Franchise Design Director

Join Creative Assembly and craft deep and detailed games that last, entertaining millions of players across the globe for decades.

Creative Assembly is looking for a Franchise Design Director who will be accountable for developing the expertise of the Total War design discipline, the design craft and methodologies, and the franchise design strategy. You'll oversee all aspects of the design teams across Total War: how we think about design, and how we deliver player value, excitement and joy. Player value is our principle that everything we make has to be worth our players' time, and you'll champion it in every design strategy.

You will take a long-term view of how we grow design expertise, grounded in player feedback and data-informed creativity.

On a day-to-day basis, you will:

Organising the discipline management structure to provide quality people management (hiring, onboarding, 1:1s, career development, clear communication and escalation paths, motivation, performance management, feedback, helping with project placement/allocation in collaboration with Resource Managers etc.)

Building a formal design capability pathway: a competency framework, career progression and an onboarding programme, so every designer has a clear route to expert level whichever discipline they came from

Owning the design hiring bar: role profiles, interview design and calibration, and building CA's reputation as a destination for world-class design talent

Design craft & methodologies (establishing and maintaining standards, continuous improvement process)

Collaborates with:

HR, Resource Managers

Product Team Leads (Producers
* and Product Owners), Discipline Team Leads

2. Support and
development of Project Creative Directors

Provides communication line between Franchise Leadership Team and Project teams on a frequent basis

Craft leadership and support: holding the agreed goals and direction, coaching Creative Directors on design craft, and adapting quickly when needed

Design Craft support

Collaborates with:

(Project Leadership) Producers & Creative Directors, (Stream Aligned Teams) Product Owners & sub-discipline leads

Franchise Leadership Team, Head of Product

3. General Franchise Design - Analysis & R&D

Exploration and analysis of the existing and evolving design of the Total War franchise

Create and maintain a franchise design vision and philosophy that matches our franchise vision.

Seeks opportunities and areas for improvement or advancement

Defining what Total War design is and turning it into teachable material the discipline can be formally trained against

Collaborates with:

Product, Brand & Player research

Use your experience to promote our company values and culture, keep the working environment positive and inclusive, provide mentoring and coaching, and build high-performing teams.

You will be responsible for the overall Design strategy

You'll work with your Franchise Leadership Team colleagues on the internal and external strategy for the design discipline and the wider business

Anticipate and solve problems, on your own and with senior leadership. Get clarity and decisions quickly, step in to build consensus, and agree a way forward.

Experience & Skills

Multiple shipped titles, including at least one shipped in a design leadership role (Lead, Principal, Design Director or equivalent)

A proven track record of growing designers. You've built and run structured development for a design team, whether that's competency frameworks, career progression, onboarding or mentoring, and you can show what changed as a result

Experience developing designers who came into design from other disciplines, and a clear view of how to build formal training that makes good instincts repeatable and teachable

A track record of raising a hiring bar: you have designed and calibrated interview processes for design roles and attracted senior design talent to a studio

Demonstrate a passion for all things game design and a keen interest in games development overall

You have broad knowledge of games across platforms and genres, and an ongoing desire to learn about the craft. You play everything

You have a strong…