Lead Designer

Posted Yesterday
Be an Early Applicant
San Mateo, CA, USA
Hybrid
128K-190K Annually
Expert/Leader
Gaming • Information Technology • Mobile • Software • Esports
2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment for video game consoles, personal computers, and mobile devices.
The Role
Leads a multiplayer game feature team by setting design objectives, managing and mentoring designers, defining sprint and milestone priorities, evaluating gameplay, and coordinating cross-functional execution. The role requires expertise in multiplayer systems, competitive PvP design, gameplay theory, feedback analysis, tradeoff management, Unreal Engine, and Blueprint visual scripting.
Summary Generated by Built In

WE ARE GAME MAKERS

Who We Are:

We are a diverse team of developers driven by a passion for our art, united by our core values and inspired by a culture of inclusivity to build amazing games that thrill players everywhere. We pursue growth and innovation in an environment of safety and trust. Our culture is built on the belief that the more varied voices in our collective will strengthen our team and our games.  We are looking for our next teammate who will raise our bar and make us better.

Who You Are:

We’re looking for a Lead Designer to join our team and help us shape the future of online multiplayer gaming. This role will be a key leader on one of our major gameplay pillars to lead the team on day-to-day work, where you will help the vision come to life, align the team around gameplay objectives and ensure how we design meets a high bar of rigor. You have proven expertise in leading mechanics and systems-based teams and features, developing people and building buy-in through strong working relationships across disciplines to bring things into reality. If you have a passion and drive to bring out the best in others, build teams and shepherd a great experience for players, we’d like to hear from you.

What You’ll Do:

  • Lead a feature team by setting scope, approach and design objectives that meet our overall game goals

  • Manage other designers by giving them support, growth and actionable feedback on both what they work on and how they work

  • Define and set sprint and milestone objectives for your team - including appropriate tradeoffs, costs, and the right areas of work to focus on

  • Evaluate and diagnose work to find improvements and opportunities for improvement - along with plans of how to get there

  • Work cross-functionally within and outside of your team to communicate and align on the work, tradeoffs and dependencies. Radiate changes across the organization

  • Maintain and enforce good executional standards and practices for scripting and design execution - including in-engine and documentation

What Will Make You a Great Fit:


  • 8+ years of professional game design experience, including at least 1 year managing, mentoring, and maintaining accountability for multiple designers within a feature team or area on a AAA development team.

  • Background in shaping and building a live-service game or major live-service systems from development through launch.

  • Proven experience designing and leading multiplayer features that touch multiple systems and need strong integration - such as game mode, characters, economy, progression, etc.

  • Theory-crafting skillset & past experience designing for depth and multiplayer gameplay.

  • Deep understanding of the various components (UI, Art, Engineering, Audio, VFX, etc.) to ensure gameplay is cohesive and integrated

  • Proactive approach that creates movement in the right direction

  • Capable of rapidly filtering large volumes of feedback into concrete and useful improvements

  • Adept at managing, articulating and advocating for effective tradeoffs 

  • Well-played in the multiplayer PvP / Competitive Space and able to deconstruct what works and why.

  • Capability to abstract designs outside of single solutions into patterns and models of player behavior; providing options and flexible design solutions 

  • Strong experience with Unreal Engine and Blueprint visual scripting; programming experience (C++, C#, etc.) is a plus.

The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $127,500 and $190,000 per year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations.

Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards and eligibility to participate in our 401(K) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program.

Regular, full-time employees are also eligible for a range of benefits at the Company, including: medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage; 14 paid holidays per calendar year; paid vacation time per calendar year (ranging from 15 to 25 days) or eligibility to participate in the Company’s discretionary time off program; up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year; paid parental and compassionate leave; wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support; family planning support through Maven; commuter benefits; and reimbursements for fitness-related expenses. Ontario only: The use of Artificial Intelligence is not being used to screen candidates. The position is for an existing vacancy.

#LI-Remote
#LI-Onsite
#LI-Hybrid

Skills Required

  • Experience managing, mentoring, and maintaining accountability for people within a feature set or area
  • Proven experience designing and leading multiplayer features spanning multiple integrated systems
  • Experience designing deep multiplayer gameplay and theory-crafting
  • Deep understanding of UI, art, engineering, audio, and VFX integration for cohesive gameplay
  • Ability to filter large volumes of feedback into concrete improvements
  • Ability to manage, articulate, and advocate for design tradeoffs
  • Experience with multiplayer PvP or competitive gaming
  • Ability to abstract designs into player-behavior patterns, models, and flexible solutions
  • Strong experience with Unreal Engine and Blueprint visual scripting
  • Programming experience in C++, C#, or similar languages

What the Team is Saying

2K Compensation & Benefits Highlights

  • Leave & Time Off Breadth U.S. role descriptions outline 14 paid holidays, substantial vacation or discretionary time off, up to 10 paid sick days, and paid parental and compassionate leave. These specifics are spelled out in job postings, with details varying by team and location.
  • Healthcare Strength Core coverage includes medical, dental, vision, basic life insurance, and telemedicine, alongside mental-health and wellbeing programs; some locations list carriers such as Cigna and Kaiser. Coverage is commonly characterized as solid even if not top-tier, with options differing by region.
  • Retirement Support A 401(k) plan is employer-verified and is frequently noted as including company matching. This sits within a broader savings framework supported by the parent company.

2K Insights

Am I A Good Fit?
beta
Get Personalized Job Insights.
Our AI-powered fit analysis compares your resume with a job listing so you know if your skills & experience align.

The Company
HQ: Novato, CA
4,200 Employees
Year Founded: 2005

What We Do

2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). Founded in 2005, 2K Games is a global video game company, publishing titles developed by some of the most influential game development studios in the world. Our studios responsible for developing 2K’s portfolio of world-class games across multiple platforms, include Visual Concepts, Firaxis, Hangar 13, CatDaddy, Cloud Chamber, 31st Union, and HB Studios. Our portfolio of titles is expanding due to our global strategic plan, building and acquiring exciting studios whose content continues to inspire all of us! 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including sports, shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, casual, and family entertainment. Our team of engineers, marketers, artists, writers, data scientists, producers, thinkers and doers, are the professional publishing stewards of our growing library of critically-acclaimed franchises such as NBA 2K, 2K PGA, Battleborn, BioShock, Borderlands, The Quarry, The Darkness, Mafia, Sid Meier’s Civilization, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, WWE 2K, and XCOM. At 2K, we pride ourselves on creating an inclusive work environment, which means encouraging our teams to Come as You Are and do your best work! We encourage ALL applicants to explore our global positions, even if they don’t meet every requirement for the role. If you're interested in the job and think you have what it takes to work at 2K, we encourage you to apply!

Why Work With Us

We pride ourselves on creating an inclusive work environment, which means encouraging our teams to Come as You Are and do your best work! We push ourselves creatively to do the best work of our careers. We’re direct, open, and you’ll probably meet some new best friends – along with their dogs – sitting nearby. In short, it’s kinda awesome.

Gallery

Gallery

2K Offices

Hybrid Workspace

Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.

We are a blend of onsite, hybrid, and remote roles. Please refer to individual job descriptions for more details on location.

Typical time on-site: Flexible
Company Office Image
HQ2K Novato
Gearbox Studio Montréal
Company Office Image
2K Austin
Hangar 13 Brighton
Hangar 13 Brno
2K Sports Lab
Firaxis Games Cary
2K Chengdu
Company Office Image
2K Dublin
Gearbox Studio Frisco
Cat Daddy Games
2K Vegas
2K LA
HB Studios
2K Madrid
Cloud Chamber Montréal
2K Czech
Gearbox Studio Québec
31st Union
2K Seattle
Firaxis Games Sparks
2K Valencia
Learn more

Similar Jobs

2K Logo 2K

Manager, Social Marketing

Gaming • Information Technology • Mobile • Software • Esports
Hybrid
Novato, CA, USA
4200 Employees
100K-148K Annually

2K Logo 2K

Associate Manager, Global Product Marketing, NBA

Gaming • Information Technology • Mobile • Software • Esports
Hybrid
Novato, CA, USA
4200 Employees
100K-137K Annually

2K Logo 2K

Analytics Engineer

Gaming • Information Technology • Mobile • Software • Esports
Hybrid
Novato, CA, USA
4200 Employees
109K-161K Annually

2K Logo 2K

Senior Manager, Global Product Marketing, NBA

Gaming • Information Technology • Mobile • Software • Esports
Hybrid
Novato, CA, USA
4200 Employees
109K-161K Annually

Sign up now Access later

Create Free Account

Please log in or sign up to report this job.

Create Free Account