Lead Designer - Runescape: Dragonwilds

Location: Cambridge, UK – (Remote available within the UK with team onsite days in the Cambridge office approx. 4 times per year)

Are you an experienced hands-on creative game design leader with excellent experience working at the intersection of systems, survival gameplay, and player-driven experiences?

As a Lead Designer on RuneScape: Dragonwilds – our new open-world survival crafting game set in the RuneScape universe – you’ll define and drive the design vision, growing and leading a multidisciplinary team through the creation of compelling multiplayer survival, sandbox, and progression systems that combine the rich heritage of RuneScape with innovative, emergent gameplay.

In this key, high impact role in the team you\’ll work across multiple disciplines and departments to ensure creative alignment, executional excellence, and a high-performance and collaborative culture that empowers both your team and the broader studio.

What you’ll be doing:

• Define and champion the creative vision for an expansive, systemic experience grounded in RuneScape: Dragonwilds.
• Lead the design of compelling systems that combine multiplayer survival, sandbox progression, and persistent evergreen loops with familiar RuneScape DNA.
• Translate high-level direction into concrete design goals and gameplay pillars that support scalability, player agency, and long-term engagement.
• Establish quality benchmarks through rapid prototyping, iteration, and data-informed decision making.
• Manage, mentor, and grow a multidisciplinary team of designers across systems, combat, UX, and content.
• Foster a high-performance culture that emphasises creativity, ownership, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Conduct regular feedback sessions, career development planning, and performance evaluations to elevate individual and team capability.
• Serve as a central design voice working alongside production, creative, engineering, art, and publishing teams.
• Work with the Creative Director to ensure design direction aligns with long-term product and player goals.
• Collaborate with product, analytics and research to validate design hypotheses and refine player experience over time.
• Be Accountable for the full lifecycle of gameplay features, from concept and documentation through implementation and polish.
• Push for innovation while maintaining feasibility and clarity of scope, ensuring delivery of high-quality, on-vision work.
• Hands-on engagement with tools and pipelines in Unreal Engine 5, guiding design implementation and fostering technical excellence.

What we’re looking for:

• Proven track record as a Lead Designer or similar role on multiplayer, MMO, survival, or combat-centric titles.
• Demonstrable experience designing for large-scale player systems, progression mechanics, and emergent gameplay.
• High proficiency in Unreal Engine 5, including scripting, prototyping, and collaborative cross-discipline workflows.
• Strong grasp of combat design, especially real-time or melee-based mechanics.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and cross-discipline alignment skills.

What we offer:

When you join Jagex you can look forward to a generous Perks & Benefits package including:

• Private Healthcare, including Dental Plan.
• Minimum 6% Pension contributions.
• Employee Assistance Programme & onsite Counselling.
• Life Insurance.
• Discretionary annual performance bonus.
• Enhanced family leave policies from day 1.
• Flexible working hours.
• 25 days annual leave + Bank holidays & the option to buy/sell holidays + so much more!

About Jagex:

Jagex is a leader in developing and publishing deep, engaging online games that connect millions of players worldwide. Best known for the RuneScape franchise, which includes two of the world’s longest running and most successful MMORPGs, in Old School Runescape and Runescape, and the open-world survival crafting game, Runescape: Dragonwilds; we have proven success in delivering immersive Forever Games and fostering strong player communities.

We strive to foster an inclusive workplace built on trust, autonomy, and a shared passion for creating forever games.
Our values guide everything we do: We Embrace Fellowship by collaborating and sharing openly. We Hone our Craft by always learning and improving; we Honour our Vows by being honest and transparent; we are our Customers’ Heroes by striving to understand our team & player needs, and we Seize The Day by making the most of every opportunity.

With over two decades of experience, and over 400 people in our team, we continue to innovate in live game development, leveraging data-driven insights, and a commitment to player-first game design. We have a diverse and talented team where creativity, collaboration, and community-driven game development drives everything we do.

As part of Jagex, you’ll have the opportunity to work on a globally successful franchise, contribute to exciting new projects, and be part of a company that hugely values both our employees and our players.

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