Game Designer (Games Modes & OnlineServices)
Job Title: Game Designer (Games Modes & OnlineServices)
Team: Design
Location: Here East, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, E15 2GW
Position Overview
Sports Interactive is looking for a talented Game Designer (Games Modes & OnlineServices) to join the studio and work on the Football Manager franchise, as part of our Game Modesteam. You will be responsible for creating and guiding the latest feature designs for Football Manager projects, with a focus on existing and potential new game modes. Typical activities will include designing features, systems, content, and interfaces, informed by data and our Community team. You will join an ambitious and passionate team who care deeply about delivering an outstanding Football Manager experience for our players. The ideal candidate will be a dynamic, self‑motivated, and creative individual with a drive to connect with the community of players through engaging proposals and content. Great communication skills, solid design methodology and the ability to champion ideas from inception to live delivery at pace within a cross‑disciplinary team.
Key Responsibilities
* Design engaging features and content to support existing and potential new game modes.
* Champion design quality across all game modes, including multiplayer, challenges, leaderboards, and social systems.
* Collaborate closely with UI/UX, Narrative designers and the Community team on feature proposals and definition.
* Document features and systems through detailed and rigorous technical specifications to guide implementation from engineering teams.
* Present design proposals to stakeholders across Game Modesteam, Game Design and Game Direction, considering feedback from colleagues.
* Report on progress to the production team and Lead Game Designer.
* Propose key ideas and game improvements to production and design leads to help build a high‑quality live roadmap, considering community feedback.
* Champion the quality of the game through prototyping, playtesting and game reviews with cross‑disciplinary teams.
* Monitor player experience, engagement and retention through gameplay data.
* Implement content, tuned data and help balance systems directly in Unity when appropriate.
* Support the QA department to write detailed test plans for features.
Knowledge, Skills, and Experience
* Systems‑driven game designer with an appreciation for depth, replayability and simulation‑heavy topics.
* Strong understanding of online service principles, including retention loops, content cadence, and player lifecycle management.
* Experience looking at engagement data and translating insights into actionable update plans.
* Autonomous and dynamic, able to be a champion for gameplay quality in a dispersed team.
* Strong written and verbal communication skills for effective collaboration with UX/UI designers, software engineers, QA, artists, animators and producers.
* Passionate about both football and video game development.
* Familiar with Game and UX design best practices.
* Strong attention to detail and a methodical approach to design.
* Good knowledge of Football Manager.
* Experience working with modern game development tools and engines such as Unity or similar.
* Proficient with Excel and/or other systems‑driven tools.
* Experience contributing to finished high‑quality projects in the simulation or management genre (no matter the scale), and/or projects related to football.
* Computer science, game design or other relevant educational background would be beneficial.
Benefits of Working at Sports Interactive
* Private Healthcare and Dental Plans.
* A range of Gym Membership options through our Benefits partners.
* Travel Insurance for yourself and your family.
* Subsidised mental health, therapy, and coaching sessions are available.
* Access to our on‑site physical and massage therapist services.
* Free access to games released under the SEGA Europe umbrella.
* Contributory Pension Scheme (up to 7% of annual salary).
* Regular events in collaboration with our partnered football clubs.
* Free onsite evening bar in our London HQ.
* A well‑stocked breakfast bar with cereals, fruits, teas, and coffees.
* Multiple clubs and societies to join e.g., book club and art workshops.
* Your club’s shirt personalised upon passing probation.
* Trophies and gift cards for length of service milestones.
* Cupcakes delivered on your birthday.
We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from any relevant candidate irrespective of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion, or belief.
SI is proudly a Disability Confident Committed employer, and we are dedicated to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible. Our studio has disabled access and facilities but please ensure you advise us if you require any other reasonable adjustments to be made to support you during the recruitment process.
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