UX / Game Designer

Age of Learning® is a leading educational technology company dedicated to developing engaging and effective learning resources for children in preschool through second grade. Renowned for its research-based curriculum crafted by education experts, the company offers a suite of award-winning programs including ABCmouse®, Adventure Academy®, and adaptive, personalized solutions such as My Math Academy®, My Reading Academy®, and My Reading Academy Español®. With a global footprint reaching over 55 million children worldwide, Age of Learning is committed to advancing equity, access, and opportunity in early childhood education. The company's mission is to foster a lifelong love of learning by making education accessible, enjoyable, and tailored to each child's developmental needs.

About the role

We are seeking a highly skilled and passionate Lead UX/Game Designer to join our dynamic team in Glendale, CA, with a hybrid work model. This role sits at the intersection of UX design, casual game development, and data-informed product strategy. The ideal candidate will possess a unique blend of empathy for young learners, technical expertise, and a creative mindset to develop complex game systems and intuitive user experiences.

As a Lead UX/Game Designer, you will be responsible for guiding the end-to-end design process of new game features, improving existing activities, and creating engaging live-service content that aligns with our educational goals. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including product managers, engineers, educators, and artists, to bring innovative ideas from conception to deployment. Your work will directly influence the learning experiences of children aged 2-10, ensuring they are age-appropriate, accessible, and delightful. This role offers an exciting opportunity to shape the future of early childhood education through innovative game design and user experience excellence.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end design of new game features and enhancements to existing games, overseeing the process from concept to launch and ongoing live-service updates
• Create high-quality UX flows, wireframes, prototypes, and visual specifications in Figma that clearly communicate design intent to engineering and product teams
• Design and balance complex game metagame systems, including economy mechanics, to motivate and reward young learners effectively
• Leverage product data, user research, and competitive analysis to identify opportunities for improvement and validate design decisions
• Collaborate closely with cross-disciplinary teams—including producers, engineers, educators, and artists—to bring innovative features from idea to execution
• Advocate for the end user throughout the design process, ensuring experiences are age-appropriate, accessible, and engaging for children aged 2-10 and their parents
• Maintain a comprehensive understanding of the ABCmouse product, user base, and competitive landscape to proactively identify enhancement opportunities
• Utilize AI tools (such as Claude, Sc, or similar) to accelerate design exploration, prototyping workflows, and deployment of high-quality features
• Partner with data teams to analyze metrics, interpret user engagement, and inform ongoing feature refinement and live-service strategies
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of design system standards and best practices for game design across ABCmouse and related platforms

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in game design, UX design, or a hybrid of both, with a portfolio showcasing shipped titles or products
• Proven experience designing casual mobile games with a focus on engagement loops, progression systems, and player motivation
• Proficiency in Figma for creating UX flows, interactive prototypes, and detailed design specifications
• Demonstrated ability to design and fine-tune game economy and metagame systems
• Experience delivering live-service content and iterating on features based on data insights
• Comfort working with product analytics, including pulling data, interpreting dashboards, and using metrics for decision-making
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to work seamlessly with product, engineering, art, and education teams
• Action-oriented mindset with a producer approach, driving projects from initial concept through to launch and post-launch improvements
• Deep empathy for end users, especially children and families, ensuring age-appropriate and engaging experiences

Benefits

• Total compensation ranging from $140,000 to $165,000 USD
• Health and welfare benefits coverage, with 91% of employee premiums paid by the company and 70% of dependent premiums covered
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer matching contributions
• Paid time off including 15 vacation days (increasing to 20 days on the third anniversary), 12 national holidays, and 9 sick days annually
• 16 paid volunteer hours per year to support community engagement
• Company-wide year-end closure with 7 paid days, including 3 observed holidays
• Flexible work arrangements, offering hybrid options with two or more days in the office or fully remote work opportunities