Game Design 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
Not accepting applications on crossover.com at this time.
Description
Founders School is a new high school opening in New York City built around a bold commitment: students will produce $1 million in profit before they graduate, or their tuition will be refunded. Our vision, however, reaches well beyond a single location. We are creating the first business simulation game in which every significant advancement comes from mastering authentic entrepreneurial competencies—pricing strategy, marketing execution, team hiring, and operational management.
This is the founding leadership position that will define that vision. You will control the game's creative strategy, product roadmap, and development organization while collaborating directly with Founders School's senior leadership. Your mandate is to assess the concept we have developed, identify its weaknesses, and help refine a stronger vision before assembling and directing the team that executes it.
The challenge differs from anything in games or education today. You must design a simulation that players willingly engage with for ten consecutive hours while measurably improving their ability to operate a real company. Most games achieve entertainment. Most educational platforms fail to sustain engagement. We believe excellence in both dimensions is achievable, and we are seeking the person capable of demonstrating it.
You will also help establish how contemporary games are developed. AI should be integrated into every phase of your creative workflow—design iteration and systems balancing, rapid prototyping, content generation, playtest data analysis, and production pipeline optimization.
If you have always aspired to build the game that defines your legacy, this is that opportunity. If that prospect excites you, we want to hear from you.
What you will be doing
• Own and articulate the creative vision, core gameplay systems, and product strategy for a business simulation game that develops real entrepreneurial capabilities through genuinely compelling play.
• Recruit and lead a senior game development team, attracting outstanding talent and establishing a culture oriented toward rapid iteration and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with Founders School leadership, educators, and practicing entrepreneurs to convert real-world business fundamentals into engaging gameplay mechanics.
• Integrate AI across the entire development process to accelerate design iteration, systems balancing, prototype development, content production, and workflow optimization.
• Achieve concrete milestones, including delivery of a playable vertical slice within 12 months, validated teen playtesting outcomes, and a scalable architecture for additional simulation titles.
What you will NOT be doing
• Creating yet another derivative simulation game that relies on familiar formulas and produces negligible real-world value.
• Investing months in elaborate design documentation rather than delivering playable prototypes.
• Operating within a large studio environment where creative authority is diluted by bureaucratic approval processes.
• Viewing AI as a peripheral productivity enhancement rather than an integral component of your creative methodology.
• Developing educational software that players endure rather than games they authentically enjoy.
Key responsibilities
Direct the development of the world's most compelling business simulation game by assembling the team, articulating 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 authentic business competencies by completing substantive gameplay objectives.
• Initial playtests demonstrate 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, establishing a cadence of regular, high-quality releases.
• Within 12 months, you have deployed a closed beta with over 1,000 participants, attained 40%+ 30-day retention, and implemented a sustainable development rhythm capable of launching additional simulation experiences.
Candidate requirements
• Track record of shipping at least one commercially successful game that players authentically loved, preferably within a team of 10 people or fewer.
• Proven experience directing multidisciplinary game development initiatives from initial concept through public launch.
• Deep domain expertise in designing simulation, sandbox, systems-driven, strategy, or management game experiences.
• Active daily application of generative AI tools to enhance game design and development workflows, with ability to present concrete recent examples of AI integration in your practice.
• Enthusiasm for entrepreneurship and sincere conviction in the importance of building profitable ventures.
• Demonstrated leadership, communication, and talent acquisition capabilities.
• Commitment to working on-site in New York City.
• Authorization to work in the United States without visa sponsorship.
Nice to have
• Track record shipping sandbox, tycoon, builder, management, or simulation game titles.
• Experience developing products designed for audiences under 18 years old.
• Experience embedding education or skill acquisition into entertainment experiences.
• Experience collaborating with high-profile brands, content creators, or licensed properties.
• Demonstrated success scaling a game development team from early concept phase through successful market launch.
Applying for a role? Here’s what to expect.
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