Principal Game Designer

Job description

Level Up Your Career with Zynga!

At Zynga, we bring people together through the power of play. As a global leader in interactive entertainment and a proud label of Take-Two Interactive, our games have been downloaded over 6 billion times—connecting players in 175+ countries through fun, strategy, and a little friendly competition.

From thrilling casino spins to epic strategy battles, mind-bending puzzles, and social word challenges, our diverse game portfolio has something for everyone. Fan-favorites and latest hits include FarmVille™, Words With Friends™, Zynga Poker™, Game of Thrones Slots Casino™, Wizard of Oz Slots™, Hit it Rich! Slots™, Wonka Slots™, Top Eleven™, Toon Blast™, Empires & Puzzles™, Merge Dragons!™, CSR Racing™, Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells™, Match Factory™, and Color Block Jam™—plus many more!

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in California, our teams span North America, Europe, and Asia, working together to craft unforgettable gaming experiences. Whether you're spinning, strategizing, matching, or competing, Zynga is where fun meets innovation—and where you can take your career to the next level.

Join us and be part of the play!

Position Overview:

Zynga is looking for an experienced Principal Systems Designer to work on one of our new mobile games. This role leads and participates in direct design and creative input on content and system design in the game.

What You'll Do:

Create or adapt game features and large scale systems to work with the game

Write user experience stories and design documentation for new features and systems

Own, drive, and collaborate with other disciplines for system development

Work closely with other disciplines to design and prototype new gameplay and systems

Create flexible sheets and models to balance sophisticated systems

Design and balance content for new systems

Create and improve tools to make the design pipeline faster and more efficient for the team

Be the advocate of good design practices across the studio

Pitch new ideas to the team/ lead brainstorming sessions

Analyze real-time feedback and metrics, and adjust game designs accordingly while maintaining live game balance

Remain up-to-date with Game Design literature and standard methodologies to be an evangelist for the craft of Game Design

What You Bring:

At least 6 years' relevant experience

Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills

Expert with math, levels, and formulas in game environment

Possesses an extensive knowledge of games and strategies

Solid knowledge of game balancing and pacing

Translates direct consumer insights, market data, and analysis into creative design solutions

Passionate gamer

2+ shipped games

What We Offer You:

Zynga offers a world‑class benefits package that helps support and balance the needs of our teams. To find out more about our benefits, visit the Zynga Benefits site

The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $123,200 and $182,360 per Year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job‑related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations.

Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards and eligibility to participate in our 401(K) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program.

Regular, full‑time employees are also eligible for a range of benefits at the Company, including: medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage; 14 paid holidays per calendar year; paid vacation time per calendar year (ranging from 15 to 25 days) or eligibility to participate in the Company’s discretionary time off program; up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year; paid parental and compassionate leave; wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support; family planning support through Maven; commuter benefits; and reimbursements for fitness‑related expenses.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, which means we are committed to creating and celebrating diverse thoughts, cultures, and backgrounds throughout our organization. Employment with us is based on substantive ability, objective qualifications, and work ethic – not an individual’s race, creed, color, religion, sex or gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, alienage or citizenship status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, status as a victim of domestic violence or sex offenses, reproductive health decision, or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to providing the necessary support and accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities, health conditions, or impairments (subject to any local qualifying requirements) to ensure their full participation in the job application or interview process. Please contact us at to request any accommodations or for support related to your application for an open position.

Please be aware that Zynga does not conduct job interviews or make job offers over third‑party messaging apps such as Telegram, WhatsApp, or others. Zynga also does not engage in any financial exchanges during the recruitment or onboarding process, and will never ask a candidate for their personal or financial information over an app or other unofficial chat channel. Any attempt to do so may be the result of a scamp or phishing attack, and you should not engage. Zynga’s in‑house recruitment team will only contact individuals through their official Company email addresses (i.e., via a zynga.com, take2games.com, naturalmotion.com, smallgiantgames.com, themavens.com, gram.gs email domain).

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Worksite address

austin, TX, 78716, US

Who can apply

Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.