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tombola • Sunderland, United Kingdom

Head of Game Design

Employment type:  Full time
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Job Description

As Head of Game Design, this role will lead the creative vision and player experience across the Game Studio portfolio. Working across bingo, slots, instant win, table games and free-to-play products, the role will shape innovative, engaging and commercially successful gaming experiences for players.

This is a senior creative leadership role, combining strategic thinking with deep expertise in gameplay mechanics, player psychology and visual storytelling. Leading a multidisciplinary team of Designers, Artists and UI specialists, the role will ensure games are not only compliant and high-performing, but genuinely entertaining and industry-leading.

What you'll be doing

Creative vision & innovation

  • Help shape and deliver the Game Studio and Content strategies across the portfolio

  • Define the visual direction, gameplay mechanics and overall player experience of tombola games

  • Lead the development of innovative game concepts, themes and social features that differentiate the brand in the iGaming market

  • Explore and adopt emerging technologies, including Gen AI, to support and enhance the game design process

  • Ensure player journeys are intuitive, engaging and optimised across all platforms

Artistic & design excellence

  • Provide creative direction and support to the Art and Illustration teams

  • Ensure all visual assets meet high-quality standards and align with brand guidelines

  • Collaborate closely with the Game Engine team to balance gameplay mechanics, mathematics and creative execution

  • Support the design of social and community-led features that encourage long-term player engagement and retention

  • Champion a data-led design approach, using user testing and behavioural insights to refine player experiences

  • Ensure designs are accessible, inclusive and optimised for a mobile-first audience

Team & stakeholder collaboration

  • Lead, mentor and develop a multidisciplinary creative team including Game Designers, Artists, UI Designers and Interaction Designers

  • Foster a culture of inclusion, creativity, collaboration, feedback and continuous improvement

  • Work closely with the Head of Game Production and Head of Technology to align creative direction with roadmap priorities and technical delivery

  • Act as a subject matter expert on game design trends and creative best practice

  • Present concepts, creative rationale and recommendations to senior stakeholders and external partners

What we're looking for

  • Strong expertise in game mechanics, narrative design, UI/UX principles and creative production processes

  • Ability to translate high-level ideas into clear design specifications and creative briefs

  • Experience within the iGaming or wider games industry in game design-focused roles

  • Strong understanding of player behaviour and engagement, particularly within bingo and slots environments

  • Experience leading and developing creative teams within fast-paced environments

  • Commercial awareness with the ability to balance creative ambition alongside mathematical, regulatory and operational requirements

  • Experience using design and prototyping tools such as Adobe Creative Suite and Figma

  • Understanding of how design integrates into development workflows and tools such as Jira

  • Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to present and advocate for creative vision effectively

Company benefits

Adoption leave
Enhanced sick days
Open to part-time employees
Work from anywhere scheme – available to specific parts of the business
Work from home budget – for fully remote employees
Free meals – Office based
Technology Loan
Enhanced sick pay
Health insurance
Gym membership
Compassionate leave
Private GP service
Theme park discounts
Travel insurance
Restaurant discounts
Coffee discounts
Cinema discounts
25 days annual leave + bank holidays
Buy or sell annual leave
Optional unpaid leave
Enhanced maternity leave
Enhanced paternity leave
Shared parental leave
On-site gym
Cycle to work scheme
Faith rooms
Bike parking
On-site catering
Fully stocked snack cupboard
Annual bonus
Equity packages
Referral bonus
Salary sacrifice
Life insurance
Enhanced pension match/contribution
Share options
Annual pay rises
Electric Car Salary Sacrifice
Sabbaticals
Volunteer days
Home office set up
In house training
Company freebies
Teambuilding days
Mentoring
Pregnancy loss leave
Employee discounts
Coaching
Lunch and learns
Open to part time work for some roles
Open to job sharing
Open to compressed hours
Pregnancy loss leave
Menopause support
On-site barista
On-site shower
Secure on-site parking
Modern office
Ergonomic workstations
Collaboration spaces
Private booths

Working at tombola

Company employees:

780

Hiring in countries

Gibraltar

Ireland

Spain

United Kingdom

Office Locations

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