Game Design Director, Founders School - $400,000/year USD

Founders School is a bold new high school opening in New York City with a defining commitment: students will earn $1 million in profit before they graduate, or their tuition will be refunded. Our ambition, however, reaches well beyond one school. We are developing the first business simulation game in which every significant advancement is unlocked by learning authentic entrepreneurial competencies—pricing strategy, marketing execution, team building, and operational management. This is the foundational leadership position that will bring that vision to reality. You will control the game's creative trajectory, product roadmap, and engineering team, collaborating directly with Founders School's executive leadership. Your responsibility is to evaluate the concept we have established, determine what falls short, and help refine a superior vision before directing the team that executes it. The opportunity is unparalleled in both the gaming and education industries. You are tasked with creating a simulation that players authentically choose to engage with for ten consecutive hours while simultaneously making them demonstrably more capable of operating a real enterprise. Most games achieve entertainment value. Most educational platforms fail to sustain engagement. We are convinced both outcomes are achievable, and we are seeking the individual who can deliver that proof. You will also help establish how contemporary games are produced. AI must be integrated into every phase of your creative workflow—from conceptual exploration and systems balancing to rapid prototyping, asset generation, playtest interpretation, and full‑scale production. If you have long aspired to design the game that defines your legacy, this is that moment. If that prospect energizes you, we would like to speak with you.

What You Will Be Doing

Establish and direct the creative vision, core gameplay systems, and product trajectory for a business simulation game that imparts genuine entrepreneurial expertise through intrinsically engaging play.

Assemble and manage a senior game development team, recruiting outstanding professionals and fostering a culture that delivers rapidly and iterates relentlessly.

Collaborate with Founders School leadership, educators, and business practitioners to convert authentic business fundamentals into captivating gameplay structures.

Integrate AI across the entire development pipeline to expedite design decisions, balance tuning, prototyping cycles, content production, and operational efficiency.

Achieve concrete milestones, including a functional vertical slice within 12 months, validated teen playtesting sessions, and a robust architecture for additional simulation titles.

What You Won’t Be Doing

Producing yet another conventional simulation game with predictable mechanics and negligible real‑world relevance.

Investing months drafting elaborate design documentation rather than releasing interactive prototypes.

Operating within a large studio environment where creative direction is constrained by bureaucratic approval chains.

Viewing AI as a supplementary productivity enhancement rather than a fundamental element of your creative methodology.

Developing educational content that players endure instead of experiences they actively seek out.

Game Design Director Key Responsibilities
Direct the development of the world's most compelling business simulation game by assembling the team, shaping the vision, and shipping a product that transforms players into better entrepreneurs through gameplay.

Success in Your First Year

Within 6 months, you have shipped a playable vertical slice in which players advance through authentic business competencies by overcoming substantive gameplay obstacles.

Initial playtesting reveals that teenagers reliably characterize the game as enjoyable before realizing the depth of their learning.

You have recruited and integrated the core game development team, establishing consistent, high‑caliber release cycles.

Within 12 months, you have deployed a closed beta with over 1,000 participants, secured 40%+ 30‑day retention, and built a production rhythm capable of delivering new simulation content sustainably.

Basic Requirements

Track record of shipping at least one commercially successful game that players authentically enjoyed, preferably within a team of 10 or fewer.

Proven experience directing cross‑functional game development from initial concept through market release.

Extensive proficiency designing simulation, sandbox, systems‑driven, strategy, or management games.

Active daily application of generative AI tools to enhance game design and production workflows, with demonstrable recent examples of AI integration in your work.

Enthusiasm for entrepreneurship and authentic conviction in the importance of creating profitable enterprises.

Robust leadership, communication, and talent acquisition capabilities.

Availability to work on‑site in New York City.

Authorization to work in the US without sponsorship.

Nice‑to‑have Requirements

History of shipping sandbox, tycoon, builder, management, or simulation titles.

Experience creating products tailored to audiences under 18.

Experience embedding education or competency development within entertainment offerings.

Experience collaborating with prominent brands, creators, or licensed intellectual property.

Demonstrated success scaling a game team from initial concept through commercial launch.

About Founders School
Founders School is a four‑year high school built for ambitious students who want to create, build, and solve meaningful problems. The program combines Alpha School’s elite academics, real‑world experience, and mentorship from world‑class entrepreneurs around three commitments to every student: Build a million‑dollar business. Identify problems in the world worth solving. Master AI before adults do. This is a place for people who’d rather build the thing than manage the thing. We’re hiring the founding team that builds the dream high school for the most entrepreneurial and ambitious students in the country. Launching in NYC Fall 2026.

Working with us
This is a full‑time (40 hours per week), long‑term position. The position is immediately available and requires entering into an independent contractor agreement with Crossover as a Contractor of Record. The compensation level for this role is $200 USD/hour, which equates to $400,000 USD/year assuming 40 hours per week and 50 weeks per year. The payment period is weekly. Consult www.crossover.com/help-and-faqs for more details on this topic.

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