Simulation Game Director $400,000 USD/year Pay is set based on global value, not the local market.
Most roles = hourly rate x 40 hrs x 50 weeks
Description
Founders School is an ambitious new high school opening in New York City. It makes a bold guarantee: students will earn $1 million in profit before they graduate, or their tuition will be refunded. Our vision, however, reaches well beyond a single location. We are creating the first business simulation game in which every significant advancement is unlocked by mastering genuine entrepreneurial competencies—pricing, marketing, hiring, operations, and more.
This is the founding leadership position that will bring that vision to reality. You will control the game's creative direction, product strategy, and development team while collaborating closely with Founders School's executive leadership. Your role is to evaluate the concept we have built, determine where it falls short, and help craft a stronger vision before guiding the team that executes it.
The challenge differs from anything in gaming or education. You must design a simulation that players genuinely choose to play for hours on end while making them measurably more capable of operating a real business. Most games achieve entertainment. Most educational tools fail to sustain engagement. We are convinced both outcomes are achievable, and we are searching for the individual who can demonstrate it.
You will also help establish how contemporary games are developed. AI should be integrated into every phase of your creative workflow—design exploration, balancing, prototyping, content generation, playtest analysis, and production.
If you have sought the opportunity to build the game that defines your legacy, this is it. If that resonates with you, we want to hear from you.
What you will be doing
• Establish and own the creative vision, gameplay systems, and product strategy for a business simulation game that imparts real entrepreneurial expertise through genuinely compelling gameplay.
• Assemble and lead a senior game development team, recruiting exceptional talent and fostering a culture of rapid iteration and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with Founders School leadership, educators, and entrepreneurs to transform real-world business concepts into engaging gameplay mechanics.
• Apply AI across the entire development lifecycle to expedite design, balancing, prototyping, content creation, and production processes.
• Achieve measurable milestones, including a playable vertical slice within 12 months, successful playtests with teens, and a scalable infrastructure for future simulation titles.
What you will NOT be doing
• Developing another derivative simulation game with conventional mechanics and minimal real-world relevance.
• Devoting months to writing design documents rather than delivering playable experiences.
• Operating within a large studio where creative choices are hindered by multiple approval layers.
• Viewing AI as an optional productivity enhancement instead of a fundamental component of your creative workflow.
• Producing educational software that players endure rather than games they authentically enjoy.
Key responsibilities
Lead the development of the world's most engaging business simulation game by assembling the team, establishing 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 completing meaningful gameplay challenges.
• Early playtests reveal that teenagers consistently characterize the game as enjoyable before realizing the extent of their learning.
• You have recruited and onboarded the founding game development team, maintaining regular, high-quality release cycles.
• Within 12 months, you have launched a closed beta exceeding 1,000 players, reached 40%+ 30-day retention, and built a development cadence capable of delivering new simulation experiences sustainably.
Candidate requirements
• Track record of shipping at least one commercially successful game that players authentically enjoyed, ideally within a team of 10 or fewer.
• Proven experience directing multidisciplinary game development from concept to launch.
• Deep expertise in designing simulation, sandbox, systems-driven, strategy, or management games.
• Daily, hands-on application of generative AI tools to accelerate game design and development, with the capacity to present recent examples of AI integration in your workflow.
• Enthusiasm for entrepreneurship and a sincere conviction in the value of creating profitable businesses.
• Strong leadership, communication, and talent acquisition capabilities.
• Willingness to work on-site in New York City.
• Authorization to work in the US without sponsorship.
Nice to have
• Track record of shipping sandbox, tycoon, builder, management, or simulation games.
• Experience designing products for audiences under 18.
• Experience embedding education or skill development into entertainment offerings.
• Experience collaborating with high-profile brands, creators, or licensed intellectual property.
• History of scaling a game team from early concept to successful launch.
Applying for a role? Here’s what to expect.
Crossover's skill assessment process combines innovative AI power with decades of human research, to take the guesswork, human bias, and pointless filters out of recruiting high-performing teams.
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Cognitive 
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Prove real-world 
job skills.
Interview with the hiring manager.
Pass
proctored test.
Accept job offer.
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