About this role
**Job Description: Design Director**
As the Design Director, you will be responsible for shaping and driving the design vision and direction for the game in development, ensuring alignment with the overarching product and creative vision. You will communicate the design vision to Play Designers, UX Designers, and Monetization Designers on the team, aiding in the coordination of their work to ensure the delivery of high-quality design and maximize the potential of the design team. You will oversee the Design team, providing support in their daily tasks, coaching designers in their craft, and occasionally stepping in to perform design tasks as needed. The Design Director must maintain a holistic and visionary perspective, anticipating how the game or product may evolve in the future, applying deep knowledge and understanding of player interactions with the product, and championing the kids' perspective.
The Design Director ensures that all design elements and features align with the overarching product vision and creative vision, meeting player expectations for the overall gaming experience.
**Key Responsibilities:**
- **Design Direction & Narrative Development:**
In alignment with the overall creative direction provided by the Creative Director, drive the Design Direction of the game experience and ensure that the narrative development ties into the overarching narrative direction of the Toca Boca brand and universe. As a member of the Product Leadership Team, contribute creative ideas and design direction that support the long-term strategy and roadmap for the game from a player needs perspective.
- **Develop & Communicate the Overarching Design Vision:**
Convey the Design Vision to designers and inspire them. Facilitate regular design meetings to foster an open and collaborative design culture, enabling the design team to fully understand the overall product vision for the game.
- **Creative Leadership:**
Lead and inspire a multidisciplinary team of Level Designers, UX Designers, Game Play Designers, Narrative Designers, and Monetization Designers, as well as other creative professionals. Ensure that the design vision is successfully executed throughout the development process, working closely with the Creative Director and Art Director to maintain harmony among all design aspects of the project.
- **Directors & Leads Coordination:**
Collaborate with other directors and leads to identify issues and align on solutions and improvements, facilitating transparent work and information flow.
- **Player-Centric Focus:**
Maintain a strong focus on player experience, emotional needs of the target audience, trends, and relevance, providing feedback to the team throughout the development process. Iterate and refine design elements based on playtesting and player feedback.
- **Cross-Functional Collaboration:**
Work with the Product Leadership Team (Tech Director, Lead Producer, Product Manager, Product Marketing Manager, Art Director, Creative Director) and other stakeholders to ensure alignment of design priorities, deliveries, and quality with technical feasibility and project timelines. Collaborate closely with Studio Creative Leaders to ensure that the design direction and execution of brand activations align with the overarching goals for the Toca Boca Brand and Ecosystem.
- **Innovation & Creativity:**
Foster a culture that prioritizes the kids' perspective, ensuring that the team considers how children perceive our work. Stay updated on kids’ culture, trends, and behaviors to understand their needs and how we can meet them in a fun and inspiring way. Promote a culture of innovation, collaboration, curiosity, and a passion for high-quality work that prioritizes the kids' perspective.
- **Generating New Game Concepts:**
Initiate new game projects in the coming years, managing the initial concept design work and prototyping.
**Qualifications & Experience:**
In summary, the ideal candidate will possess a combination of creative expertise, leadership skills, communication skills, industry knowledge, and an understanding of kids.
- Several years of proven experience in design lead positions.
- Creative expertise with the ability to think creatively, generate original ideas, and critique and guide the work of team members.
- Stakeholder management skills, with the ability to present and articulate ideas or creative concepts tailored to different audiences and situations.
- Leadership and management skills, capable of delegating tasks, providing guidance and support, and fostering a collaborative and innovative team culture.
- Strong communication skills, with the confidence to assert and defend a creative point of view.
- Knowledge of creative industry trends and best practices, with the ability to apply them to your work.
- A team player who can collaborate across functions and lead alongside others.
- Fluency in spoken and written English.
**About Us:**
Play is in our DNA. At Toca Boca, we create playful, safe spaces where kids can have fun and feel free to be themselves. Over 60 million kids from around the world play our games every month. Are you in? Let’s play.
**Good to Know:**
This position is full-time and based in our Stockholm studio with a hybrid working model (part office, part remote). We have a 6-month probationary period. You will need to be located in Sweden, as we are unable to support relocation. As an international company with over 20 nationalities and millions of users worldwide