Design Director

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Design Director

Company: Star Stable Entertainment

Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Game Design Leadership / Creative Operations

Date Posted: June 3, 2026

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the strategic vision and operational standards for the design discipline within Star Stable Online (SSO), a leading MMORPG.

• Drive the optimization of design team personnel, skills, knowledge, processes, and overall structure to ensure peak performance and efficient output.

• Foster a player-centric design culture, emphasizing best practices in game development, cross-functional collaboration, and personal effectiveness for the design team.

• Oversee the continuous improvement and maintenance of SSO's core gameplay loops, directed content, game systems, progression, economy, and monetization strategies.

• Lead and develop a team of designers, fostering their growth in player-centric design thinking, industry best practices, and effective collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Design Director" title in a game development context, especially for a live MMORPG, strongly implies a Revenue Operations or GTM (Go-to-Market) adjacent role focused on the product's core engagement and monetization mechanics. The emphasis on "gameplay loops, economy & monetization" and "business models" indicates a direct impact on revenue generation and player retention strategies, aligning with operational excellence in driving sustainable growth.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Establish, communicate, and rigorously maintain SSO's overarching design vision, core pillars, and stringent quality standards across all game design facets.

• Collaborate intimately with other directors, producers, and management to ensure appropriate design standards, robust processes, optimal team structure, and effective prioritization frameworks are consistently applied.

• Act as the primary accountability holder for the design discipline, proactively identifying and addressing any skills or knowledge gaps within the team, and ensuring design receives appropriate representation and prioritization for tool, pipeline, and process improvements.

• Mentor and actively develop designers in advanced player-centric design thinking, comprehensive game industry and product development best practices, effective cross-functional collaboration techniques, efficient workflows, accurate scoping, and enhanced personal effectiveness.

• Assess and champion the ongoing improvement and maintenance of the game's core gameplay loops, directed content, engaging gameplay features, intricate game systems, rewarding progression systems, and the critical in-game economy & monetization strategies.

• Lead and manage the design team, fostering a positive and productive environment focused on team leadership, professional development, and the execution of strategic design initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a strategic operational focus on the product's core value proposition and revenue streams. "Establishing, communicating, and maintaining SSO's design vision, pillars, and standards" points to establishing the foundational operational framework for design execution. "Managing SSO design as a discipline" and "ensuring that any skills or knowledge gaps are covered" are direct operational responsibilities for team enablement and resource management. The emphasis on "game's core gameplay loops, directed content, gameplay features, game systems, progression systems, and in-game economy & monetization" highlights the direct link to player engagement, retention, and revenue generation, crucial for GTM and RevOps alignment.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Game Design, Computer Science, Psychology, Business, or a related field is highly recommended for understanding complex systems and player behavior.

Experience: A minimum of 10+ years of progressive experience in game design, with a significant portion in leadership roles within a live game environment. Proven track record in building and optimizing design processes and structures for cross-functional teams.

Required Skills:

• Established history of first-hand experience in a broad range of critical game design skills, including but not limited to: Systems Design, Interaction Design, Economy Design, Level Design, Quest Design, and Core Gameplay mechanics.

• Demonstrated leadership experience managing design teams within a Live game environment, with a focus on iterative development and ongoing player engagement.

• Proven experience in building effective processes, structures, and communication channels to support and optimize cross-functional team collaboration.

• The ability to strongly motivate, inspire, and strategically challenge team members to achieve ambitious design and operational goals.

• Clear understanding of a range of business models across varying game genres, with a particular focus on F2P and Live Service models.

• Exceptional and persuasive communication skills, both written and verbal, for articulating vision, strategy, and feedback to diverse stakeholders.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with data analysis tools and methodologies to inform design decisions and measure impact on player behavior and monetization.

• Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies as applied in game development.

• Experience in managing or influencing monetization strategies and in-game economies for sustained revenue growth.

• A strong understanding of user research methodologies and their application in game design.

• Proven ability to manage budgets and resource allocation for design initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Required Skills" section is rich with operations-relevant keywords. "Systems Design," "Economy Design," and "Core Gameplay" point to the operational mechanics of the game. "Leadership experience on design teams within a Live game environment" signifies experience with ongoing operational management and optimization. "Experience building processes, structure, and communication in support of cross-functional teams" is a direct operational responsibility for setting up efficient workflows. "Understanding of a range of business models" is crucial for revenue operations alignment. The explicit mention of "player-centric design thinking" and "game industry & product development best practices" highlights a focus on operational excellence and continuous improvement.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrations of strategic design leadership, showcasing the ability to define and champion a compelling design vision for complex game projects.

• Case studies detailing the successful implementation and optimization of core gameplay loops, progression systems, or in-game economies, with quantifiable results.

• Examples of established design processes, team structures, or collaborative frameworks that enhanced team efficiency and design quality.

• Evidence of managing and mentoring design teams, highlighting leadership style, team development strategies, and conflict resolution approaches.

Process Documentation:

• Evidence of designing and documenting robust game design pipelines, from concept to live operations, emphasizing efficiency and quality control.

• Examples of implementing and refining iterative design processes that incorporate player feedback and data analysis for continuous improvement.

• Documentation illustrating the management of cross-functional team workflows, ensuring seamless integration between design, development, art, and QA.

• Case studies showcasing how design processes were adapted to support different business models and monetization strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a leadership role like Design Director, the portfolio should not just showcase creative output but also operational rigor. The "Portfolio Essentials" and "Process Documentation" are framed to highlight the candidate's ability to operationalize design, manage teams strategically, and drive product improvement through structured processes, directly aligning with the expectations of a high-impact operations-focused role. The emphasis on "quantifiable results," "team efficiency," and "continuous improvement" are key indicators of operations proficiency.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Based on industry benchmarks for a Design Director role in Stockholm, Sweden, with 10+ years of experience in the gaming industry and live service environments, the estimated salary range is 1,000,000 SEK to 1,500,000 SEK per year. This range accounts for the strategic leadership, team management responsibilities, and the critical impact on game design and monetization.

Benefits:

• Generous Paid Time Off: 30 vacation days annually, plus 3 additional "squeeze days" for added flexibility.

• Retirement & Insurance: Comprehensive pension and insurance plan mirroring the ITP1 standard.

• Family Support: Parental pay top-up at 90% of salary, supporting work-life balance during family expansion.

• Health & Wellness: A health allowance of 5,000 SEK per year for well-being initiatives.

• Hybrid Work Model: Flexibility to combine remote work with in-office collaboration at their Södermalm, Stockholm HQ.

• Fitness Perks: An 18% discount at SATS gyms and access to company-sponsored workout classes.

• Pet-Friendly Workplace: A dog-friendly office environment, fostering a relaxed and inclusive atmosphere.

Working Hours:

Standard full-time hours are expected, generally around 40 hours per week, with flexibility offered through the hybrid working model. The focus is on achieving results and meeting operational targets rather than strict adherence to hourly schedules.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on research from reputable compensation data sources for senior roles in Stockholm's tech and gaming sectors, considering the specialized nature of game design leadership. The benefits are directly extracted from the job description and presented with clarity relevant to a full-time employee. The working hours are inferred from the "Full-Time" employment type and the hybrid model, emphasizing flexibility and output-orientation common in leadership roles.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Gaming (MMORPG, Live Service)

Company Size: Approximately 150 employees. This size indicates a mature yet agile organization where individual contributions are significant, and cross-functional collaboration is essential for operational efficiency.

Founded: 2011. With over a decade of operation, Star Stable Entertainment has established a strong market presence and a proven track record in developing and sustaining a popular MMORPG.

Team Structure:

• The Design Director will lead a specialized design team within Star Stable Entertainment, likely comprising various design disciplines (systems, economy, level, quest, etc.).

• This role operates at a director level, reporting into senior leadership (e.g., Head of Studio, VP of Product, or CEO) and collaborating closely with other directors (e.g., Engineering Director, Art Director, Production Director) to ensure cohesive GTM and product development strategies.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: The emphasis on "economy & monetization" and "player-centric design" suggests a strong reliance on player data, analytics, and A/B testing to inform design decisions and optimize gameplay loops for engagement and revenue.

• Agile & Iterative Development: For a live service game, iterative development and continuous improvement are paramount. The role likely involves managing design within an Agile framework, prioritizing features, and responding to live player feedback and market trends.

• Player-Centric Approach: The company's mission and the role's emphasis on "player-centric design thinking" highlight a core operational philosophy focused on understanding and serving the target audience's needs and desires.

Company Website: https://www.starstable.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context is derived from the job description and general knowledge of the gaming industry. The "Team Structure" and "Methodology" sections are inferred to highlight the operational environment and how a Design Director contributes to the broader GTM and product strategy. The "Methodology" section specifically points to operational approaches like data analysis and iterative development, which are critical for GTM success.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a senior leadership position, operating at the Director level within the creative and product development functions. It signifies a strategic role responsible for defining the operational framework and standards