digital design and collaboration tools (ex: Figma and Miro,).

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience designing core loops and metagame systems.
  • Proficiency in communicating game design philosophy for developing games and features.
  • Experience with the digital games market.
  • Enthusiasm for word and puzzle games.
  • Understanding of data and qualitative research to inform product and design decisions.
  • Have run lightweight user research methodologies to uncover user insights.

REQ-016800

LI-Remote

The annual base pay range for this role is between:

$140,000 — $165,000 USD

The New York Times is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce, one that reflects the varied global community we serve. Our journalism and the products we build in the service of that journalism greatly benefit from a range of perspectives, which can only come from diversity of all types, across our ranks, at all levels of the organization. Achieving true diversity and inclusion is the right thing to do. It is also the smart thing for our business. So we strongly encourage women, veterans, people with disabilities, people of color and gender nonconforming candidates to apply.

The New York Times Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of an individual's sex, age, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or affectional preference, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, carrier status, citizenship, veteran or military status and other personal characteristics protected by law. All applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to legally protected characteristics. The New York Times Company will provide reasonable accommodations as required by applicable federal, state, and/or local laws. Individuals seeking an accommodation for the application or interview process should email reasonable.accommodations@nytimes.com . Emails sent for unrelated issues, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response.

The Company will further consider qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable "Fair Chance" laws.

The New York Times Company follows the pay transparency and non-discrimination provisions outlined by the United States Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Click here for details.

For information about The New York Times' privacy practices for job applicants click here .

Please beware of fraudulent job postings. Scammers may post fraudulent job opportunities, and they may even make fraudulent employment offers. This is done by bad actors to collect personal information and money from victims. All legitimate job opportunities from The New York Times will be accessible through The New York Times careers site . The New York Times will not ask job applicants for financial information or for payment, and will not refer you to a third party to do so. You should never send money to anyone who suggests they can provide employment with The New York Times.

If you see a fake or fraudulent job posting, or if you suspect you have received a fraudulent offer, you can report it to The New York Times at security@nytimes.com . You can also file a report with the Federal Trade Commission or your state attorney general .

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