At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design and delivery of engaging educational games and assets.
- Company: Join Twinkl, a dynamic company dedicated to supporting educators worldwide.
- Benefits: Enjoy 33 days annual leave, health benefits, and a fun, supportive culture.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in education while leading a creative team.
- Qualifications: 5-7 years in game production with team management experience.
- Other info: Diversity and inclusion are at our core; we celebrate every individual.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
We’re here to help those who teach. It’s what brings us to work every day. At Twinkl, we’ve been providing educators across the world with high quality, trusted teaching and learning resources for over a decade now. They’re all written and checked by our wonderful team of experienced educators, and there are hundreds of thousands of resources to download, with new ones added daily.
About the Role
We’re looking for an experienced Lead Game Designer to scale our educational games portfolio and asset production practices. This is a leadership role overseeing the quality, consistency, and scalability of both game design and 2D asset creation, with a small hands-on component. This role will lead a team of game designers and asset creators, while helping manage production roadmaps, improving workflows, and delivering polished, accessible, and educationally meaningful game experiences. The role will also ensure creative alignment across visual, interactive, and technical elements, while also shaping best practices for asset pipelines and reusable design systems.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Game & asset leadership: Own the end-to-end design and delivery of educational games and their supporting assets, from concept and prototyping through to implementation and QA.
- Design direction: Define and guide the creative and technical direction of games, ensuring visual and interaction quality align with Twinkl’s standards for accessibility, brand, and educational outcomes.
- Asset strategy & scalability: Oversee asset creation workflows and pipelines, ensuring all visuals are optimised for maximum performance on the desired platform. Lead the development of reusable systems and libraries that support scalable production.
- Cross-functional collaboration: Work closely with animators, illustrators, product designers, engineers, and educators to ensure cohesive, production-ready experiences that meet learning goals and creative expectations.
- Creative quality & consistency: Review and provide feedback on game and asset outputs, ensuring all deliverables maintain visual polish, usability, and alignment with our design principles.
- Workflow improvement: Identify, propose, and implement process enhancements that improve efficiency, collaboration, and overall team productivity.
- Mentoring & leadership: Support and guide game designers and asset creators through regular feedback, project direction, and skill development. Foster a positive, collaborative team culture.
- Stakeholder alignment: Communicate plans, milestones, and challenges effectively to stakeholders, leadership and partner teams, ensuring clarity on priorities, timelines, and resourcing needs.
We’re interested in people who have:
- 5-7 years of experience in game production, with at least 3 spent on managing a creative team.
- Proven experience shipping games or interactive educational products on web and/or mobile.
- Excellent grasp of user experience and accessibility principles in games.
- Strong understanding of 2D asset pipelines, file optimisation, and lightweight game development workflows.
- Proficiency with illustration and asset creation tools (e.g. Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop).
- Familiarity with Unity, Godot, or similar 2D engines.
- Experience managing or mentoring designers and artists.
- Strong communication and organisational skills, comfortable balancing creative and operational priorities.
- Familiarity with Jira, Trello, or other production management tools.
If you require a reasonable adjustment to the application/selection process to enable you to demonstrate your ability to perform the job requirements please include this at the foot of your covering letter. This will help us to understand any modifications we may need to make to support you throughout our selection process.
In return for everything you can bring, we can offer you an exciting role in a fast-growing and dynamic business, with plenty of career opportunities. A friendly, welcoming and supportive culture. We believe work should be fun and always put people before the process. Diversity, inclusion and belonging - our Employee Network Program includes working groups for LGBTQ+, People of Colour, Disabilities (visible and invisible), Women in Tech and Working Parents. From day 1 - Westfield Health, 33 annual leave days per year (pro-rata) inclusive.
Lead Game Designer in London employer: Twinkl Educational Publishing
Contact Detail:
Twinkl Educational Publishing Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Game Designer in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the gaming industry, especially those who might know someone at Twinkl. A friendly chat can sometimes lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised!
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your portfolio! Make sure you have a solid collection of your best work ready to share. Highlight projects that showcase your leadership and design skills, especially in educational games.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by brushing up on your knowledge of user experience and accessibility principles. Be ready to discuss how you’ve applied these in past projects, as they’re super important for Twinkl’s mission.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining the Twinkl team!
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Game Designer in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion: When you're writing your application, let your enthusiasm for game design shine through! We want to see how much you love creating educational games and how that passion can contribute to our mission at Twinkl.
Tailor Your Experience: Make sure to highlight your relevant experience in game production and team management. We’re looking for someone who can lead a creative team, so share specific examples of your past projects and how they align with the role.
Be Clear and Concise: Keep your application straightforward and to the point. We appreciate clarity, so avoid jargon and focus on what makes you a great fit for the Lead Game Designer position. Remember, less is often more!
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity. We can’t wait to hear from you!
How to prepare for a job interview at Twinkl Educational Publishing
✨Know Your Games
Make sure you’re well-versed in the latest trends and best practices in game design, especially in educational contexts. Familiarise yourself with Twinkl’s existing portfolio and think about how you can contribute to it. Bring specific examples of games you admire and how they align with educational goals.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Lead Game Designer, your ability to lead a team is crucial. Prepare to discuss your past experiences managing creative teams, including how you’ve mentored designers and improved workflows. Be ready to share specific instances where your leadership made a positive impact on a project.
✨Demonstrate Your Technical Knowledge
Brush up on your understanding of 2D asset pipelines and game development tools like Unity or Godot. Be prepared to discuss how you optimise assets for performance and how you ensure accessibility in your designs. This will show that you’re not just a creative thinker but also technically savvy.
✨Communicate Clearly
Effective communication is key in this role. Practice articulating your ideas clearly and concisely, especially when discussing complex concepts. Think about how you would explain your design decisions to non-designers, as you’ll need to collaborate with various stakeholders at Twinkl.