Simulation Game Director $400,000 USD/year Pay is set based on global value, not the local market.
Most roles = hourly rate x 40 hrs x 50 weeks
Description
Founders School is an unconventional high school opening in New York City built on a bold commitment: students will produce $1 million in profit by graduation, or their tuition will be refunded. Our vision, however, reaches well beyond one school. We are developing the first business simulation game in which every significant advancement is unlocked by learning authentic entrepreneurial competencies—pricing, marketing, hiring, and operations.
This is the founding leadership position responsible for realizing that vision. You will control the game's creative direction, product strategy, and development team, collaborating directly with Founders School's senior leadership. Your role is to evaluate the concept we have built, recognize what falls short, and refine a stronger vision before guiding the team that executes it.
The challenge is unmatched in both gaming and education. You must create a simulation that players genuinely choose to engage with for ten consecutive hours while measurably improving their ability to operate a real business. Most games excel at entertainment. Most educational platforms fail to sustain engagement. We believe both outcomes are achievable, and we are seeking the individual capable of demonstrating it.
You will also contribute to redefining how contemporary games are developed. AI should be integrated into every phase of your creative workflow—design exploration, balancing, prototyping, content generation, playtest analysis, and production.
If you have aspired to build the game that defines your legacy, this is that opportunity. If this resonates with you, we want to hear from you.
What you will be doing
• Establish and own the creative vision, gameplay systems, and product strategy for a business simulation game that imparts real entrepreneurial skills through authentically engaging gameplay.
• Recruit and manage a senior game development team, attracting top-tier talent and fostering a culture focused on rapid iteration and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with Founders School leadership, educators, and entrepreneurs to transform real-world business concepts into engaging gameplay mechanics.
• Integrate AI across the entire development cycle to expedite design, balancing, prototyping, content generation, and production processes.
• Achieve concrete milestones, including a playable vertical slice within 12 months, successful playtests with teenagers, and a scalable framework for future simulation titles.
What you will NOT be doing
• Creating another conventional simulation game with predictable mechanics and minimal real-world relevance.
• Investing months drafting design documentation rather than delivering playable prototypes.
• Operating within a large studio structure where creative decisions are delayed by multiple approval layers.
• Treating AI as an optional efficiency tool rather than an integral component of your creative methodology.
• Developing educational software that players endure rather than games they actively enjoy.
Key responsibilities
Lead the development of the world's most engaging business simulation game by assembling the team, establishing the vision, and shipping a product that transforms players into better entrepreneurs through gameplay.
Success in Your First Year
• Within 6 months, you have shipped a playable vertical slice in which players advance through real business competencies by completing substantive gameplay challenges.
• Initial playtests reveal that teenagers consistently characterize the game as enjoyable before realizing the depth of their learning.
• You have recruited and integrated the founding game development team, maintaining consistent, high-quality release cycles.
• Within 12 months, you have deployed a closed beta with over 1,000 players, secured 40%+ 30-day retention, and established a development rhythm capable of delivering new simulation experiences sustainably.
Candidate requirements
• Track record of shipping at least one commercially successful game that players authentically loved, preferably within a team of 10 or fewer.
• Proven experience directing multidisciplinary game development from initial concept through launch.
• Deep knowledge of designing simulation, sandbox, systems-driven, strategy, or management games.
• Daily practical application of generative AI tools to accelerate game design and development, with demonstrable recent examples of AI integration in your workflow.
• Enthusiasm for entrepreneurship and genuine conviction in the value of building profitable businesses.
• Strong leadership, communication, and talent acquisition capabilities.
• Willingness to work on-site in New York City.
• Authorized to work in the US without sponsorship.
Nice to have
• Track record of shipping sandbox, tycoon, builder, management, or simulation games.
• Experience designing products for audiences under 18.
• Experience embedding education or skill development within entertainment products.
• Experience collaborating with high-profile brands, creators, or licensed intellectual property.
• Demonstrated success scaling a game team from early concept through successful launch.
Applying for a role? Here’s what to expect.
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Prove real-world 
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Interview with the hiring manager.
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Accept job offer.
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