About the Role
Lead Game Designer, Yahoo Games
locations
United States of America
Full time
Yahoo serves as a trusted guide for hundreds of millions of people globally, helping them achieve their goals online through our portfolio of iconic products. For advertisers, Yahoo Advertising offers omnichannel solutions and powerful data to engage with our brands and deliver results.
A Little About Us
Yahoo is a global media and tech company that connects people to their passions. We reach nearly 900M people around the world, bringing them closer to what they love — from finance and sports, to shopping, gaming and news — with the trusted products, content and tech that fuel their day. For partners, we provide a full-stack platform for businesses to amplify growth and drive more meaningful connections across advertising, search and media
At Yahoo News, we are laser-focused on making discovery delightful and becoming the world’s best curator for our 35 million daily users and expanding our distribution to meet millions more users where they are. Building the best guide to the Internet (and the world) requires building the best team.
A lot about you!
We’re on the hunt for a visionary Lead Game Designer to lead the evolution of Yahoo Games! As a Lead Game Designer, you’ll collaborate with internal and external teams, user experience researchers, marketers, and stakeholders to conceptualize, prototype, and deliver innovative game experiences to our massive Yahoo audience.
With deep expertise in online and mobile game design—including core mechanics, system design, and the development process—you’ll craft gameplay that captivates and delights players. From brainstorming and playtesting to documentation and guiding development, you’ll ensure every experience meets the highest standards of quality and engagement.
We’re seeking a passionate, innovative, and collaborative individual who thrives on creating compelling experiences for mass-market audiences. You’ll inspire excitement in both players and your team, rolling up your sleeves to make big ideas happen.
Sound like you? Keep reading!
Your Day at Yahoo
- Collaborate with production disciplines, product management, and stakeholders to bring ideas to life.
- Own all design tasks for new and live games at a senior, hands-on level.
- Propose, design, and document game concepts that drive key performance indicators (KPIs).
- Partner with leadership to define the game and feature development roadmap.
- Analyze competitors, benchmark best practices, and identify emerging trends.
- Design and iterate game features, live operations, and events to boost engagement, retention, and monetization.
- Create and own fun, engaging in-game content and events across the portfolio.
- Ensure the design vision is communicated and maintained from concept to release.
- Apply qualitative and quantitative feedback in collaboration with Product Management to optimize game performance.
- Mentor and oversee tasks assigned to less experienced team members.
- Surface and manage design risks throughout development cycles.
- Develop clear and comprehensive game design documentation for features and content.
- Advocate for the player, approaching design with a player-first mindset.
- Leverage your professional network to source talent and production resources when needed.
- Perform other tasks as required.
You Must Have
- 10+ years of game development experience, with at least 5 years in game design leadership roles.
- A proven track record of delivering successful games and game features.
- Deep understanding of game design across genres (casual to core) and diverse audience types.
- Experience leading design initiatives from ideation to launch, driving cross-functional teams to deliver exceptional results.
- Expertise in user-centered design, agile development, and data-driven decision-making.
- Strong problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
- A proactive, self-motivated approach with a passion for innovation and attention to detail.
- Deep knowledge of the gaming landscape across platforms (web, mobile, console) and emerging trends.
- Experience with project management and production methodologies, including Agile/Scrum.
- A positive attitude, strong work ethic, and core values of honesty, integrity, and creativity.