# Lead Designer

**Company:** [Side](http://jobs.workable.com/companies/ryEW8icxs3mdwJYB31Ab5U.md)
**Location:** Remote
**Workplace:** remote
**Employment type:** Full-time
**Department:** CoDev

[Apply for this job](http://jobs.workable.com/view/23e0f8c5-8cc3-4265-b1ec-8553b9d1b0d7)

## Description

![](https://workablehr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/photos/302673/b4278d0ded10265affb06ed198a7366f.png)

At Side, we partner with some of the world's leading developers and publishers to solve complex production challenges and help bring exceptional games to life. From concept through live operations, our co-development teams work as trusted extensions of our clients' studios, contributing expertise across design, engineering, art, audio, QA, and production.[](https://apply.workable.com/sideinc/j/3A830A7E4F/)[](https://www.side.com/about/careers/)

We're looking for a **Design Lead** or **Design Director** to drive design excellence across a range of high-profile co-development projects. This role is suited to an experienced design leader who combines strong creative vision with hands-on development expertise and enjoys working directly with clients, multidisciplinary teams, and production stakeholders.

The ideal candidate will bring deep experience leading design teams on Unreal Engine projects, with a background spanning gameplay design, systems design, technical design, and level design. You'll be equally comfortable defining player experiences at a high level, prototyping and validating ideas, mentoring designers, and collaborating with engineering teams to ensure successful execution.

Whether you're currently a Lead Designer ready for a broader challenge or an established Design Director looking to work across multiple projects and genres, this is an opportunity to have a meaningful impact on both client outcomes and Side's growing co-development practice.

## Requirements

**What you will do:**

-   Lead the design vision and execution across co-development projects, acting as the primary design partner for both internal teams and client stakeholders.
-   Drive gameplay, systems, level, and technical design initiatives from concept through delivery.
-   Collaborate closely with engineering, art, production, and QA teams to create engaging, high-quality player experiences.
-   Provide creative leadership, mentorship, and feedback to designers across multiple disciplines.
-   Prototype, validate, and iterate on gameplay features, progression systems, level layouts, and player engagement mechanics.
-   Review and improve gameplay flow, combat encounters, boss experiences, and overall game balance, with a particular focus on FPS and action-oriented experiences.
-   Identify design risks early, solve complex production challenges, and ensure design quality is maintained throughout development.

**What we are looking for:**

-   Proven experience as a **Lead Designer, Principal Designer, or Design Director** on shipped commercial titles.
-   Deep expertise with **Unreal Engine** and a strong understanding of gameplay, systems, and level design.
-   Experience leading cross-functional teams and working directly with clients or external development partners.
-   Strong FPS design experience, with a track record of improving gameplay flow, combat encounters, progression, and player engagement.
-   Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and mentoring skills, with the ability to balance creative vision against production realities.

**Nice to have:**

-   Experience developing immersive VR experiences for Meta Quest, creating compelling first-person gameplay, and improving player engagement through level flow, encounter design, progression systems, and boss experiences.
-   Confident client-facing communicator, able to present design solutions, manage stakeholder expectations, and build trusted relationships with development partners.

## Benefits

-   Competitive Salary.
-   Dynamic, multicultural and fun environment.
-   You will be working for the world's leading provider of game services.
-   We empower our people and offer regular progression opportunities to ensure our employees flourish.

**About Side**   
_Side (formerly PTW) is a global video game development and services provider, offering technical and creative solutions to many of the largest developers and studios around the world. Founded in 2009 and drawing on 30+ years' experience from our parent company in Japan, Side has since grown to become a global force with 20 studios in 14 countries across North America, Europe, South America, and Asia._ 

_Our industry-leading services include game development, art production, audio production, quality assurance, localization, localization QA, player support, community management, and datasets._ 

_Experience our side of life. For more information, visit_ [_**www.side.inc**_](https://www.side.inc/)