Lead Designer, Activity

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead Designer, Activity

Company: Warner Bros. Discovery

Location: Remote Utah, United States of America

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Game Design Operations / Creative & Media

Date Posted: 2026-06-18

Experience Level: 10+ years

Remote Status: TELECOMMUTE

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the design and implementation of compelling, player-driven activities for an open-world game, focusing on systemic and scripted content.

• Lead and mentor a world-class team of activity designers, fostering career growth and ensuring cohesive design vision.

• Collaborate closely with Game Director and Design Director to create a fresh, relevant, and engaging player experience for a live-service title.

• Drive the creation of repeatable, scalable activities for multiple players, alongside scripted narrative-driven activities and challenging pinnacle content.

• Conduct regular playtesting, maintain live service activities, and tune game mechanics to ensure optimal player engagement and satisfaction.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role sits within the Game Development vertical, specifically focusing on the operational aspects of game design for live-service multiplayer titles. The emphasis on "Activity Design" points to a specialized role within game operations that bridges creative design with the ongoing management and evolution of game content. This is distinct from traditional IT or revenue operations but shares the core principles of process, system, and team management for ongoing product success.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Vision and Documentation:

  • Define and articulate a clear vision for gameplay activities, aligning with the game's market position and target audience goals.
  • Develop and maintain comprehensive, accurate design documentation for all activities, ensuring clarity for cross-functional teams.
  • Champion the design vision, successfully socializing it and securing buy-in from key stakeholders, including executive leadership.

• Collaboration and Integration:

  • Work in close partnership with the Lead World Designer to seamlessly integrate game activities into the level design, creating a cohesive open-world experience.
  • Actively receive and implement feedback from the Design Director, ensuring alignment with the overall game direction.
  • Collaborate effectively with other design leads (e.g., Systems, Narrative, Level) to achieve a unified and engaging player experience.
  • Balance design requirements with the needs and constraints of art, engineering, and production teams to ensure efficient development cycles.

• Leadership and Team Management:

  • As the project scales, build, recruit, and lead a high-performing team of activity designers.
  • Provide mentorship, guidance, and career development support to junior activity designers, fostering their growth and skill enhancement.
  • Conduct performance reviews, manage team workload, and ensure the team's output meets the highest quality standards.

• Design and Implementation of Activities:

  • Design and implement repeatable, open-world activities that are scalable to support varying player counts, from solo experiences to large groups.
  • Develop and integrate scripted, narrative-driven activities that enhance the game's story and player immersion.
  • Create and refine "pinnacle" activities designed to challenge dedicated players and foster community engagement through coordinated group efforts.
  • Conceptualize and execute limited-time activities for calendar-based events, driving player retention and engagement throughout the game's lifecycle.

• Playtesting, Maintenance, and Tuning:

  • Organize and conduct regular playtesting sessions for game activities, systematically gathering player feedback.

  • Analyze playtest feedback to identify areas for improvement and translate insights into actionable design adjustments for the current development phase.

  • Manage and maintain live service game activities, including bug fixing, performance tuning, and content updates to ensure a stable and engaging player experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a focus on live-service game design operations. This involves not only initial creation but also ongoing management, iteration, and team leadership within a product that has a long lifecycle post-launch. The emphasis on "repeatable," "scalable," and "live service" points to a need for designers who understand system design and operational efficiency.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While specific degree requirements are not listed, a Bachelor's degree in Game Design, Computer Science, Interactive Media, or a related field is often preferred for leadership roles in game development. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in game design.

• Minimum of 5 years in a design leadership role.

• Minimum of 3 years of direct people management experience within the design discipline.

• Proven track record of shipping at least one live-service multiplayer title in a design leadership capacity.

• Proven track record of shipping at least one action title in a design leadership capacity.

• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing at least one "endgame" activity for a live-service title. Required Skills:

• Game Design Expertise: Deep understanding of core game mechanics, level design principles, and player psychology.

• Leadership & Management: Proven ability to lead, mentor, and manage a team of designers, fostering a collaborative and productive environment.

• Live-Service Design: Extensive experience designing and maintaining activities for live-service games, with a focus on player retention and engagement.

• Action Game Design: Strong background in designing engaging combat, traversal, and challenge systems within action game genres.

• Endgame Content Design: Expertise in crafting meaningful and challenging endgame activities that provide long-term player value.

• Systemic Design: Ability to design and implement repeatable, emergent gameplay systems that scale and adapt.

• Documentation Skills: Proficient in creating clear, concise, and comprehensive design documents (GDDs, feature specs).

• Collaboration: Excellent interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams (Art, Engineering, Production, QA).

• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to address design challenges and player feedback.

• Passion for Online RPGs: Genuine enthusiasm and understanding of the online RPG genre and its player communities.

Preferred Skills:

• Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) Expertise: Hands-on experience with UE5 editor, blueprints, and associated workflows.

• Programming/Scripting: Proficiency in C++ and/or scripting languages (e.g., Lua, Python) for prototyping and implementing game logic.

• Industry Trends & Technology: Awareness of current and emerging trends in game design, technology, and player engagement.

• Analytical Frameworks: Familiarity with analytical frameworks (e.g., game economics, hermeneutics, statistical analysis) to inform design decisions.

• Player Psychology: Deeper understanding of player motivation, engagement loops, and behavioral economics.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "10+ years design experience" and "3+ years people management" combined with specific shipped titles (live-service multiplayer, action, endgame) strongly suggest this is a senior-level leadership role. The "Nice-to-Haves" like UE5 and C++ point towards a hands-on leadership style, where the Lead Designer might still be involved in implementation or at least deeply understand the technical execution.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Design Documentation Samples: Showcase examples of Game Design Documents (GDDs), feature specifications, or detailed activity breakdowns that demonstrate clarity, structure, and thoroughness. Focus on how documentation facilitated development.

• Systemic Design Examples: Present case studies or examples of repeatable, scalable game systems designed and implemented, highlighting how they contributed to player engagement or longevity.

• Live-Service Content Examples: Illustrate contributions to live-service titles, focusing on the design and iteration of activities that drove player retention, engagement, or monetization.

• Leadership & Mentorship Examples: Include any evidence of team leadership, mentorship, or project management, such as team structure diagrams, process improvements implemented, or examples of mentoring junior designers.

• Endgame Activity Design Case Study: A detailed breakdown of an endgame activity designed, including its objectives, mechanics, player progression, and how it was tuned for challenge and reward.

Process Documentation:

• Activity Design Workflow: Document the end-to-end process for designing, prototyping, implementing, and iterating on game activities, from initial concept to live-service updates.

• Collaboration Protocols: Outline established processes for collaborating with other disciplines (art, engineering, production) to ensure efficient development and integration of activities.

• Playtesting & Feedback Integration: Detail the methodology for conducting playtests, analyzing feedback, and integrating insights into design adjustments and tuning processes.

• Live Service Management Processes: Describe the operational processes for managing and updating live-service activities, including bug tracking, performance monitoring, and content deployment.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a leadership role in game design operations, a portfolio should not only showcase design output but also demonstrate an understanding of process, team management, and the operational lifecycle of a live-service game. The emphasis should be on how the candidate structured and managed design work to achieve project goals and maintain product health.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Given the experience level (10+ years, including 5+ in leadership and 3+ in people management), the location (Remote Utah, USA), and the company (Warner Bros. Discovery), a competitive salary range is expected. For a Lead Designer, Activity role in the US, particularly in a high-demand tech/creative field like game development, the estimated annual salary could range from $140,000 to $200,000+ USD, depending on specific experience, negotiation, and the exact scope of responsibilities.

Benefits:

• Curated Benefits: Warner Bros. Discovery offers a comprehensive benefits package, typically including:

  • Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

  • Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) and Holidays

  • 401(k) Retirement Plan with Company Match

  • Life and Disability Insurance

  • Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)

  • Opportunities for Professional Development and Training

  • Potential for Employee Discounts on WBD products and services.

  • Parental Leave policies. Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours are typically 40 hours per week.

• Given the leadership nature of the role and the demands of live-service game development, occasional extended hours or weekend work may be required during critical development phases or for urgent live-service issues.

• The remote nature of the role offers flexibility in scheduling, but core hours for collaboration with teams in different time zones will likely be expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimations are based on industry benchmarks for lead-level game designers with extensive experience in live-service and leadership roles in major entertainment companies in the US. Benefits are inferred from standard offerings by large corporations like Warner Bros. Discovery, with "Curated Benefits" noted in the input data suggesting a comprehensive and potentially customizable package.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Entertainment, Media, and Gaming. Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is a global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium content and experiences. The "Activity" design role specifically places it within the interactive entertainment/gaming division, which operates with a blend of creative artistry and rigorous operational processes common in game development.

Company Size: WBD is a very large enterprise, likely employing tens of thousands of individuals globally. This scale means operations are robust, with established processes and significant resources, but also can involve navigating larger organizational structures.

Founded: Warner Bros. Discovery was formed in April 2022 through the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc. This implies a dynamic environment where integration and evolving operational frameworks are ongoing. The gaming division likely has a more established history within its former entities.

Team Structure:

• Operations Team: The Lead Activity Designer will be part of the game development team, likely reporting into a Design Director or a higher-level Game Director. The team will consist of other specialized designers (e.g., Systems Designers, Narrative Designers, Level Designers) and potentially junior Activity Designers under their direct management.

• Reporting Structure: The role involves direct reports, indicating a significant management component. The Lead will report to a Director-level executive, who will set the overarching vision and strategic direction.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: This role requires extensive collaboration with Art Directors, Engineering Leads, Producers, QA Leads, and potentially Marketing and Community Management teams to ensure seamless integration and successful delivery of activities.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: The role emphasizes leveraging playtesting feedback and potentially player data from live services to inform design decisions, tune mechanics, and iterate on activities.

• Agile Development: Game development, especially for live services, typically follows agile methodologies, involving iterative development cycles, sprints, and continuous feedback loops.

• Systemic and Scripted Content Integration: The team will likely employ a hybrid approach, designing robust systemic gameplay that allows for emergent player experiences, while also scripting narrative-driven moments and events to guide the player's journey.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The information about WBD's formation in 2022 suggests a company undergoing significant integration and strategic alignment. For an operations-focused role, understanding how different divisions are harmonizing their processes and technologies will be key. The "Activity Designer" role implies a focus on the operational aspects of content delivery and player engagement in a live-service environment, which is a critical area for any large media company venturing further into gaming.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a senior leadership position within the game design discipline, specifically focused on the operational aspects of creating and managing in-game activities for a live-service multiplayer title. It sits at a "Lead" or "Principal" level, responsible for both strategic design direction and team management. The role requires a blend of creative vision, technical understanding, and strong operational management skills.

Reporting Structure: The Lead Activity Designer will report to a Design Director or Game Director. They will have direct reports consisting of Activity Designers and potentially other junior design roles. This structure allows for direct influence on a specific game feature set and the development of a specialized design team.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is significant, directly influencing player engagement, retention, and overall satisfaction with the game. Well-designed and consistently updated activities are crucial for the long-term success and monetization of live-service games. The Lead's operational efficiency in managing the design team and processes directly affects the game's ability to remain fresh and compelling for its player base over years.

Growth Opportunities:

• Senior Leadership: Progression to a Game Director, Design Director, or Head of Design role, overseeing larger teams and broader game development initiatives.

• Specialization: Deepening expertise in specific areas of game design operations, such as live-service strategy, player economy design, or community-driven content development.

• Cross-Disciplinary Roles: Moving into broader production management roles or strategic planning roles within the gaming division, leveraging a deep understanding of game development operations.

• Mentorship and Training: Developing internal training programs for activity design, or taking on roles focused on talent development within the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Lead" title and the requirement for people management and experience shipping live-service titles clearly position this role as a significant step in a game design career path. The growth opportunities emphasize a move towards broader strategic leadership within the game development lifecycle or specialization in critical live-service operational areas.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The position is listed as "TELECOMMUTE," indicating a fully remote work arrangement. This offers significant flexibility for employees to work from their chosen location within the specified region (Utah, USA).

Office Location(s): While the role is remote, the requirement for "Remote Utah" suggests that candidates must reside in or be willing to relocate to Utah, USA, to comply with employment regulations and potential taxation requirements for the company. This is common for remote roles to manage compliance.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Despite being remote, the role emphasizes collaboration. Expect regular virtual meetings, use of communication tools (e.g., Slack, Teams), and collaborative design sessions using screen sharing and digital whiteboarding tools.

• Operations Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard game development software (e.g., Unreal Engine 5), project management tools (e.g., Jira, Asana), version control systems (e.g., Perforce, Git), and communication platforms.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for interaction will be primarily through digital channels. The Lead Designer will be responsible for fostering a sense of team cohesion and collaboration within their remote team.

Work Schedule:

• Standard full-time hours (approx. 40 hours/week) are expected.

• Flexibility in daily start/end times is likely, but consistent availability during core business hours for team synchronization and collaboration across time zones (especially if collaborating with teams in other regions) will be crucial.

• Occasional evening or weekend work may be necessary to meet deadlines or address critical live-service issues.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Remote Utah" designation is a key detail. It signifies a remote-first role but with a geographic restriction, likely for legal, tax, or HR compliance reasons. This offers flexibility while maintaining a degree of operational oversight and legal framework.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or HR representative will likely conduct an initial screening to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.

• Hiring Manager Interview: This will focus on your leadership experience, design philosophy, and understanding of live-service game operations. Expect questions about your management style and how you've handled team challenges.

• Design Exercise/Case Study: A practical assessment, potentially involving a design challenge related to creating a specific type of activity, refining an existing mechanic, or analyzing a gameplay scenario. This may be a take-home assignment or a live/virtual working session.

• Portfolio Review: A dedicated session where you present your portfolio, highlighting key projects, leadership contributions, and specific examples of your work on live-service multiplayer and action titles. Be prepared to discuss your process, decision-making, and the impact of your designs.

• Team/Cross-functional Interviews: You may meet with other design leads, directors, or key members from engineering and art to assess collaboration skills and team fit.

• Final Executive Interview: A meeting with a senior executive (e.g., VP of Game Development, Design Director) to discuss strategic alignment and overall suitability.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: For each project, clearly articulate your role, the challenges faced, the solutions you implemented, and the measurable impact on player experience, engagement, or retention.

• Showcase Leadership: Highlight instances where you led teams, mentored junior designers, or managed design processes. Provide examples of how you fostered collaboration and resolved conflicts.

• Live-Service Expertise: Dedicate a section to your experience with live-service games. Detail your contributions to ongoing content, updates, tuning, and player retention strategies.

• Design Process: Be prepared to walk through your design process for a complex activity, from ideation and documentation to implementation and iteration based on feedback.

• Tailor to the Role: Emphasize your experience with repeatable/scalable activities, scripted events, "pinnacle" content, and your passion for online RPGs.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Core: Re-familiarize yourself with the concepts of systemic vs. scripted design, open-world activities, and endgame content for live-service games.

• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Practice thinking through design problems under pressure. Consider how you would approach balancing different player needs, technical constraints, and business objectives.

• Quantify Success: For any hypothetical or past design challenges, think about how you would measure success (e.g., player engagement metrics, retention rates, feedback sentiment).

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process described is typical for senior leadership roles in the gaming industry. The emphasis on portfolio review and design challenges is standard, with specific attention given to live-service operations and leadership capabilities.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Unreal Engine 5 (UE5): A core requirement, indicating the need for designers to be proficient with the engine's editor, Blueprint visual scripting, and potentially the underlying C++ framework for implementing and iterating on game activities.

• Version Control Systems: Experience with systems like Perforce or Git for managing game assets and code collaboratively.

• Project Management Software: Proficiency with tools like Jira, Asana, Trello, or similar platforms for task tracking, sprint planning, and workflow management.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Game Analytics Platforms: Familiarity with tools used for tracking player behavior, engagement metrics, and activity performance (e.g., proprietary WBD tools, GameAnalytics, Amplitude, or similar).

• Data Visualization Tools: Ability to interpret and potentially create reports or dashboards using tools like Tableau, Power BI, or in-engine analytics to communicate activity performance to stakeholders.

CRM & Automation:

• While not a direct CRM role, understanding how player data is managed and how it influences game design decisions is beneficial. This could involve understanding player segmentation or how in-game events are triggered and managed programmatically.

• Scripting Languages: C++ and/or scripting languages (e.g., Lua, Python) are highly valued for prototyping, implementing complex logic, and enabling dynamic in-game events.

📝 Enhancement Note: The mention of UE5 and C++/scripting suggests a hands-on leadership role where technical understanding is crucial for effective design and team guidance. Proficiency in analytics and data interpretation is key for managing live-service content.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Player-Centricity: A strong focus on understanding player needs, desires, and behaviors to create engaging and rewarding experiences.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: Emphasis on working effectively with diverse teams, valuing input from all disciplines, and fostering a supportive environment.

• Innovation & Creativity: Encouraging fresh ideas and pushing creative boundaries to deliver unique and memorable gameplay activities.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing analytics and playtesting feedback to inform design choices, iterate on features, and optimize for player engagement.

• Excellence & Quality: A commitment to delivering high-quality, polished experiences that meet the standards of Warner Bros. Discovery brands.

• Adaptability & Resilience: Thriving in a dynamic development environment, being able to pivot based on feedback, and maintaining productivity through challenges.

Collaboration Style:

• Open Communication: Encouraging transparent and frequent communication across all levels and disciplines.

• Constructive Feedback: A culture where feedback is given and received constructively, with the goal of improving the product.

• Cross-Functional Harmony: Proactively engaging with other departments to ensure alignment and efficient workflow, breaking down silos.

• Knowledge Sharing: Fostering an environment where team members share best practices, learnings, and insights to elevate the collective skill set.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values and collaboration style are inferred based on typical successful game development studio cultures, especially within large, established media organizations like WBD. The emphasis on player-centricity, data-driven approaches, and cross-functional collaboration aligns with the operational demands of live-service game design.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Systemic vs. Scripted Content: Effectively integrating repeatable, emergent gameplay with curated narrative experiences to create a cohesive and engaging open world.

• Scaling Content for Live Service: Designing activities that remain fresh and compelling for a large, diverse player base over an extended period, requiring continuous updates and tuning.

• Managing Remote Teams: Ensuring effective communication, collaboration, and team cohesion when working with a distributed team, particularly across different time zones.

• Cross-Disciplinary Alignment: Navigating the complexities of aligning design vision with the technical constraints and creative goals of art, engineering, and production teams.

• Player Expectations Management: Meeting the high expectations of players for content, polish, and ongoing support in a competitive live-service market.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced UE5 & Scripting: Opportunities to deepen expertise in Unreal Engine 5 and scripting languages for more complex design implementations.

• Live-Service Strategy: Gaining in-depth knowledge of player engagement loops, monetization strategies, and community management as they relate to game design.

• Leadership Development: Access to WBD's internal leadership training programs, mentorship opportunities, and exposure to senior management.

• Industry Trends & Conferences: Potential for attending industry events (e.g., GDC) to stay abreast of emerging technologies and design methodologies.

• Cross-Disciplinary Exposure: Opportunities to learn from and collaborate with experts in art, engineering, and narrative design, broadening understanding of the game development pipeline.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges reflect the inherent complexities of designing for live-service multiplayer games and leading distributed teams. The growth opportunities align with advancing within the game design leadership track or expanding into broader operational and strategic roles within the gaming industry.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your philosophy for designing compelling, repeatable activities in an open-world live-service game. How do you balance systemic design with scripted content?" (Focus on your process, examples of thinking)

• "How would you approach building and managing a remote team of activity designers? What strategies would you employ to foster collaboration and maintain morale?" (Highlight leadership and remote team management experience)

• "Walk me through a time you had to balance competing demands from different departments (e.g., art, engineering, production) while leading a design initiative. How did you achieve alignment?" (Showcase collaboration and problem-solving skills) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Warner Bros. Discovery and this specific opportunity to design activities for our game?" (Research WBD's recent game projects, their brands, and their stated values)

• "How do you see the 'Activity Designer' role contributing to the overall success and longevity of a live-service game?" (Connect your role to business objectives and player retention)

• "Describe a time you received critical feedback on your design work. How did you process it, and what actions did you take?" (Demonstrate receptiveness to feedback and a growth mindset) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Begin with a high-level overview of your career, then dive into 2-3 key projects that best showcase your leadership, live-service, and activity design expertise. For each project, clearly define the problem, your solution, your role (especially leadership), and the outcome/impact.

• Quantify Results: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs. This could include engagement rates, retention figures, player feedback sentiment, or successful event participation.

• Highlight Process: Be ready to explain your design process, from initial concept and documentation to implementation, playtesting, and live-service iteration. Show how you leverage tools and collaborate with teams.

• Leadership Emphasis: For this role, explicitly point out instances where you led teams, mentored designers, managed workflows, and contributed to team strategy.

• Technical Fluency: When discussing projects involving UE5 or scripting, be prepared to speak at a level that demonstrates your understanding of the technical implementation and its implications for design.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating a blend of creative design vision, strong leadership capabilities, and a pragmatic understanding of the operational demands of live-service game development. The strategy questions aim to probe your thought process and problem-solving approaches, while company-specific questions assess your research and genuine interest.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the Warner Bros. Discovery careers portal via the provided link.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight your 10+ years of design experience, with specific emphasis on your leadership roles (5+ years), people management (3+ years), and experience shipping live-service multiplayer and action titles. Showcase your expertise in designing "endgame" activities and your passion for online RPGs.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly lists your experience with Unreal Engine 5, C++, scripting, and any relevant game analytics tools. Quantify your achievements with metrics wherever possible, especially those related to player engagement, retention, or team productivity.

• Portfolio Preparation: Curate a portfolio that clearly demonstrates your design leadership, experience with live-service content, and your ability to design scalable, repeatable activities. Focus on case studies that highlight your process, collaboration, and the impact of your work. Be prepared to present this effectively during interviews.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Warner Bros. Discovery's current gaming initiatives, their stated guiding principles, and the types of games within their portfolio. Understand how your role as Lead Activity Designer fits into their broader entertainment and gaming strategy.

⚠️ 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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