Attention all game designers and tournament grinders – Games Workshop is recruiting for an Assistant Games Developer for Warhammer 40,000. If you think you could do a better job balancing competitive Warhammer 40k than the folks already working on it, now’s your chance to prove it.
The job ad is currently live on the GW careers website, and states that this designer will be “key to shaping the competitive landscape for Warhammer 40,000“. Responsibilities will include supporting the design team to “conduct playtesting, analyse rules changes, and gather feedback from the competitive player community”, and engaging “with the [40k] player community by attending tournaments and events” to keep up to date on the competitive metagame.
The job description states the post-holder “will help create rules publications that challenge and inspire players… working closely with other departments, and providing peer reviews and feedback to ensure rules integration and consistency across all aspects of the game”.
It’s not clear which products specifically the Assistant Games Developer will work on. My reading is that they will definitely be involved with Balance Dataslates, Munitorum Field Manuals, and tournament packs; and that if they work on new Warhammer 40k codex releases, it’ll be to test and revise the rules rather than as a primary author.
Here’s the practical stuff: this is a twelve month fixed term contract, working full time at GW’s headquarters in Nottingham, UK. The job description does not list a salary. The closing date for applications is 4pm PT / 7pm ET / midnight BST on September 28. You can apply on the GW careers website.
With the contract lasting until Fall 2026, whoever gets the job will be in post until after the likely launch date of Warhammer 40k 11th edition (assuming GW follows a standard three year life cycle for 40k 10th edition). It’s possible the post-holder will be responsible for balancing the Warhammer 40k factions for the 11th edition launch – quite the responsibility!
How would you fine-tune Warhammer 40k’s competitive scene? Come and let us know in the Wargamer Discord community. If you ever go mysteriously silent, we’ll know that you got the job.
Of course, if you think you could improve on Warhammer 40k, why not make your own wargame? Check out my interview with Jason Jump, one of a pair of brothers who spent 25 years developing their own grimdark scifi universe and wargame, Void Siege.