Design Director (MMORPG)

Location: Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom. Hybrid role with predominantly remote work available, but applicants must be based within a comfortable commuting distance or be willing to relocate to attend the office as required.

Company

hirify.global creates community-powered online games and is expanding the RuneScape universe through enduring worlds and connected experiences.

What you will do

• Translate the Creative Director’s vision into a coherent, scalable MMO experience.
• Own the overall design architecture across progression, combat, economy, content, social systems, endgame, and retention.
• Set design strategy, principles, frameworks, standards, and quality bars across the project.
• Lead and mentor Design Leads and senior designers while establishing clear ownership and decision-making.
• Partner with Creative, Production, Engineering, UX, Analytics, and other teams to ensure designs are achievable at scale.
• Use playtesting, telemetry, and player feedback to improve the experience and address economy, progression, content, exploit, and technical risks.

Requirements

• Substantial game design experience on MMOs or persistent online worlds, including at least one shipped MMO or major persistent online title.
• Senior design leadership experience as a Design Director, Lead Designer, Principal Designer, Game Director, or equivalent.
• Deep expertise in character progression, itemisation, economies, combat, encounters, social systems, endgame, and content models.
• Experience working on a live MMO or persistent online game with telemetry and community feedback to evaluate retention, economy health, and player behaviour.
• Strong understanding of MMO technical realities and experience with Unreal Engine or similarly complex AAA environments.
• Proven ability to lead and mentor a sizeable multidisciplinary design organisation and make decisions that protect the core game from uncontrolled complexity.

Nice to have

• Experience taking an MMO from pre-production through launch.
• Deep appreciation of RuneScape’s distinctive design principles and experience modernising established game systems.

Culture & Benefits

• Flexible working hours and predominantly remote work within commuting distance of the Cambridge office.
• Private healthcare, including a dental plan.
• Minimum 6% pension contributions and life insurance.
• Employee Assistance Programme and onsite counselling.
• 25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays, with the option to buy or sell holidays.
• Enhanced family leave policies from day one and a discretionary annual performance bonus.