Senior UI/UX Designer

Who we are

A Thinking Ape builds communities through mobile games with emergent social play and original IP. We released our first game in 2009 and have been profitable and growing every year since. We are a bottom-up driven company with small teams that have a big focus on ownership and data driven decision making. In 2020 we were acquired by Embracer Group through its subsidiary DECA Games. This acquisition marks an important milestone enabling us to scale our team and bring our growing portfolio of games to more players across the globe. 

The team

Our live ops team (code named Team Leviathan) is responsible for running A Thinking Ape’s two largest games, Party in My Dorm and Kingdoms of Heckfire. As part of this team, your role as a UI/UX designer will be to work in collaboration with a team of game designers, artists and engineers dedicated to continuing to improve the experience for our players with iterations to existing systems, development of new features and content. Your work will directly impact our players and drive their experience and decisions in our games.

Things you will work on

• Design and maintain the game UI and UX for multiple live games
• Build on established UI art style and visual language 
• Create wireframes and mock-ups for new features
• Collaborate with design, development and art teams for development of new game features and iteration on existing systems
• Prepare assets for production and work closely with engineers throughout implementation
• Create in game promotional designs, banners, IAPs, etc.

Who you are

The primary qualifications we’re looking for are: 

• Proven professional experience working in graphic design and UI/UX in the games industry (preferably mobile)
• Have launched a product or and/or provided UI/UX for a live game in a senior role
• Solid understanding of typography, colour, iconography and layout principles
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• Proficiency with industry standard programs (i.e. Illustrator, Photoshop, XD)
• Understanding of Free to Play gaming on mobile 

Other qualifications that help are:

• Other artistic skills such as 2D illustration, storyboarding, animations, etc.
• Experience with user experience design outside of gaming
• You have worked in collaborative, cross-functional environments
• Project management experience
• Experience using Unity or other game engines to implement and test UI/UX 

Remote first 

We have committed to a remote first approach with access to in-person collaboration spaces in Vancouver. This means our roles are currently open to candidates who can work in Canada between the core hours of 11am - 4pm PST. We are open to help relocate the successful candidate to Canada.

While everyone on our team is different, to thrive here you should…

• Be self motivated, take pride in your work and enjoy huge amounts of ownership
• Set aside your ego and have wonderful arguments with your coworkers in order to create something better than any one person could individually
• Challenge your own assumptions and use data to make decisions whenever possible
• Be passionate about teaching others what you know and continuing your own growth every day
• Not be afraid to fail–you experiment and learn from your mistakes

What’s in it for you

At ATA you’re offered a flexible, safe, inclusive environment in which you have the autonomy to do your best work, surrounded by a strong team and with the encouragement of supportive leadership that doesn’t just care what you’re doing, but how you’re doing. You’re trusted, respected, listened to, cared for and valued. You take on thought-provoking projects and tackle fun problems alongside people who are equally invested in making meaningful contributions and seeing new ideas come to life. You know how your work aligns with the company’s goals. Your career is given the space and resources to progress. You accomplish things that make you proud. You are compensated competitively, your health and well-being are top priorities and you enjoy plenty of perks. You build communities, take ownership, have wonderful arguments, let the best ideas win and keep growing. You don’t just work for ATA, you are an integral part of ATA.

Our commitment to inclusion

We build communities. To do this to the best of our abilities, we need a workforce that reflects the diverse player communities we serve. We believe a variety of perspectives and experiences allows us to make better decisions and understand the needs of our players. We work hard to create an environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best work and feel like they belong at ATA. 

Please consider applying even if you don't meet every qualification and let us know if you require any accommodations or support during the recruitment process. 

Discover even more

Check out our story to find out how we got to where we are today, and learn about our culture by following @athinkingape on Instagram and Linkedin. You can also listen to Kenshi Arasaki, ATA CEO & Co-Founder, talk about what it’s like to work here.