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

• 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.)

• 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