Director of Game Design, Founders School - $400,000/year USD

Key Responsibilities

• Evaluate the foundation we have established, determine where it falls short, and help architect a superior vision before building and guiding the team that delivers it.
• Design a simulation that players actively choose to engage with for extended sessions while demonstrably improving their ability to operate real businesses.
• Recruit and manage a senior game development team, attracting outstanding talent and fostering a culture focused on rapid delivery and continuous iteration.
• Collaborate closely with Founders School leadership, educators, and practicing entrepreneurs to convert authentic business principles into captivating game mechanics.
• Integrate AI across every phase of the development cycle to expedite design iteration, systems balancing, prototyping, content generation, playtest data interpretation, and production pipelines.
• Achieve concrete milestones, including a fully playable vertical slice within 12 months, validated playtests with teenage users, and a robust architecture for future simulation titles.

Basic Requirements

• Track record of shipping at least one commercially successful game that resonated deeply with its audience, preferably developed within a team of 10 people or fewer.
• Proven experience directing multidisciplinary game development initiatives from initial concept through public launch.
• Extensive expertise in designing simulation, sandbox, systems-driven, strategy, or management game experiences.
• Active daily application of generative AI technologies to accelerate game design and production, with demonstrable recent examples of AI integration in your creative workflow.
• Enthusiasm for entrepreneurship and authentic conviction in the importance of building profitable enterprises.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and talent acquisition capabilities.
• Availability to work on-site in New York City.
• Authorization to work in the United States without requiring sponsorship.

Nice-to-have Requirements

• Background shipping sandbox, tycoon, builder, management, or simulation game titles.
• Experience designing products tailored to audiences under 18 years of age.
• Experience embedding education or skill acquisition into entertainment-focused products.
• Experience collaborating with prominent brands, content creators, or licensed properties.
• Demonstrated success scaling a game development team from early concept through successful market launch.

About Founders School

Founders School is a four-year high school built for ambitious students who want to create, build, and solve meaningful problems. The program combines Alpha School's elite academics, real-world experience, and mentorship from world-class entrepreneurs around three commitments to every student: Build a million-dollar business. Identify problems in the world worth solving. Master AI before adults do. This is a place for people who'd rather build the thing than manage the thing. We're hiring the founding team that builds the dream high school for the most entrepreneurial and ambitious students in the country. Launching in NYC Fall 2026.