The New York Times Company
Game Designer
Location: New York, NY (Hybrid; NYC headquarters)
Seniority level: Mid‑Senior level
Employment type: Full‑time
Mission Overview & Responsibilities
The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world‑renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world‑class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for.
We are looking for a Game Designer for our portfolio of games. At NYT Games, we aim to be the premier destination for digital puzzle games. We publish human‑made puzzles daily—including beloved games like Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections, and the New York Times Crossword—which are played by tens of millions each week.
This is an individual contributor role. You'll collaborate with multiple disciplines to identify and improve critical aspects of our game experiences, create new puzzle games, delight audiences, and further our creative and business goals. We value an environment of learning and collaboration, cultivating craft skills with support from fellow designers, attending regular design rituals for critiques, and identifying consistency opportunities across the function. NYT Games is not a traditional gaming company; prior games/puzzles industry experience is required, but you should embody NYT values such as trust, curiosity, and empathy, and recognize that ensuring the mission of independent journalism is core to everything we do.
This is a hybrid position based in our New York City headquarters.
Responsibilities
Design and document systems and requirements for new games, and features and metagame systems for existing games.
Articulate and communicate a vision for game design goals, keeping your team aligned with that vision.
Design holistically with the broader NYT Games aesthetic and style in mind.
Use visualization tools to express design concepts, engagement systems, and retention mechanics.
Support high‑level game strategy, hone ideas into concrete approaches, and lead the narrowing down of ideas with clear requirements.
Collaborate with UX/UI designers, engineers, and producers to prototype, improve, test, and launch betas for new games, ensuring design quality and consistency.
Partner with the research team to shape games grounded in user insights.
Contribute to team and product design rituals.
Demonstrate support and understanding of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission.
Report to the Executive Director of Product Design.
Basic Qualifications
3+ years of experience as a Game Designer for commercial digital games.
A portfolio showcasing your process and finished game design work.
2+ years of experience presenting ideas, aligning cross‑functional teams and stakeholders around a clear, motivating vision.
2+ years of experience with user research and synthesis.
Proficiency in communicating game design philosophy for developing games and features.
Proficiency in prototyping and collaboration tools (e.g., Figma, Play, Cursor, Gemini Canvas, Retool, Miro).
Preferred Qualifications
Experience working independently and collaboratively on projects that pivot quickly.
Demonstrated design decisions and impact.
Understanding of the digital games market.
Experience designing competitive frameworks and administering a competition.
Enthusiasm for word and puzzle games.
Salary
Annual base pay range: $104,000—$125,000 USD
Equal Opportunity Statement
The New York Times Company is committed to being the world’s best source of independent, reliable and quality journalism. We embrace a diverse workforce that has a broad range of backgrounds and experiences across our ranks, at all levels of the organization. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate on the basis of an individual's sex, age, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or affectional preference, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, carrier status, citizenship, veteran or military status and other personal characteristics protected by law. All applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to legally protected characteristics. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)’s Know Your Rights Poster is available here.
The New York Times Company will provide reasonable accommodations as required by applicable federal, state, and/or local laws. Individuals seeking an accommodation for the application or interview process should email reasonable.accommodations@nytimes.com. Emails sent for unrelated issues, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response.
For information about The New York Times' privacy practices for job applicants click here.
Please beware of fraudulent job postings. Scammers may post fraudulent job opportunities and may even make fraudulent employment offers. All legitimate job opportunities from The New York Times are accessible through The New York Times careers site. The New York Times will not ask job applicants for financial information or for payment, and will not refer you to a third party to do so. You should never send money to anyone who suggests they can provide employment with The New York Times.
If you see a fake or fraudulent job posting, or if you suspect you have received a fraudulent offer, you can report it to The New York Times at NYTapplicants@nytimes.com. You can also file a report with the Federal Trade Commission or your state attorney general.
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Seniority level: Mid‑Senior level
Employment type: Full‑time
Mission Overview & Responsibilities
The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world‑renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world‑class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for.
We are looking for a Game Designer for our portfolio of games. At NYT Games, we aim to be the premier destination for digital puzzle games. We publish human‑made puzzles daily—including beloved games like Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections, and the New York Times Crossword—which are played by tens of millions each week.
This is an individual contributor role. You'll collaborate with multiple disciplines to identify and improve critical aspects of our game experiences, create new puzzle games, delight audiences, and further our creative and business goals. We value an environment of learning and collaboration, cultivating craft skills with support from fellow designers, attending regular design rituals for critiques, and identifying consistency opportunities across the function. NYT Games is not a traditional gaming company; prior games/puzzles industry experience is required, but you should embody NYT values such as trust, curiosity, and empathy, and recognize that ensuring the mission of independent journalism is core to everything we do.
This is a hybrid position based in our New York City headquarters.
Responsibilities
Design and document systems and requirements for new games, and features and metagame systems for existing games.
Articulate and communicate a vision for game design goals, keeping your team aligned with that vision.
Design holistically with the broader NYT Games aesthetic and style in mind.
Use visualization tools to express design concepts, engagement systems, and retention mechanics.
Support high‑level game strategy, hone ideas into concrete approaches, and lead the narrowing down of ideas with clear requirements.
Collaborate with UX/UI designers, engineers, and producers to prototype, improve, test, and launch betas for new games, ensuring design quality and consistency.
Partner with the research team to shape games grounded in user insights.
Contribute to team and product design rituals.
Demonstrate support and understanding of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission.
Report to the Executive Director of Product Design.
Basic Qualifications
3+ years of experience as a Game Designer for commercial digital games.
A portfolio showcasing your process and finished game design work.
2+ years of experience presenting ideas, aligning cross‑functional teams and stakeholders around a clear, motivating vision.
2+ years of experience with user research and synthesis.
Proficiency in communicating game design philosophy for developing games and features.
Proficiency in prototyping and collaboration tools (e.g., Figma, Play, Cursor, Gemini Canvas, Retool, Miro).
Preferred Qualifications
Experience working independently and collaboratively on projects that pivot quickly.
Demonstrated design decisions and impact.
Understanding of the digital games market.
Experience designing competitive frameworks and administering a competition.
Enthusiasm for word and puzzle games.
Salary
Annual base pay range: $104,000—$125,000 USD
Equal Opportunity Statement
The New York Times Company is committed to being the world’s best source of independent, reliable and quality journalism. We embrace a diverse workforce that has a broad range of backgrounds and experiences across our ranks, at all levels of the organization. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate on the basis of an individual's sex, age, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or affectional preference, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, carrier status, citizenship, veteran or military status and other personal characteristics protected by law. All applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to legally protected characteristics. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)’s Know Your Rights Poster is available here.
The New York Times Company will provide reasonable accommodations as required by applicable federal, state, and/or local laws. Individuals seeking an accommodation for the application or interview process should email reasonable.accommodations@nytimes.com. Emails sent for unrelated issues, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response.
For information about The New York Times' privacy practices for job applicants click here.
Please beware of fraudulent job postings. Scammers may post fraudulent job opportunities and may even make fraudulent employment offers. All legitimate job opportunities from The New York Times are accessible through The New York Times careers site. The New York Times will not ask job applicants for financial information or for payment, and will not refer you to a third party to do so. You should never send money to anyone who suggests they can provide employment with The New York Times.
If you see a fake or fraudulent job posting, or if you suspect you have received a fraudulent offer, you can report it to The New York Times at NYTapplicants@nytimes.com. You can also file a report with the Federal Trade Commission or your state attorney general.
#J-18808-Ljbffr