Design Director, Battle Pass

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Design Director, Battle Pass

Company: Epic Games

Location: Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Game Design Leadership / GTM Strategy

Date Posted: March 10, 2026

Experience Level: 7+ Years (Senior Leadership)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic vision and direct ownership of Fortnite's Battle Pass, Fortnite Crew, and other thematic pass products, driving key GTM initiatives.

• Shape and execute monetization structures and player engagement strategies for live service games, focusing on progression and reward systems.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with design, art, production, data science, and marketing to ensure holistic product success and alignment with executive stakeholders.

• Mentor and guide teams responsible for core engagement mechanics, including the XP system, to maintain healthy player progression and retention.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior leadership position within the game development lifecycle, with a strong emphasis on Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy through the design and execution of monetization and engagement products like the Battle Pass. The focus on "product success," "outcomes-driven approach," and collaboration with "marketing" and "product management" clearly indicates a GTM operations focus.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and articulate the overarching vision and strategic goals for all pass products (Battle Pass, Fortnite Crew, Music Pass, etc.) within Fortnite, ensuring an outcomes-driven approach for the extended team.

• Direct the design of holistic player experiences, encompassing unlock systems, progression pathways, reward structures, and monetization mechanics, in close partnership with UX/UI and Product Management.

• Ensure the integrity and seamless integration of progression across all Fortnite play experiences, including those developed with third-party tools like Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN).

• Provide strategic direction and mentorship to the XP system team, establishing clear guardrails and a sustainable strategy to maintain healthy player engagement and progression.

• Actively participate in playtests and analyze live game performance to gather insights, identify critical issues, and propose actionable solutions that inform team priorities and roadmap development.

• Collaborate closely with leaders and teams across Art & Cosmetics, Seasonal Design (Quest, Gameplay), UX/UI, Product Management, Data Science, and Marketing to align on product roadmaps, feature development, and go-to-market strategies.

• Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and data streams related to pass engagement, monetization, and player retention, working directly with Data Scientists and Analysts to inform strategic decisions and optimize product performance.

• Identify and champion innovative approaches to pass design, tracking industry trends, and defining new opportunities to expand player engagement and revenue streams within the Fortnite ecosystem.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic design leadership and operational execution, particularly in areas like monetization, player progression, and cross-functional alignment. The emphasis on "outcomes-driven approach," "monetization structures," and collaboration with "marketing" and "data science" points towards a strong GTM operations component.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong educational background in Game Design, Computer Science, Product Management, or a related field is highly beneficial.

Experience: 7+ years of progressive experience in game design, with a significant focus on senior leadership roles overseeing pass-type engagement systems and monetization strategies. Experience with subscription models is a strong plus.

Required Skills:

• Proven track record in leading the design and execution of complex engagement systems, particularly in live service, free-to-play (F2P) environments.

• Deep expertise in PC/Console, Mobile, F2P, and Live Service Progression & Monetization Systems, with a thorough understanding of their mechanics and player impact.

• Strong analytical capabilities, with demonstrated experience in monitoring data streams and collaborating with Data Scientists and Product Managers to define and achieve product goals.

• Exceptional stakeholder management skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate and align diverse teams including Art & Cosmetics, Progression, Marketing, Product Management, Gameplay Design, and Quest teams.

• Demonstrated talent for player empathy, with a profound understanding of player motivations, diverse forms of play, and the psychological impact of goal-setting systems.

• Innovative mindset with a passion for tracking industry trends and defining new opportunities in pass design, capable of abstract thinking in uncharted territories.

Preferred Skills:

• Direct experience managing or significantly contributing to subscription-based products.

• Familiarity with Unreal Engine and its application in game development, including Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN).

• Experience working with 1st party and 3rd party content creation tools and ensuring consistent player experiences across them.

• Strong understanding of marketing principles and go-to-market strategies for digital entertainment products.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize a blend of strategic design leadership, deep technical understanding of game systems (progression, monetization), and strong operational skills in stakeholder management and data analysis, all critical for GTM success.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate leadership in the design and successful launch of complex engagement systems (e.g., Battle Passes, loyalty programs, subscription services) with clear articulation of your role and impact.

• Showcase case studies of how you've leveraged data analytics and player feedback to drive product iteration, optimize progression systems, and enhance monetization strategies.

• Include examples of cross-functional collaboration, highlighting your ability to align diverse teams (Art, Production, Marketing, Data) towards a common product vision and successful GTM execution.

Process Documentation:

• Provide examples of how you've documented and communicated complex game systems, progression flows, and monetization strategies to ensure clarity and alignment across development teams.

• Illustrate your approach to defining and tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) for engagement and monetization products, demonstrating your ability to measure success and identify areas for optimization.

• Showcase your methodology for integrating player feedback and data insights into the iterative design process for live service products, emphasizing efficiency and continuous improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role of this caliber, a portfolio is crucial. It should not just list achievements but demonstrate the process by which those achievements were made, especially concerning GTM strategies, player engagement, and monetization.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Design Director role at a leading gaming company like Epic Games in Porto Alegre, Brazil, with 7+ years of experience and leadership responsibilities, the estimated annual salary range would be between R$250,000 and R$450,000 BRL. This estimate accounts for the senior leadership level, specialized skills in game design and GTM strategy, and the cost of living in a major Brazilian city.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Life Insurance coverage for employees and dependents, ensuring holistic well-being.

• Daily Meal Vouchers to support employees with their daily nutritional needs.

• Commuter Benefits for onsite employees, easing daily travel to the office.

• Opportunity to work on one of the world's most popular and influential games, contributing to a globally recognized franchise.

• Access to cutting-edge game development technology and a highly collaborative, innovative work environment.

Working Hours: Standard full-time work hours, typically around 40 hours per week, with potential for flexibility depending on project needs and team dynamics. The role requires dedication to ensuring the success of live products.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on industry benchmarks for senior game design leadership in Brazil, considering the company's profile and the role's responsibilities. Benefits are detailed as provided in the raw input.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Interactive Entertainment / Video Game Development. Epic Games is a dominant force in the industry, known for its flagship titles like Fortnite and its industry-leading Unreal Engine. This context implies a fast-paced, innovative, and highly competitive environment focused on delivering cutting-edge player experiences and technologies.

Company Size: 4,500+ employees globally across 46 studios in 25 countries. This large, global footprint suggests a structured organization with established processes, but also opportunities for significant impact and cross-studio collaboration.

Founded: Over 25 years ago. This long history indicates stability, deep experience in the industry, and a proven ability to adapt and innovate over time.

Team Structure:

• The role sits within the Fortnite team, specifically focusing on "Pass Products" (Battle Pass, Fortnite Crew, etc.). This team likely operates with a degree of autonomy within the larger Fortnite structure, focusing on specific monetization and engagement mechanics.

• Reporting to a senior executive (e.g., VP of Product, Head of Design, or Executive Producer), with direct leadership over a dedicated design team for pass products.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Heavy reliance on data from Data Scientists and Analysts to inform product strategy, monitor player behavior, and measure the success of engagement and monetization systems.

• Iterative Design & Development: A continuous cycle of design, implementation, testing, analysis, and refinement, typical for live service games.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Emphasis on close collaboration and communication across all disciplines to ensure a cohesive and high-quality player experience.

• Outcome-Oriented Focus: Emphasis on achieving specific business and player engagement goals, rather than just completing tasks.

Company Website: https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context suggests a highly professional, results-oriented environment where design leadership is deeply integrated with GTM strategy and data analysis.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at the "Director" level, signifying senior leadership. It's a strategic position responsible for defining product vision, driving major GTM initiatives, and owning significant outcomes. This level implies significant responsibility for team leadership, cross-functional influence, and direct impact on revenue and player engagement. For operations professionals, this is a leadership track focused on product strategy and execution within a live service context.

Reporting Structure: The Design Director will report to a senior executive within Epic Games and will likely lead a team of designers and potentially work closely with product managers and analysts focused on pass products. This position requires influencing peers and stakeholders across various departments (Art, Marketing, Data Science, Gameplay Design) to drive GTM success for their product area.

Operations Impact: The Design Director's work directly influences Fortnite's revenue generation through monetization structures and player retention through progression and engagement systems. Their strategic decisions and execution will have a tangible impact on the game's commercial success, player base health, and overall product lifecycle management.

Growth Opportunities:

• Strategic Leadership Expansion: Potential to expand scope to oversee broader monetization or engagement strategies across multiple Epic titles or platforms.

• Product Management Transition: Opportunity to move into a more holistic Product Management role, focusing on the end-to-end lifecycle of player-facing products.

• Executive Leadership: Advancement to higher executive roles within Epic Games, contributing to company-wide strategic planning and product development.

• Specialized Skill Development: Deepening expertise in areas like F2P monetization, live service operations, or player psychology through specialized training, conferences, or leading new initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a clear path for growth within a major gaming company, moving from specialized product leadership to broader strategic influence within the GTM and product operations domains.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based in Porto Alegre, Brazil, indicating an on-site work environment. This suggests a collaborative office setting designed to foster teamwork and direct communication.

Office Location(s): Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This location offers a vibrant urban environment with access to talent and resources within the region.

Workspace Context:

• Expect a dynamic, fast-paced office environment where collaboration is key. The emphasis on working with diverse teams (Art, UX/UI, Marketing, Data) suggests a workspace that facilitates open communication and idea sharing.

• Access to industry-leading tools and technology, including Unreal Engine, will be standard. The team will likely utilize project management software, communication platforms (e.g., Slack, Teams), and specialized game development tools.

• Opportunities for direct interaction with other design leads, product managers, and studio executives, fostering a culture of shared learning and problem-solving.

Work Schedule: While typically a standard 40-hour work week, the nature of live service games means occasional extended hours may be required during critical development phases, product launches, or major updates. Flexibility is often provided, but the expectation is to ensure product success.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement points to a traditional office-based collaborative culture, which is common for game development studios requiring high levels of team synchronicity.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application, focusing on experience with pass systems, leadership, and GTM strategy.

• Technical/Design Interview: Expect in-depth discussions about your experience with progression systems, monetization, player psychology, and your approach to leading design teams. This may involve presenting past work or discussing hypothetical scenarios.

• Portfolio Review: A dedicated session where you'll walk through selected case studies from your portfolio, demonstrating your process, impact, and strategic thinking related to engagement and monetization products.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with leads from Art, Marketing, Product Management, and Data Science to assess your collaboration style and ability to align diverse stakeholders on GTM objectives.

• Executive Interview: A final interview with senior leadership to discuss your strategic vision, leadership philosophy, and overall fit with Epic's culture and goals.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your solution, your specific role, the process you followed, and the quantifiable results (e.g., increased engagement, revenue lift, player retention).

• Showcase GTM Alignment: Highlight how your design decisions supported broader marketing goals and product strategies. Detail your collaboration with marketing and product teams.

• Demonstrate Process: Explain your methodology for system design, iteration, and data analysis. Show how you translated player insights and data into actionable design changes.

• Highlight Leadership: If applicable, showcase instances where you led teams, mentored junior designers, or managed complex cross-functional projects.

• Tailor to Epic Games: Emphasize experience with F2P, live services, and engagement systems relevant to games like Fortnite.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared for a design challenge that might involve evaluating an existing system, proposing improvements to a pass product, or outlining a strategy for a new engagement feature.

• Focus on your thought process, data utilization, player empathy, and ability to articulate a clear, actionable plan.

• Consider how your proposed solution would integrate with existing systems and align with business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to evaluate not only design expertise but also leadership, strategic thinking, and the ability to execute GTM plans in a complex, cross-functional environment.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Game Engines: Unreal Engine (essential for understanding the development environment).

• Design & Prototyping: Tools for system design, flowcharts, and potentially rapid prototyping (e.g., Miro, Lucidchart, Figma for wireframing/mockups).

• Project Management: Jira, Confluence, or similar platforms for task tracking, documentation, and workflow management.

• Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams, or proprietary internal communication tools for real-time collaboration.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Analysis Platforms: Experience working with tools used by Data Scientists and Analysts (e.g., SQL for querying databases, Python/R for analysis, Tableau/Power BI for visualization).

• In-Game Analytics: Familiarity with how in-game telemetry and event tracking are used to monitor player behavior, progression, and monetization.

• Reporting Dashboards: Ability to interpret and leverage data presented in dashboards to inform design and GTM decisions.

CRM & Automation: While not a direct CRM role, understanding how player data is managed and how marketing campaigns are executed is beneficial. Familiarity with marketing automation principles and player segmentation for targeted GTM initiatives would be advantageous.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency with Unreal Engine is implicit, but the role also requires strong analytical and data interpretation skills, leveraging tools used by data science and product management teams for GTM strategy.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Player First: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the player community, ensuring designs are fair, engaging, and provide value.

• Innovation & Excellence: A drive to push creative boundaries, constantly seeking new ways to engage players and improve product offerings, with a high standard for quality in execution.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication and a willingness to work closely with all disciplines, sharing insights and feedback constructively to achieve shared goals.

• Data-Informed Decisions: Utilizing data and analytics as a critical component of decision-making, balancing intuition with empirical evidence to optimize GTM strategies.

• Ownership & Accountability: Taking full responsibility for the success and outcomes of pass products, from initial concept through live operations.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Proactive engagement with peers and stakeholders across departments to ensure alignment on vision, strategy, and execution. This involves active listening, clear articulation of needs, and finding common ground.

• Constructive Feedback: A culture that encourages giving and receiving feedback openly and professionally to drive continuous improvement in design and GTM strategies.

• Knowledge Sharing: A willingness to share expertise and learnings across teams, fostering a collective growth environment and improving overall operational efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: Epic Games' culture likely emphasizes a blend of creative freedom, data-driven strategy, and rigorous execution, all crucial for successful GTM operations in the gaming industry.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Player Experience with Monetization: Navigating the delicate balance between creating engaging, rewarding player experiences and implementing effective monetization strategies that drive revenue without alienating the player base.

• Evolving Player Expectations: Keeping pace with rapidly changing player preferences, market trends, and competitor offerings in the highly dynamic live service game market.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Effectively managing diverse stakeholder priorities and ensuring seamless integration of design, art, marketing, and technical requirements for complex product launches.

• Innovation in a Mature Product: Continuously finding new and exciting ways to innovate within established products like the Battle Pass and Fortnite Crew, differentiating them from past iterations and competitors.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Monetization & Engagement Strategies: Gaining deeper expertise in cutting-edge player engagement models, subscription services, and monetization tactics through direct application and industry research.

• Leadership Development: Enhancing leadership skills through managing a design team, mentoring junior talent, and influencing senior stakeholders.

• Data Science & Analytics: Further developing analytical skills by working closely with Data Scientists and Analysts, improving the ability to interpret complex data sets for GTM optimization.

• Industry Trends & Innovation: Staying at the forefront of game design, player psychology, and emerging technologies through conferences, research, and internal innovation initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents significant challenges that are typical for senior GTM leadership in the gaming industry, offering substantial opportunities for professional growth and skill development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for developing a vision and strategy for a new pass product. How do you ensure it aligns with both player needs and business objectives?" (Focus on your GTM strategic planning process, market analysis, and stakeholder alignment).

• "Walk us through a time you had to balance competing priorities between design integrity, player experience, and monetization goals. How did you achieve alignment?" (Prepare a case study demonstrating your problem-solving skills and cross-functional negotiation).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Fortnite and its Battle Pass/Crew products specifically? What opportunities do you see for innovation?" (Research current Fortnite offerings, recent trends, and articulate your unique perspective).

• "How do you foster a collaborative environment and manage relationships with diverse teams like Art, Marketing, and Data Science?" (Discuss your leadership style and approach to cross-functional communication and GTM alignment).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your strategic approach (including GTM considerations), your specific contributions, the process followed, and the measurable outcomes.

• Data Integration: Visually represent key data points and KPIs that demonstrate the success of your designs and GTM efforts.

• Player Empathy: Weave in how player motivations and feedback informed your design decisions.

• Leadership Demonstration: If presenting team projects, clearly articulate your role as a leader and how you guided the team to success.

• Conciseness: Be prepared to present key information efficiently, leaving time for Q&A and deeper dives into specific areas of interest.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic GTM thinking, leadership capabilities, and a deep understanding of player engagement and monetization within a live service context.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Design Director position:

• Submit your application through the Epic Games careers portal via the provided link.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature your most impactful work on pass-type engagement systems, progression mechanics, and monetization strategies. Ensure case studies clearly articulate your process, GTM alignment, and quantifiable results.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight leadership experience, GTM strategy involvement, experience with F2P/live service games, and proficiency in data analysis and stakeholder management, using keywords from the job description.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design philosophy, leadership approach, and strategic vision for player engagement products. Prepare specific examples for common interview questions related to GTM strategy, cross-functional collaboration, and data-driven decision-making.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Fortnite's current offerings, recent updates, and the broader competitive landscape in the gaming industry to demonstrate a deep understanding of the product and market. Understand Epic Games' overall mission and values.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

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