Head of Game Design

We are looking for a creative and innovative Game Design leader to build out game design works from the ground up and to make Buddy.ai as engaging as top mobile games.

Buddy.ai, the world’s first AI tutor for kids under 12

Buddy.ai provides affordable, high-quality 1X1 instruction to children worldwide using our interactive, voice-based character Buddy the Robot.

Buddy is powered by proprietary AI technology for children and features a unique UX and gameplay. He teaches kids using voice- and tap-based games in a fun-filled world created by educational experts.

With 20 million downloads last year alone, Buddy is the most popular language app for children on Google Play and one of TIME Magazine’s World's Top EdTech Rising Stars of 2024. We are backed by top VCs and angel investors, including stars of the game industry, deep tech, and Hollywood.

Here’s a short video about Buddy.ai.

Your mission

You’ll be tasked with organizing and leading Buddy.ai’s game design works to make Buddy.ai as engaging as the top mobile games for kids. Your goal is to increase the app’s educational value and to improve unit economics in 2 years via game design.

Objectives & Outcomes

Double Buddy.ai student/player retention through Game Design within two years.
Work with Product Managers and the Marketing team to improve unit economics (LTV/CAC ratio).
Create and run the metagame part of the product to achieve objectives #1 and #2.
Develop a set of fun and educational exercises/mini-games based on the curriculum developed by Buddy.ai’s educators.
(If needed) Build, manage, and develop Buddy.ai’s game design team to achieve the aforementioned objectives.

Competencies

The ideal candidate will possess the following skills and attributes:

Game Design Expertise in Mobile Games: 5+ years of experience in game design. Hands-on experience designing, delivering, and perfecting live and successful mobile games or game-like mobile apps with thousands of players.
Relevant Experience with Children: A background in designing games for children under 12 professionally; a previous role as a teacher; or having children of your own between the ages of 3-10.
Creative/Innovative Approach: Able and willing to create new innovative designs rather than copying and reskinning existing ones.
User/Player-Centric Approach: Strives to understand and satisfy players' needs. Actively seeks user feedback.
Data-Driven: Appreciates the role of data and analytics. Uses numbers and charts to find inspiration and generate new game design ideas.
High-Level Business Thinking: Understands the business as a whole and has the capacity to achieve high-level business goals through game design.
Efficiency with a Startup Mindset: Achieves success with limited resources. Meets or exceeds goals with minimal resources, prototypes quickly, ships MVPs, fails fast, and moves on.
Proactive and Autonomous: Takes initiative, proposes solutions, and acts without hesitation. Does not wait for detailed instructions or specifications to act and is open to shifting gears based on feedback. Follows through on commitments, ships products, and ensures problems are solved completely.
High Standards and Ambitions: Possesses a genuine hunger to succeed by delivering the world’s top product, working with A-players, and learning from the best.
Team Player: Values and pursues collaboration. Actively seeks feedback from peers and provides support if needed. Listens to stakeholders.

Gameplay (Here’s What You’ll Do)

Set up and manage everything related to game design as the first professional Game Designer on the Buddy.ai team.
Create new innovative game mechanics around our talking interactive AI character.
Continuously innovate, brainstorm, prototype, playtest on children in a lab, and A/B test on real users.
Develop Buddy.ai’s metagame and game world to organize students'/players’ lives on the platform, making it fun while guiding them through the curriculum.
Work with educators and product managers to create mini-games organically integrated into Buddy.ai’s game world.
Make exercises as fun and engaging as possible while solving challenges defined by educator teammates.
Collaborate directly with developers and the art team to prototype and fine-tune the game.
Use data and interact with young players and their parents to draw inspiration for your work and evaluate its success.
Collaborate with monetization and education teams to make Buddy.ai more accessible to children worldwide while improving unit economics.
Work with the art director, writers, and creative producer to create the bright and wonderful world of Buddy, a cool IP that becomes an important part of pop culture.
Operate in an agile startup environment with a high level of freedom and unpredictability.
Prototype quickly, ship fast, and test everything before investing significant resources in full-scale development.
Be the first and only game designer on the team, with the freedom to hire more specialists while supervising their work to stay lean and efficient.

Position details

Geography: Fully remote, based between Pacific Time Zone (Los Angeles, U.S.) and GMT+3 (Istanbul).
Language: Must speak English. Russian is a plus.
Remote position: 100% remote with 2-4 strategic offsite sessions per year.
Compensation and benefits:
- Competitive market salary
- Paid sick leave and vacation days
- Significant equity compensation (stock options)

We at Buddy.ai are leading the AI revolution in early learning. Our mission is to make 1X1 tutoring available for every child worldwide and help resolve the global teacher shortage. Here’s what sets our company apart:

Unique product: At Buddy.ai, we are pioneering the Multimodal AI Tutoring approach, which means our tutor is a virtual character that uses voice recognition and conversational AI to teach children. Buddy is the first product of its kind, so we innovate, brainstorm, prototype, playtest on children in a lab, and AB test using real users.
The leading consumer AI company in the early learning space: We have millions of users, and that number doubles year after year. Buddy is not another ChatGPT wrapper; we are developing proprietary AT technology for children that’s safe, fast, and compliant with COPPA and other regulations.
High-level position with significant creative freedom: You’ll report directly to the Chief Product Officer, which means you’ll have lots of decision-making authority. Your ideas and decisions will affect the whole company and millions of our students/players worldwide.
Team-building opportunity: You’ll get the chance to assemble a team according to the project's needs. Your focus will be on the Company’s product, business, and mission, with no unnecessary layers of decision-making.
Mission-driven project: Our Company is inspired by our team’s experiences as immigrants and parents, as well as those of our children.
Impact and love: It’s a great feeling knowing that you are building an educational product that helps children thrive. You can always draw inspiration and satisfaction from the love of Buddy’s users.
Perfect job for Moms and Dads: Many (in fact, most) of our team members are parents. We draw inspiration from our children's experiences with Buddy.ai. It is a special feeling when your child admiringly asks, “Mom, did you really create Buddy?
Friendly, open, and informal work environment: Our small (but growing) team is horizontally structured. All product and financial metrics are openly discussed because we work collaboratively and share everything. No politics, no BS — we work hard and have a lot of fun in the process.
Contribution and growth: A small team means the opportunity for a large individual impact. The Company is growing fast, which allows team members to grow with it and create a lasting legacy.
100% Remote work with a flexible schedule/Generous paid sick leave and vacation days.
A share of our success: This key role grants a Stock Option because when we win, we win together.

Join us in our mission to provide high-quality 1X1 tutoring to every child worldwide using AI!