The Design Team Lead will be responsible for the design and fabrication of all of Escape New Haven’s new products: escape rooms, on-site team-building games, and more. This is a creative, technical, and managerial role. You will be generating ideas alongside an experienced and creative part-time staff (artists, engineers, and more), then working with that staff to turn the best of these ideas into a full-fledged production experienced by thousands of guests. For each new project, you will spearhead the design, manage a team, and act as the primary fabricator and installer of puzzles and décor. You will be expected to commit no more than 40-45 hours per week to this position generally, or up to 60 hours per week during game installations (4-6 weeks per year).

• 2+ years of project management experience (team of 3+, budget of $1,000+)

• 3D modeling/CAD experience

• Arduino experience

• Woodworking/carpentry experience

• Willing to relocate to New Haven, CT

• Facilitating brainstorming sessions; compiling and building on the results

• Creating, and continuously updating, architectural models and game flow diagrams

• Compiling a detailed labor and materials budget for each aspect

• Designing (and reviewing others’ designs of) puzzles, decoration, and effects

• Communicating effectively with our engineer to ensure feasibility and budget requirements are met for all technical aspects of design

• Assigning design and build responsibilities based on budget, availability, and staff/contractor skills

• Communicating via Slack, staff meetings, and a project management software and/or Gantt chart to keep all stakeholders informed and all deliverables on schedule

• Organizing design and production files and other digital resources

• Coordinating materials intake and organizing inventory to maintain a clean workspace

• Scheduling alpha and beta testing of new games

• Drafting and distributing documentation and manuals for game operation and maintenance

• Advising on, approving, and scheduling marketing campaigns for new games/products

• Occasional customer communications when the GM is unavailable

• Sourcing flooring, wall coverings, lighting, and other building materials

• Sourcing pre-made products and parts

• Working with electronics, hand tools, and power tools to fabricate custom puzzles, props, décor, and other game elements

• Building and reviewing prototypes (others’ and your own)

• Building and quality controlling finished products before install

• Thoroughly documenting all materials and processes for replacement, reproduction, and resale

At Escape New Haven, we have been innovating in the escape room industry since 2014. Along with our sister companies (Escape Sacramento and Escape Rhode Island), we have produced 16 unique games, including one on-site team-building game and one site-specific actor-guided experience. Our escape games — which form our core business — have become progressively more ambitious in terms of technology, plot, and set dressing. As Game Design Team Lead, you will work with our amazing and talented staff to continue this tradition into our next generation of products while co-founders Max and Ethan step back to focus on other goals.

A small New England city and the cultural capital of Connecticut, New Haven is a dynamic place with a strong sense of community. Highlights include beautiful parks, great food (not just pizza! but also, don’t skip the pizza), a state-of-the-art maker space, theatre/music/educational events put on by the city and Yale, bike rides to the beach, community gardens, fall foliage, affordable rents, and easy transit to Boston and New York. Co-founders Max & Ethan chose to stay here after graduating from Yale in 2011/13 and have never regretted it.

1: Online application

2: Skype/Hangouts interview

3: Reference calls

4: In-person interview with Escape New Haven management & engineer

5: Second-round interview with the Escape New Haven team