Design Director

We want you to #JOINTHEREBELLION!

For 30 years we’ve been independently developing and publishing incredible video games at our multiple studios founded by Jason & Chris Kingsley, but Rebellion is more than just games. We have our own film and mo-cap studio, we create board games, publish books, and through 2000AD, publish comics and graphic novels such as the amazing Judge Dredd.

We are seeking an experienced Design Director with exceptional leadership and people management skills to guide our talented team on an unannounced project. This role offers a fantastic opportunity to help shape the development right from the very start.

As Design Director you will be the vision holder for your project, responsible for ensuring consistency and timely delivery of high-quality design across all aspects of the game. Your role is to empower and support the Design Team in all facets of the design and development process to help drive and define a consistent creative vision for the game universe and gameplay experience. Your focus will be on identifying and communicating ongoing design strategy, risks, priorities, and regular updates to key stakeholders.

This role is based at our riverside headquarters in Oxford, offering a creative and relaxed atmosphere where teamwork drives our success. We can provide a relocation package, including moving assistance, temporary accommodation, and full support to ensure a smooth transition to your new environment.

Responsibilities:

• Act as a spokesperson for the Design Team by clearly communicating updates and gameplay demos to Head of Design and internal and external senior management stakeholders as required.
• Obtain and maintain buy-in from key stakeholders and the executive group throughout the project lifecycle, ensuring they are on board with the vision and scope of the game.
• Contribute to the delivery of the design department's and Rebellion’s short-term goals, long-term strategy, and initiatives by giving feedback, creating new ways of working, supporting recruitment, learning and development, and resource planning.
• Collaborate with other discipline directors and production leadership to design, maintain, and deliver on the agreed scope and schedules for the project.
• Influence project priorities and roadmap and facilitate execution of the project on schedule, in line with design direction.
• Support Lead Designers in developing fun, innovative, and memorable gameplay experiences; ensuring all aspects of design development consistently service the overall design brief, goals, game pillars, and brand requirements.
• Act as a project champion for Design, driving and supporting all aspects of the game Design including pre-production, planning, scheduling, reviews, problem-solving, and delivery of the final game.
• Verify the quality of design in the game, design documents, and prototype specifications, giving feedback and suggesting improvements where necessary.
• Expert knowledge of creating game design documents and prototype specifications.
• Excellent knowledge of the video game development process, including working in a timely manner, and prototyping/iterating appropriately.
• Expert knowledge of production pipelines.
• Understand the audience for the game, ensuring the game design serves the target audience.
• Exceptional communication and relationship skills to lead the project leads by example in all aspects of the strategy & execution in line with the overall business strategy.
• Excellent knowledge of all aspects of the games industry, competitors, and market environment.

We offer an extensive benefits package to our team including:

• 22 days holidays + Christmas closure (typically 4 days) & Bank holidays (increasing with service at 5 years – one day each year until you reach 31 days)
• Private Medical Insurance, healthcare cash plan, including dental and Vision
• Life Assurance, Income Protection & Critical Illness Cover
• Enhanced Family Leave
• Interest Free, Tax-Free loans
• Enhanced Pension Scheme
• EAP a range of Mental Health and Wellbeing Support
• Plus loads more… including a wide range of discounts, freebies, and social events!

Life at Our Oxford HQ

Our riverside headquarters in Oxford places you a short walk away from the city centre. Renowned for its rich historical backdrop and esteemed educational institutions, Oxford offers a unique blend of tradition and modernity, with its beautiful architecture and green spaces.

Oxford also boasts excellent transport links, making it easy to navigate both the city and the wider country. The city’s train station, just a short walk from our studio, offers frequent services to London, as well as direct routes to major cities like Birmingham, Manchester, and Reading.

Our open-plan office promotes teamwork and innovation, with regular interaction with senior management and other departments.

Inside Rebellion

Whichever team you join at Rebellion we are proud of our open, friendly, and creative atmosphere. We love what we do, and we have fun doing it! As a big indie developer, we have complete creative freedom over our titles which allows us to work on a massive variety of projects across all the major platforms.

We are actively recruiting for a diverse team and continue to add to our culture of growth and inclusion. Rebellion encourages innovation in all areas, and we look forward to hearing how you can help us to be better.

If you are interested in working at Rebellion, but this role doesn’t sound quite like you, we’re recruiting for a range of positions across the studio and we’re always happy to receive speculative applications via our website.