Head of Game Design

tombola

Lead creative vision and player experience across tombola's Game Studio portfolio focusing on innovative, engaging gaming experiences. Mentor a multidisciplinary team while ensuring compliance and entertainment quality.

Posted 5/16/2026full-timeSunderland • 🇬🇧 United KingdomLeadWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Help shape and deliver the Game Studio and Content strategies across the portfolio
Define the visual direction, gameplay mechanics and overall player experience of tombola games
Lead the development of innovative game concepts, themes and social features that differentiate the brand in the iGaming market
Explore and adopt emerging technologies, including Gen AI, to support and enhance the game design process
Ensure player journeys are intuitive, engaging and optimised across all platforms
Provide creative direction and support to the Art and Illustration teams
Ensure all visual assets meet high-quality standards and align with brand guidelines
Collaborate closely with the Game Engine team to balance gameplay mechanics, mathematics and creative execution
Support the design of social and community-led features that encourage long-term player engagement and retention
Champion a data-led design approach, using user testing and behavioural insights to refine player experiences
Ensure designs are accessible, inclusive and optimised for a mobile-first audience
Lead, mentor and develop a multidisciplinary creative team including Game Designers, Artists, UI Designers and Interaction Designers
Foster a culture of inclusion, creativity, collaboration, feedback and continuous improvement
Work closely with the Head of Game Production and Head of Technology to align creative direction with roadmap priorities and technical delivery
Act as a subject matter expert on game design trends and creative best practice
Present concepts, creative rationale and recommendations to senior stakeholders and external partners

Requirements

What you’ll need

Strong expertise in game mechanics, narrative design, UI/UX principles and creative production processes
Ability to translate high-level ideas into clear design specifications and creative briefs
Experience within the iGaming or wider games industry in game design-focused roles
Strong understanding of player behaviour and engagement, particularly within bingo and slots environments
Experience leading and developing creative teams within fast-paced environments
Commercial awareness with the ability to balance creative ambition alongside mathematical, regulatory and operational requirements
Experience using design and prototyping tools such as Adobe Creative Suite and Figma
Understanding of how design integrates into development workflows and tools such as Jira
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to present and advocate for creative vision effectively.

Benefits

Comp & perks

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Hard Skills & Tools

game mechanicsnarrative designUI/UX principlescreative production processesplayer behaviour analysisdesign specificationsprototypingdata-led designmobile-first designinclusive design

Soft Skills

leadershipmentoringcollaborationcreativitycommunicationstakeholder managementfeedbackcontinuous improvementcommercial awarenesscreative vision advocacy