Narrative Design Manager-Volunteer Leadership role

The Donovan's Venom, INC. Is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization dedicated to taking music, art, and entertainment to those who need it the most. The Donovan's Venom, INC. Caters to no particular individual(s) yet pledges relief to impaired or deprived individuals who are in need of musical,visual, comedic, and-or any alternative forms of liberation-through fine art & entertainment. The Donovan's Venom INC. Gives its resources to individuals who don't have the means or access. , About Us The Donovan’s Venom is a 501c3 nonprofit organization focused on curating universal accessibility to fine arts and music education for all. We are passionately dedicated to ensuring that everyone, regardless of financial circumstances, has access to high-quality music education, performance opportunities, and fine art. We aim to inspire, empower, and uplift communities by fostering a love for music and the arts through our commitment to education, inclusivity, diversity, and social impact, which drives us to expand our reach continually and enrich the lives of those we serve Position Overview The Narrative Design Manager is responsible for leading the development, integration, and execution of story, character, dialogue, worldbuilding, and narrative systems across video game projects. This role oversees the narrative lifecycle from story concept → worldbuilding → character development → gameplay integration → dialogue and content production → implementation → testing → launch. The Narrative Design Manager works closely with Game Design, Art, Engineering, Audio, UX/UI, Production, and other creative teams to ensure storytelling is not separate from gameplay, but meaningfully integrated into the player experience. Key Responsibilities Narrative Strategy & Creative Direction Define and manage the narrative vision for game projects.Translate creative concepts into clear narrative frameworks, story arcs, characters, themes, and worldbuilding.Develop and maintain narrative pillars, tone, voice, lore, and storytelling standards.Ensure story, gameplay, environments, characters, and player interactions work together cohesively.Protect narrative consistency across all player-facing experiences.Provide creative direction and feedback throughout development. Story, Character & World Development Lead the development ofStorylines and narrative arcsCharacters and character developmentDialogue and branching conversationsQuests and missionsWorldbuilding and loreEnvironmental storytellingCinematics and scripted sequencesIn-game text and narrative contentEnsure characters, events, and story progression support the overall player experience.Develop narrative documentation, story bibles, character profiles, timelines, and lore guides.Maintain continuity and consistency across narrative content. Narrative & Gameplay Integration Partner with Game Designers to integrate storytelling directly into gameplay systems and mechanics.Design narrative structures that respond to player choice, progression, and interaction.Collaborate on quests, missions, objectives, encounters, and environmental storytelling.Ensure narrative content supports pacing, gameplay goals, and player agency.Identify opportunities where story can strengthen engagement without interrupting gameplay.Evaluate how narrative decisions affect the overall player journey. Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration Lead, mentor, and provide direction to narrative designers, writers, and other narrative contributors.Coordinate work across Narrative, Game Design, Production, Art, Animation, Audio, Engineering, and UX/UI.Review scripts, dialogue, narrative designs, and story content for quality and consistency.Establish clear ownership, priorities, milestones, and deliverables.Participate in creative reviews, sprint planning, milestone reviews, and production meetings.Translate creative goals into actionable requirements for technical and production teams. Narrative Production & Implementation Develop and manage narrative production plans, schedules, and deliverables.Track scripts, dialogue, quests, cinematics, character content, and other narrative assets through production.Coordinate implementation of narrative content into the game.Partner with Engineering and Design teams to ensure narrative systems function as intended.Manage narrative dependencies, revisions, approvals, and version control.Maintain clear documentation throughout development. Testing & Narrative Quality Participate in playtesting and narrative QA.Review implemented content for pacing, continuity, tone, clarity, and player comprehension.Identify narrative inconsistencies, broken dialogue, continuity issues, and implementation problems.Review branching paths to ensure player choices produce appropriate narrative outcomes.Incorporate playtest findings and player feedback into narrative improvements.Conduct post-launch reviews to identify opportunities for future content and improvements. Voice, Cinematics & Localization Partner with Audio and Production teams on voice-over planning, recording, and implementation.Support cinematic development, scripts, storyboards, and narrative sequences.Ensure dialogue and narrative content are structured for localization.Work with localization teams to preserve tone, meaning, characterization, and cultural context.Review localized narrative content when appropriate. Performance & Reporting Track narrative development using measures such asNarrative milestone completionScript and dialogue completionQuest and mission implementationNarrative defectsPlaytest feedbackPlayer comprehensionStory engagementContent revisionsLocalization readinessLaunch readinessProvide leadership with visibility into narrative progress, risks, blockers, and priorities.Use player feedback and engagement data to improve future narrative experiences. Qualifications Experience in narrative design, game writing, interactive storytelling, game design, screenwriting, or a related creative field.Strong understanding of how narrative, gameplay, player choice, and game systems work together.Experience developing characters, dialogue, story arcs, quests, missions, or interactive narrative content.Strong storytelling, writing, editing, and communication skills.Experience collaborating with multidisciplinary creative and technical teams.Strong project-management and organizational skills.Ability to balance creative vision with production constraints and deadlines.Ability to provide constructive creative direction and feedback. Preferred Experience Experience working on video games or interactive entertainment projects.Experience managing or mentoring narrative designers, writers, or creative contributors.Familiarity with game engines such as Unity or Unreal Engine.Experience with narrative tools or systems such as Ink, Twine, Yarn Spinner, Articy draft, or similar platforms.Understanding of branching narratives, dialogue systems, quest design, and player-choice mechanics.Experience with voice-over production, cinematics, localization, and narrative QA.Familiarity with Agile, Scrum, or game-production environments. What Success Looks Like The successful Narrative Design Manager will build a cohesive storytelling experience in which story, character, world, and gameplay reinforce one another. Success will be reflected in stronger narrative consistency, compelling characters and storylines, seamless integration of story into gameplay, efficient narrative production, clearer cross-functional collaboration, fewer continuity and implementation issues, and a more engaging player experience.