Studio Design Director

Company Description

Smoking Gun Interactive, a Keywords Studio, is an industry-leading game development studio founded in 2007 by award-winning industry veterans. SGI is fearless in creating IP and boldly partners with renowned brands to develop a wide range of world‑class, immersive titles and interactive experiences that resonate with strategy gamers worldwide and entertain millions of casual players every day.

As a passionate, experienced and visionary Studio Design Director with Smoking Gun Interactive (SGI), you’re a key leadership role responsible for setting the design direction of our gameplay experiences, championing design quality across all projects, and developing the design team’s talent and capabilities.

This is a permanent full‑time position based in our Downtown Vancouver office. Candidates must be currently located or willing to relocate to the Greater Vancouver Area with the expectation to be able to come into the office as needed and be eligible to work in Canada.

• Develop, communicate and champion the design vision for new and existing projects ensuring a consistent, player‑centered experience across all titles;
• Collaborate with Studio Management to deliver and drive a cohesive product vision;
• Work with leadership to ensure the vision is achievable within the project constraints;
• Generate and pitch new game ideas to external clients.
• Ideas must consider innovation vs reuse, scope/budget/schedule, commercial viability and target audiences.
• Represent the design perspective in studio planning, product pitches, and publisher/development partner meetings;
• Partner with Studio Head and recruiting to attract world‑class design talent;
• Work with Studio Management and leads to provide feedback and ensure consistency of the product vision among all aspects of design, art, audio, narrative, UI/UX, monetization and marketing;
• Provide high‑level oversight on all game design elements, including core mechanics, systems, level design, balance, and UX;
• Manage senior and lead designers, fostering professional development and ownership;
• Establish design principles and best practices that elevate gameplay, progression, narrative, and player engagement;
• Lead and participate in concepting, prototyping, and play testing new game features and mechanics;
• Evaluate and iterate on designs based on player feedback, telemetry, and design KPIs;
• Guide major design milestones from pre‑production through post‑launch live service.

• 10+ years of experience in a Design Leadership role on mobile, PC or console products;
• Shipped at least three titles of AAA quality in a Design Leadership role;
• Taken games all the way from initial concept to live operations;
• Deep understanding of game systems, level design, progression, player psychology;
• Expertise in both Premium and Freemium game mechanics, KPI's, and monetization strategies;
• Proven experience in pitching, landing and developing game ideas from conception to market;
• Strong ability to drive vision and communicate it across teams of varying disciplines;
• Experience managing and mentoring diverse design teams of all levels;
• Proficiency in modern game engines (e.g. Unreal Engine, Unity, proprietary) and collaborative tools (e.g. Jira, Confluence);
• Strong presentation and storytelling skills; able to pitch ideas clearly to internal and external stakeholders;
• Excellent critical thinking and problem‑solving skills;
• Ability to accept and provide direction, work well under pressure, and handle multiple tasks;
• A naturally self‑driven demeanor, taking initiative when needed – demonstrated ability to work independently;
• Willingness to push the envelope and innovate within game parameters;
• Experience with Word, Excel, Photoshop;
• A positive attitude and a great team‑player.

• Multi‑platform development experience (ideally, Mobile, PC and console);
• Familiarity with user research, player data analysis, and telemetry tools;
• Passion for innovation in gameplay, narrative systems, or player expression.

• 15 days vacation leave
• 5 paid days personal leave
• 7 paid sick days
• 5 paid parental…