Design Director - 7 Days to Die | Directeur·trice Design - 7 Days to Die

Job description

Are you ready to dive into the world of cutting-edge video game development? Headquartered in Montreal, Behaviour Interactive is at the forefront of the gaming industry, crafting unforgettable experiences across PC, console, and mobile platforms. We’re a dynamic, independent studio of over 1200 passionate employees, with studios in Toronto (Behaviour Toronto), Rotterdam (Behaviour Rotterdam) and in the UK (Behaviour UK–North & South). Our day to day revolves around two core business focuses: Services and Original Games. Our Services team collaborates with gaming and entertainment giants like Disney, Sony, Activision, and Nintendo, delivering exceptional work-for-hire development and pioneering immersive location-based entertainment (LBE). Meanwhile, our Original Games unit pushes our creative limits, with our signature IPs, including the iconic *Dead by Daylight*. Join us and be a part of the future of interactive entertainment! *At Behaviour Interactive, we believe in giving everyone a fair shot. We embrace a diverse and creative environment where everyone is celebrated. We value folks of all ages, sex, ethnicity, colour, ethnic or national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, civil status, disability, or any other protected characteristics as per applicable law.* **Help shape the next era of an iconic survival franchise.** For over a decade, 7 Days to Die has captivated more than 20 million players worldwide. Now, with Behaviour Interactive joining forces with The Fun Pimps, we’re entering an exciting new phase of growth, bringing together deep live game expertise and the creative legacy behind the franchise. This is a rare opportunity to help elevate a beloved game, scale its long-term potential, and shape what comes next for millions of players. The Design Director owns the gameplay vision of a project and is responsible for how the game plays, feels, and evolves. Working in close partnership with the Creative Director, the Design Director translates creative intent into systems, mechanics, and player experiences that are clear, deep, and engaging. This role leads the entire design team across gameplay, content, economy, combat, UX, and progression. The Design Director sets the standard for design quality, structure, and communication, while also being deeply involved in feature prioritization, pacing, and mechanical cohesion. They play a key role in ensuring that the game delivers a complete and satisfying experience that meets the expectations of both players and publishing partners. ### In this role you will: - Collaborate closely with the Senior Creative Director to bring his vision to life by owning the design roadmap and shape the future of this game. - Define, pitch, and communicate a clear and compelling design vision for new content, features, and game modes. - Be the go-to expert on how design is structured, implemented, and iterated across the entire game. - Inspire a multidisciplinary design team, fostering creative innovation and technical excellence across gameplay and systems. - Evaluate and elevate existing systems while driving new, bold ideas that enrich player engagement. - Champion a player-first mentality while balancing business objectives and creative ambition. - Mentor, support, and grow the next generation of talented game designers at Behaviour. - Lead key design reviews; responsible for go/no-go decisions, managing gate processes, and making final calls on high-impact design choices. ### What we are looking for : - Proven experience as a Design Director, Game Director or Associate Design Director on a successful PC/Console live multiplayer game. - Strong expertise in gameplay design: from mechanics to the meta strategy, level design, systems, content pacing and player goals. - Video game history demonstrating solid creativity and innovation skills. - Deep understanding of GaaS and live operations and what it takes to keep players coming back. - Demonstrated ability to pitch ideas, influence teams, and align cross-discipline stakeholders. - Passion for asymmetrical gameplay, and evolving multiplayer experiences. ### Dans ce rôle tu devras: - Collaborer étroitement avec le·la directeur·trice créatif senior pour donner vie à sa vision en élaborant le roadmap de la fonction design pour façonner l'avenir du projet; - Définir, présenter et communiquer une vision claire et convaincante du design pour le nouveau contenu, les fonctionnalités et les modes de jeu; - Être l'expert·e de référence sur la façon dont la conception est structurée, mise en œuvre et itérée sur l'ensemble du jeu; - Inspirer une équipe de conception multidisciplinaire, en encourageant l'innovation créative et l'excellence technique au niveau du gameplay et des systèmes; - Évaluer et améliorer les systèmes existants tout en proposant des idées nouvelles et audacieuses qui enrichissent l'engagement des joueurs; - Défendre une mentalité axée sur le joueur tout en équilibrant les objectifs commerciaux et l'ambition créative; - Encadrer, soutenir et développer la prochaine génération de concepteurs de jeux; - Diriger les principales revues de conception: être responsable des décisions d'acceptation ou de refus, gérer les processus de validation et prendre les décisions finales sur les choix de conception à fort impact. ### Ce que nous recherchons: - Expérience en tant que directeur·trice design ou directeur·trice design associé·e sur un jeu multijoueur PC/console à succès; - Forte expertise dans la conception du gameplay : des mécanismes à la méta-stratégie, en passant par la conception des niveaux, les systèmes, le rythme du contenu et les objectifs des joueurs; - Expérience dans le domaine des jeux vidéo démontrant de solides compétences en matière de créativité et d'innovation; - Connaissance approfondie des jeux GaaS et des opérations live- et de ce qu'il faut faire pour que les joueurs reviennent; - Capacité à présenter des idées, à influencer les équipes et à aligner les parties prenantes multi-disciplinaires; - Passion pour les jeux asymétriques et les expériences multijoueurs.