Design Lead (Thronefall)

Ironwood Digital is a new games publisher, established by industry veterans with a proven track record of delivering successful titles. We care deeply about supporting creative teams and building long-lasting, collaborative relationships grounded in trust and shared vision. Our focus is on Steam, where we are curating a portfolio of Simulation, Management, Strategy, and adjacent niche games designed for passionate, highly engaged player communities. We believe in championing developers, supporting creative vision, and publishing games that earn lasting loyalty. In this role, you’ll primarily focus on the strategy game Thronefall, but also take ownership of key distribution-related workstreams to ensure every title in our catalogue thrives. Role Overview The Design Lead serves as the creative steward for all endeavours within Ironwood Digital ’s IP ecosystem. Working closely with leadership and external development partners, you will provide creative direction, strategic design guidance, and hands-on support across multiple concurrent projects, including expansions, sequels, and spinoffs. Your deep design expertise and game industry experience will also help inform the shape of third-party titles within our publishing portfolio. Through a balance of high-level creative oversight and practical design guidance, you help ensure the quality, cohesion, and long-term success of projects serving diverse audiences, genres and stages of production. These contributions to the design department help ensure that every project under the Ironwood Digital banner reflects strong design thinking, a clear creative identity, and sustainable development practices. Key Responsibilities: 1 - Creative & Franchise Leadership You safeguard the integrity of Ironwood Digital ’s IP by providing a generous balance of creative leadership, design expertise, and collaborative support, serving as a source of clarity regarding project status and creative health. Success looks like: Providing high-level creative direction that supports franchise vision Evaluating builds and delivering structured, ongoing feedback Ensuring alignment between business goals and creative output Evaluating milestone feasibility and delivery expectations Maintaining awareness of audience expectations and community sentiment 2 - Game Design Expertise You are equally comfortable shaping vision, diagnosing project challenges, and contributing directly to specialised aspects of game design and development. Success looks like: Providing teams with clear direction, stepping in as needed to contribute directly Establishing and maintaining shared design pillars across projects Advising on genre expectations, audience needs, and market positioning Supporting teams through creative and production challenges Elevating feature planning and co-development discussions 3 - Collaboration You will cultivate strong working relationships with partner studios and act as a trusted creative collaborator providing valuable support throughout development. Success looks like: Maintaining constructive communication with development partners Communicating feedback clearly, candidly, and constructively Assisting production in prioritizing work and evaluating progress Participating in production planning and project scoping Requirements We are looking for an experienced game designer and creative leader who thrives in collaborative environments and enjoys enabling teams to succeed. Senior or lead design roles across multiple shipped titles Solid experience in IP-critical design spaces, especially level design and UI/UX Experience working with external studios or co-development teams Strong systems design and holistic game design expertise Proven ability to work hands-on, in-engine as needed Familiarity with publishing or multi-project development environments Optimism, curiosity, and professional humility Benefits Our benefits include a 2-week company summer break and a 2-week winter break to rest and recharge, in addition to your normal holiday allowance. Originally posted on Himalayas