Development Manager

Lighthouse Games is a new AAA studio in Leamington Spa, committed to redefining the gaming experience through innovation and creativity. We are seeking a talented and experienced Senior Gameplay Animator to join our dynamic team. In this role, you will be responsible for crafting compelling animations that elevate our characters and bring our storytelling to life. Work alongside industry veterans and contribute to the creation of a best-in-class game that resonates with players.
We’re looking for an experienced Development Manager to join Lighthouse Games at an exciting stage of growth. This is a pivotal role at the heart of the studio, combining hands-on production leadership, Jira ownership, and people management. You’ll be responsible for shaping how teams plan, track, and deliver work — ensuring our processes are clear, scalable, and built for high-performance AAA development. Working closely with production, discipline leads, and senior leadership, you’ll bring structure to complexity, drive alignment across teams, and help create an environment where developers can do their best work.
What You’ll Do:
Own and evolve Jira across the studio — driving consistency, structure, and best practice in how work is tracked and delivered
Design, implement, and continuously improve production processes that scale with studio growth
Line manage members of the production team, supporting their development, performance, and day-to-day effectiveness
Maintain and connect high-level development plans, ensuring alignment across teams and leadership priorities
Identify risks, gaps, and inefficiencies early — and take action to resolve them
Support milestone planning and ensure deliverables are clearly defined, realistic, and achievable
Improve visibility of dependencies and progress across disciplines
Translate stakeholder and playtest feedback into actionable, trackable work
Act as a key point of coordination between teams and leadership, ensuring clarity and alignment at all levels
Requirements
Proven experience in a Development Manager, Lead Producer, or similar role within game development
Strong hands-on experience with Jira administration and configuration (workflows, boards, reporting, structure)
Experience designing and implementing production processes in a growing or evolving studio
Previous line management experience, with a focus on coaching and team development
Excellent planning and organisational skills, with the ability to manage complex dependencies
Confident communicator who can align teams and present clear, actionable information to stakeholders
A proactive, solutions-focused mindset with a drive for continuous improvement
Nice to Have:
Experience working on AAA titles
Experience scaling processes in a fast-growing studio environment
Familiarity with playtesting, user research, or feedback pipelines
Background working across multiple disciplines (design, engineering, art, etc.)
Benefits
25 Days Holiday, plus 1 day for your birthday
Studio Shutdown between Christmas and New Year
Discretionary Bonus Scheme
Private Pension Scheme
Private Healthcare
Health and Well-Being Benefits
Dental Care
Optical treatments
Mental Health Support