UX Designer (Unannounced Game)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Designer (Unannounced Game)

Company: Paradox Interactive

Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Game Development - UX/UI Design

Date Posted: April 27, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Design and implement user experiences for an ambitious, unannounced grand strategy game, directly impacting millions of players globally.

• Create detailed wireframes, mockups, and interactive prototypes to visualize and refine player interfaces and workflows.

• Collaborate closely with game designers, UI artists, sound designers, and programmers throughout the development lifecycle.

• Take ownership of the UI implementation pipeline, translating designs into functional in-game interfaces.

• Contribute to a high-trust, player-centric culture focused on quality and community engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a unique blend of traditional UX design and hands-on UI implementation, requiring a candidate comfortable with both conceptualization and technical execution within a game development environment. The emphasis on "working directly in the UI pipeline" and "coding knowledge is required" signifies a deviation from a standard UX role, demanding a more integrated skillset.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and iterate on wireframes, user flows, mockups, and high-fidelity prototypes for game interfaces, ensuring intuitive and engaging player experiences.

• Conduct user research and usability testing (even if informal within the dev team) to gather feedback and inform design decisions.

• Translate complex game mechanics and systems into clear, accessible, and visually appealing user interfaces.

• Implement UI designs directly within the game engine's UI pipeline, utilizing required programming and markup languages.

• Collaborate with UI artists to ensure visual consistency and aesthetic appeal, bridging the gap between design and art.

• Work closely with game designers to understand core game loops and player progression, ensuring the UI effectively supports these.

• Provide clear and concise design documentation and specifications for implementation by programmers and artists.

• Actively participate in design reviews, providing and receiving constructive feedback to elevate the overall game experience.

• Troubleshoot and resolve UI-related issues during development and post-launch.

• Stay current with industry trends in UX design, UI implementation, and game development best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary responsibilities highlight a dual focus: core UX design deliverables (wireframes, prototypes) and direct technical implementation within the game's UI pipeline. This suggests the role requires a candidate who can not only conceptualize but also execute and integrate their designs, making them a crucial hands-on contributor rather than a purely conceptual designer.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in UX Design, UI Design, or a closely related field.

• Experience within the video game industry is strongly preferred.

• Proven track record of shipping at least one game title, or significant contribution to a game through a full Beta phase.

Required Skills:

• Strong proficiency in wireframing, prototyping, and creating detailed interaction documentation.

• Expert-level skills with Figma for design and prototyping.

• Demonstrated ability to think innovatively and push UI/UX boundaries for immersive player experiences.

• Excellent communication and presentation skills, capable of articulating design decisions to diverse stakeholders.

• Ability to provide and receive constructive criticism, balancing design advocacy with openness to feedback.

Technical Skills (Crucial for this role):

• Required: Experience with frontend markup or programming languages (e.g., HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or equivalent).

• Required: Understanding of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts.

• Bonus: Knowledge of XAML.

• Bonus: Knowledge of C++.

Passion for Games:

• A genuine and strong passion for strategy games (Grand Strategy, 4X, Tactical, RTS) is a requirement.

• A passion for Paradox Development Studio games is a significant advantage.

• Interest in sci-fi or fantasy genres is a plus.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "coding knowledge is required" and specific technical skills like frontend markup, OOP, XAML, C++, and Noesis UI is a critical differentiator for this role. Candidates must possess a hybrid skillset of UX design and practical UI development. The "3+ years" is framed with flexibility, valuing equivalent experience in game design or UI implementation, especially if outside the games industry but with strong game passion.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a strong understanding of UX principles, interaction design, and UI implementation.

• Demonstrations of wireframing, user flow mapping, and interactive prototyping, ideally using Figma.

• Case studies that detail the design process from problem identification to solution implementation, highlighting your role and contributions.

• Examples of UI implementation work, showcasing how your designs were brought to life in-game or in a similar interactive environment.

Process Documentation:

• Showcase your ability to document design decisions, user flows, and interaction specifications clearly and concisely.

• Include examples of how you have iterated on designs based on feedback, testing, or technical constraints.

• If possible, include examples of code snippets or explanations of UI implementation challenges you've overcome.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the technical implementation aspect of this role, the portfolio should go beyond typical UX deliverables. It needs to explicitly demonstrate the candidate's ability to work with code and implement UIs, not just design them. Case studies should ideally include a section on the technical realization of the design.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Benefits:

• 30 days of paid vacation per year, allowing for ample rest and rejuvenation.

• Comprehensive health and wellness programs.

• Opportunities for professional development and continuous learning.

• Access to cutting-edge tools and technology for game development.

• A dynamic and supportive work environment with a passionate team.

• Potential for involvement in award-winning game titles.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week, with flexibility often available within a core hours framework. The role is based on-site in Stockholm.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary is estimated based on general market data for Stockholm, Sweden for mid-level tech roles with specialized skills. The specific benefits are inferred from typical offerings at established game development studios and the mention of "30 days paid vacation" in the provided image.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Video Games - Grand Strategy & Simulation Games. Paradox Interactive is a renowned publisher and developer known for its deep, complex, and long-lasting strategy games that foster dedicated global communities.

Company Size: Large (500+ employees). This indicates a structured organization with established processes, but also opportunities for specialized roles and cross-departmental collaboration.

Founded: 1995. With a long history in the industry, Paradox Interactive has a deep understanding of game development, player engagement, and market trends, particularly in the grand strategy genre.

Team Structure:

• The UX Designer will report to a Design Manager, indicating a clear reporting line within the design department.

• The role involves close collaboration with Game Designers, UI Artists, Sound Designers, and Programmers, forming a cross-functional development team.

Methodology:

• The team operates with a player-centric approach, prioritizing player value and community feedback in development decisions.

• A high-trust culture is promoted, where individuals are given freedom and responsibility to manage their tasks and drive projects forward.

• The development process is iterative, with a strong emphasis on quality, polish, and continuous improvement, especially in the later stages of development.

Company Website: https://career.paradoxplaza.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is described as "result driven, high trust and player-centric." This implies an environment where autonomy is valued, but also where accountability and a focus on delivering quality for the player base are paramount. The mention of "journey alone" and "crew" suggests a strong sense of camaraderie and shared purpose.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Mid-Level UX Designer (2-5 years of experience). It requires a solid foundation in UX principles and practical experience, with a significant emphasis on technical implementation skills that go beyond a typical entry-level or junior UX role. The "unannounced game" context suggests a significant project with high visibility.

Reporting Structure: The Design Manager is the direct report. This role will likely be part of a larger design team, potentially with other UX/UI specialists, and will collaborate extensively with engineering and art departments. This structure allows for guidance from a manager while fostering independence in daily tasks.

Operations Impact: The UX Designer's impact is direct and significant, shaping the core player experience of a major title. Success in this role means contributing to a game that resonates with millions, impacting player engagement, retention, and overall satisfaction. The "hands-on in implementation" aspect means their work directly translates into the final product's functionality and polish.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in UI implementation for strategy games, becoming a go-to expert for complex interfaces within Paradox.

• Leadership: Progress to Senior UX Designer roles, potentially leading UI/UX efforts on future projects or mentoring junior designers.

• Cross-Disciplinary Growth: Develop a more profound understanding of game design or programming through close collaboration, potentially leading to hybrid roles or a broader career path within game development.

• Project Leadership: Take on more responsibility for defining and driving the UX vision for entire game features or entire titles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth path here is strongly tied to the specialized nature of the role. Advancing would likely involve mastering both advanced UX design for complex systems and deepening technical UI implementation skills, potentially leading to senior or lead roles within Paradox's game development studios.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is strictly on-site in Stockholm, Sweden, indicating a traditional office-based work environment typical for game development studios. This fosters in-person collaboration and team cohesion.

Office Location(s): The office is located at Magnus Ladulåsgatan 4, Stockholm, 118 66, Sweden. This is a central location within Stockholm, likely offering good access to public transport and city amenities.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The description emphasizes teamwork, brainstorming, and close collaboration with designers, artists, and programmers. Expect a dynamic workspace that encourages interaction and knowledge sharing.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design tools (Figma) and game development pipelines, including specific UI frameworks (Noesis UI, XAML, C++).

• Creative Atmosphere: As a game development studio, the environment is expected to be creative, passionate, and focused on building engaging entertainment experiences.

Work Schedule: Full-time, permanent position with a 6-month probation period. While typically 40 hours per week, game development often involves periods of intense work ("crunch") closer to deadlines, though the company culture aims for a high-trust, supportive environment to mitigate excessive crunch.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement is firm. The workspace context emphasizes the collaborative nature of game development, where close proximity facilitates rapid iteration and problem-solving, especially critical for a role involving direct UI implementation.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Application review, focusing on resume and portfolio alignment with technical and experience requirements.

• Technical Assessment/Portfolio Review: A deeper dive into your portfolio, potentially including a practical exercise or a discussion of your UI implementation capabilities and experience with specific tools (Figma, coding languages).

• Design/Collaboration Interview: Discussion of your approach to UX design, problem-solving, collaboration with cross-functional teams, and passion for strategy games. This may involve discussing hypothetical design scenarios.

• Cultural Fit Interview: Conversation to assess alignment with Paradox Interactive's culture, values, and team dynamics. This might involve the Design Manager and potentially other team members.

• Final Interview: Likely with senior management or the hiring manager to finalize the decision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Implementation: Explicitly showcase your UI implementation work. Include code samples, explanations of technical challenges, and how you integrated designs within a game engine or similar framework.

• Figma Mastery: Demonstrate your proficiency in Figma for wireframing, prototyping, and creating design systems.

• Process & Rationale: Clearly articulate your design process, the rationale behind your decisions, and how you incorporated feedback. Use case studies to tell a compelling story of your contributions.

• Strategy Game Passion: Weave in your passion for strategy games and Paradox titles. Discuss specific UI elements or systems in games you admire and why.

• Conciseness & Clarity: Ensure your portfolio is well-organized, easy to navigate, and highlights your most relevant work.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared for a potential practical design exercise or a technical challenge related to UI implementation. This could involve designing a specific game UI element or troubleshooting a UI issue.

• Practice articulating your thought process for both design decisions and technical implementation.

• Prepare to discuss your experience with strategy games in detail, including what you like or dislike about their UIs and how you would improve them.

• Research Paradox Development Studio's games (e.g., Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, Stellaris) and be ready to discuss their UI/UX.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "hands-on in implementation" aspect means the portfolio review will likely be more technically rigorous than a standard UX role. Candidates should be ready to demonstrate their coding proficiency and understanding of UI pipelines.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (primary tool, expert proficiency required).

• UI Frameworks: Noesis UI (exceptional), XAML (bonus), other relevant proprietary or industry-standard UI frameworks.

• Programming Languages: Frontend markup/programming languages (required), C++ (bonus), general Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts (strongly valued).

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly relevant to this specific UX/UI implementation role. The focus is on game development tools and pipelines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core technical stack is heavily focused on UI design and implementation tools. Figma is the specified design tool, while Noesis UI, XAML, C++, and general programming/markup languages are critical for the implementation aspect.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Player-Centricity: The highest priority is to add player value. All design and implementation decisions should ultimately serve the player experience.

• Quality & Polish: A strong emphasis on delivering a highly polished, beautiful, and functional product.

• High Trust & Autonomy: Individuals are given freedom and responsibility, fostering a culture of ownership and initiative.

• Collaboration: Working closely with diverse disciplines to achieve a shared vision.

• Passion: A genuine passion for games, particularly strategy games, is highly valued and expected.

• Continuous Improvement: A drive to constantly elevate the product and one's own skills.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Seamless collaboration between UX Design, Game Design, UI Art, Sound Design, and Programming is essential.

• Constructive Feedback Culture: Openness to receiving and giving feedback is critical for iterating and improving designs and implementations.

• Proactive Communication: Raising issues, sharing perspectives, and actively participating in discussions are encouraged.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture strongly emphasizes player value, quality, and a collaborative, high-trust environment. Values are not just abstract concepts but are expected to be demonstrated through daily work and interactions, especially in how team members approach challenges and contribute to the product.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing UX and Technical Implementation: The primary challenge is integrating deep UX design principles with the practical constraints and requirements of UI implementation within a game engine.

• Complex System Design: Designing intuitive interfaces for complex grand strategy game mechanics that cater to a dedicated and knowledgeable player base.

• Iterative Development: Adapting to evolving game designs and technical requirements throughout the development cycle, especially in the later stages.

• Cross-Discipline Alignment: Ensuring seamless communication and buy-in from various disciplines (art, programming, design) for implemented UI solutions.

• Meeting High Player Expectations: Delivering a polished and engaging experience that meets the high standards of Paradox's community.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Game UI: Gain extensive experience in designing and implementing UIs for one of the most complex genres in gaming.

• Technical Skill Enhancement: Improve proficiency in specific UI frameworks, programming languages, and game development pipelines.

• Cross-Disciplinary Understanding: Develop a deeper appreciation for the challenges and workflows of game designers, UI artists, and programmers.

• Industry Exposure: Work on a high-profile, unannounced title within a leading strategy game development studio.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are directly tied to the unique demands of the role – merging high-level UX thinking with practical, code-driven implementation within the complex world of grand strategy games. Growth opportunities are therefore focused on mastering this hybrid skillset and contributing to significant projects.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to balance a user-centric design vision with technical limitations. How did you resolve it?" (Focus on your implementation experience).

• "How would you approach designing the main interface for a grand strategy game, considering the complexity of information and player needs?" (Prepare to discuss your strategy game passion and UI preferences).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What is your favorite Paradox Development Studio game, and why? What do you think of its UI/UX?" (Demonstrate your passion and analytical skills).

• "How do you approach collaboration with artists and programmers when implementing your designs?" (Highlight your teamwork and communication skills).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Technical Focus: Dedicate significant time to showcasing your UI implementation work. Explain the code, the framework, and the process of bringing your designs to life.

• Case Study Structure: For each project, clearly outline the problem, your role, your design process, the technical implementation, the challenges, and the outcome/impact.

• Visuals & Demos: Use clear mockups, prototypes, and ideally video demonstrations of functional UI elements.

• Storytelling: Frame your projects as narratives that highlight your problem-solving skills, technical abilities, and passion for games.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation must heavily emphasize the technical implementation aspect. Candidates should be ready to discuss code, frameworks, and the practicalities of bringing UI designs to life, in addition to standard UX design principles.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this UX Designer position:

• Submit your application through the Paradox Interactive careers portal, ensuring your resume and cover letter are tailored to this role.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select projects that best demonstrate your UX design skills (wireframing, prototyping with Figma) AND your UI implementation capabilities (code examples, explanations of frameworks like XAML, C++, or Noesis UI). Prioritize strategy game-related projects if possible.

• Highlight Technical Skills: In your resume and cover letter, explicitly mention your experience with frontend markup/programming languages, OOP concepts, and any relevant bonus skills (XAML, C++, Noesis UI).

• Practice Your Presentation: Prepare to walk through your portfolio, focusing on both the design rationale and the technical execution of your UI work. Rehearse explaining your process and outcomes clearly and concisely.

• Research Paradox: Familiarize yourself with Paradox Development Studio's games, their UI/UX strengths and weaknesses, and the company's player-centric culture. Be ready to articulate your passion for strategy games.

⚠️ 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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