Director, Design, People App

About the role

Job Title Director, Design, People App Job Description I. Job Summary | Major goals and objectives. People Inc. is the largest digital and print publisher in America. From mobile to magazines, nearly 200 million people trust us to help them make decisions, take action, and find inspiration. People Inc.'s over 40 iconic brands include PEOPLE, Allrecipes, Better Homes & Gardens, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, Parents, & REAL SIMPLE. We are looking for a Director of Product Design, Games to help define and deliver a brand new, intuitive, and engaging casual game experience for one of our most important brands, People. In this role you will work closely with our Creative Director, Editorial Team, and Product and Engineering to craft simple, habit-forming game experiences (such as puzzles, word games, and daily challenges) that engage and delight our audience on a daily basis, driving player engagement, retention, and long-term enjoyment. As a Director of Product Design at People Inc. you will collaborate with business stakeholders and user research teams to understand problems and recognize opportunities, and work directly with other designers, product managers and software developers to build game and app experiences that solve them. To be successful in this role, we'd expect you to: Thoroughly understand the wants and needs of our users, and participate in the discovery and definition of problems and solutions that come from those needs. Translate user needs and business requirements into concrete game design ideas, user flows, and wireframes. Create and refine core gameplay mechanics and interaction patterns - designing them as scalable, reusable systems that support multiple titles and cross-game retention and monetization strategies. Build interactive prototypes suitable for validating design decisions and game concepts with users. Collaborate with the creative team and brand stakeholders to develop and maintain the visual language of our product, with a focus on how each game/feature fits and interoperates within the People games ecosystem (cross-title progression, shared economy, live ops, etc.). Document design guidelines, share knowledge, and collaborate with the engineering team to ensure products ship on time and as designed. Champion and promote design thinking, research, and process across the organization. II. Essential Job Functions 20% - Design Team Leadership and Mentorship Ensure a constant high-level of execution across the products you work with. Manage your team's workflow and set clear, realistic, action-oriented goals to ensure their success. Develop effective, growth-centered mentor relationships with the UX Designers on their team. 50% - Game User Experience Design Design end-to-end user experiences for casual games, from onboarding flows to daily play. Use business requirements, user stories, and data to produce user flows, prototypes, and high fidelity mockups. Develop features and systems that encourage daily engagement (e.g., streaks, progression, hints, rewards) and long-term player retention. Set clear design standards and reusable templates to ensure a consistent player experience across our games. Establish how games should be updated and measured over time, and ensure designs are easy to adapt for a wide range of players. Prototype game concepts and test new game ideas quickly and iteratively. Create and document rigorous user interface specifications, ensuring the designs are accessible for a wide range of players. 30% - Collaborate with Design, Product, and Engineering teams Participate in and lead brainstorming and critique sessions that foster big-picture thinking while identifying opportunities to raise the bar on the details Collaborate across teams to understand opportunities, develop potential solutions, and test ideas, validate assumptions Present design solutions and build consensus among a broad range of stakeholders Work closely with our engineering team to ensure the designs are executed at the highest level of fidelity and craft. III. Minimum Qualifications and Job Requirements | All must be met to be considered. Education: Bachelor's degree, or equivalent education and experience Experience: 10+ years in product and/or game design, with 2-5+ years leading design teams Specific Knowledge, Skills and Expertise: Strong UX and Game Design skills, including user flows, wireframing, game mechanics, and interaction design. Direct experience developing and shipping casual games (e.g., puzzles, word games, daily challenges) with a focus on player engagement and retention. Strong visual design skills, especially visual interface and typography. Experience building interactive prototypes suitable for validating design decisions with users. Familiarity with atomic design methodology and an interest in the challenges that come with building and maintaining design systems. Expertise in UX software such as Figma, Adobe Suite, etc. Excellent writ