11 bit studios is currently seeking an experienced and visionary Lead Designer to join its development team in Warsaw for an unannounced game project. This leadership role is ideal for a highly skilled design professional who can guide gameplay direction, mentor team members, and translate creative vision into production-ready systems.
The selected candidate will collaborate closely with Directors and cross-disciplinary leads to define gameplay pillars, ensure alignment across departments, and maintain high-quality design standards throughout development. This position is suited for individuals who enjoy balancing creative ownership, team leadership, and technical coordination within the dynamic environment of indie and AA-scale game production.
As a Lead Designer, you will help shape foundational gameplay systems, support story and combat direction, and ensure that production decisions remain aligned with the overall vision of the project.
Job Overview : Lead Designer (Unannounced Project)
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Company Name | 11 bit studios |
| Job Title | Lead Designer (Unannounced Project) |
| Employment Type | Full-time |
| Work Model | Hybrid (3 days office / 2 days remote weekly) |
| Office Location | Warsaw, Poland |
| Department | Game Design |
| Experience Required | 8+ years |
| Leadership Level | Lead / Senior Leadership |
| Project Type | Unannounced Game Project |
| Industry | Game Development (Indie / AA) |
| Engine (Preferred) | Unreal Engine (Nice to Have) |
| Languages Required | English & Polish (B2 or higher) |
| Relocation Support | Available |
| Salary Range | Transparent brackets (not publicly disclosed) |
| Additional Compensation | Annual bonus + motivation program |
| Application Requirement | Portfolio & documentation experience preferred |
Key Responsibilities
Gameplay Vision & Direction
The Lead Designer will work directly with Directors and senior stakeholders to define the gameplay pillars that form the foundation of the project. These pillars guide design decisions throughout development and help maintain consistency across mechanics, systems, and player experience.
Responsibilities include:
- Translating high-level creative vision into actionable gameplay frameworks
- Supporting long-term gameplay direction across multiple development phases
- Ensuring consistency between mechanics, systems, progression loops, and narrative structure
- Providing structured feedback on gameplay features during production milestones
- Maintaining clarity of player-experience goals across teams
This leadership role ensures that gameplay decisions remain aligned with both creative ambitions and production realities.
Cross-Team Collaboration
A major component of this position involves collaboration across departments such as art, programming, production, narrative, and QA. The Lead Designer helps transform conceptual ideas into achievable production tasks that meet technical requirements and scheduling constraints.
Daily collaboration activities include:
- Working with domain leads to solve gameplay development challenges
- Supporting system implementation alongside programmers
- Ensuring level design supports gameplay objectives
- Coordinating combat and mechanics integration
- Maintaining communication between design and production pipelines
Strong communication skills are essential to ensure smooth coordination across teams.
Design Leadership & Mentorship
As a senior member of the design department, the Lead Designer will manage and mentor a team of designers responsible for gameplay systems, progression structures, and player interaction mechanics.
Leadership responsibilities include:
- Providing constructive feedback to designers
- Supporting career development within the design team
- Maintaining documentation standards
- Reviewing gameplay prototypes and iteration results
- Ensuring alignment between individual tasks and project goals
- Encouraging creative experimentation within production boundaries
This role combines hands-on design responsibilities with strategic leadership oversight.
Systems & Gameplay Development
The Lead Designer contributes directly to the development of core gameplay systems that shape the player experience. These systems may include combat mechanics, progression loops, interaction frameworks, and narrative integration.
Key responsibilities include:
- Designing and refining gameplay systems
- Supporting combat mechanics development
- Contributing to narrative gameplay integration
- Reviewing level-design gameplay flow
- Ensuring feature scalability and technical feasibility
- Supporting iteration based on testing feedback
The position requires both creative problem-solving and technical awareness.
Production Support & Documentation
Maintaining clear documentation is essential for coordinating development across multiple departments. The Lead Designer ensures that gameplay systems are clearly defined and accessible to stakeholders throughout production.
Documentation responsibilities include:
- Writing gameplay feature specifications
- Defining technical requirements for system implementation
- Supporting milestone planning
- Clarifying dependencies between departments
- Maintaining version-controlled design documentation
Effective documentation helps reduce production risks and ensures efficient collaboration.
Required Qualifications
To succeed in this role, candidates should demonstrate strong leadership ability alongside deep technical and creative understanding of gameplay systems.
Minimum requirements include:
- 8+ years of experience in game design
- Previous experience as Lead Designer or Design Director
- Experience designing gameplay systems and mechanics
- Strong background in combat design
- Proven experience managing design teams
- Ability to work within hybrid office requirements in Warsaw
- Experience working on indie or AA-scale productions
- Strong documentation skills
- Ability to define technical implementation requirements
- Strong communication and collaboration skills
- Fluency in both English and Polish (B2 level or higher)
- Passion for modern game development trends
Candidates should be comfortable balancing creativity with structured production processes.
Preferred Qualifications
While not mandatory, the following experience will strengthen applications:
- Experience working with Unreal Engine
- Familiarity with cross-disciplinary pipelines
- Experience shipping commercially released titles
- Knowledge of iterative gameplay development workflows
- Experience coordinating between technical and creative departments
These skills help accelerate integration into the production pipeline.
Work Environment & Studio Culture
11 bit studios provides a collaborative and supportive work environment designed to encourage innovation, professional growth, and teamwork. The studio places strong emphasis on creative ownership and cross-disciplinary cooperation.
Team members benefit from:
- Flexible working hours
- Hybrid scheduling model
- Access to professional development resources
- International team collaboration opportunities
- Modern production infrastructure
- Creative independence within structured workflows
The studio culture supports both experimentation and production discipline.
Health & Wellness Benefits
Employee wellbeing is a priority at 11 bit studios. The company offers several programs supporting mental and physical health, including:
- Psychological support services
- Private medical coverage
- Weekly in-office yoga sessions
- Multisport fitness access
These benefits help maintain long-term productivity and work-life balance.
Learning & Development Opportunities
Professional growth is strongly encouraged through structured learning programs and internal knowledge sharing initiatives.
Development benefits include:
- Dedicated team training budget
- Access to in-office technical library
- English and Polish language classes
- Knowledge-sharing sessions across departments
These resources support both technical skill development and leadership growth.
Office Facilities & Workplace Features
The Warsaw studio location offers a comfortable and creative environment equipped with modern amenities.
Office highlights include:
- Convenient access near major metro stations
- Dog-friendly workspace
- On-site gym facilities
- Relaxation areas and chill zones
- Board games, arcade machines, and video game stations
- Secure car and bike parking
- Casual dress policy
The workspace supports both productivity and team engagement.
Working Conditions
Employees benefit from a flexible hybrid work structure designed to balance remote productivity with in-office collaboration.
Working model includes:
- 3 days per week in office
- 2 days per week remote work
- Additional annual remote work day allocation
- 20 or 26 days of paid holiday leave depending on tenure
- International development environment
- Flexible scheduling options
This structure supports both teamwork and independent workflow flexibility.
Compensation & Additional Benefits
11 bit studios provides competitive compensation aligned with experience level and industry standards.
Compensation features include:
- Transparent salary brackets
- Annual performance bonuses
- Motivation-based reward programs
- Referral bonuses
- Relocation support for international candidates
- Preferential employee loan programs
Employees may also participate in company-sponsored development events and conferences.
Events, Community & Studio Activities
Team engagement is supported through internal events and external industry participation opportunities.
These include:
- Attendance at game development conferences
- Annual company celebrations
- Referral programs
- Studio-wide team activities
- Access to exclusive studio merchandise
These initiatives help strengthen collaboration and professional networking.
Why Join 11 bit studios?
Joining 11 bit studios as a Lead Designer provides the opportunity to influence a major unannounced title while working alongside experienced developers in a collaborative environment.
This role is ideal for professionals who want to:
Lead gameplay direction on a new project
Mentor and shape design teams
Contribute to system-level game architecture
Work within a respected indie/AA studio environment
Participate in technically ambitious productions
Influence player experience at a foundational level
It represents a strong leadership opportunity within one of Europe’s most recognized game development studios.
11 bit studios hiring Lead Designer, Hybrid, Poland
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