Faculty - Game Design and Social Media - College of Arts and Media

Grand Canyon University! One of Arizona’s leading institutions of higher learning. Located in the Valley of Sun in the heart of Phoenix, Arizona, GCU is a regionally accredited, private, nondenominational Christian University.

The College of Arts &  Media promotes flourishing through creative collaboration, authentic storytelling, and a missional spirit. We are looking for an exceptional designer with experience in the "creative front office" of game design, including game idea generation, game play mechanics, puzzles and rewards, worldbuilding, game branding, marketing and promotions, and creating multiple formal pitch packages for games and gamification. Our innovative new Game Design degree complements our Social Media degree in these areas of design, creation and promotion. This position may teach in both areas. Show us how you use creativity to identify and solve problems.

Using game theory to build products for businesses and entertainment, the gamification market is experiencing substantial growth, close to 20% over the next decade*, across all sectors of business. GCU will graduate students with broad skills to lead in this growth.

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/gamification-market-100632

Grand Canyon University’s College of Arts and Media, CAM, https://www.gcuarts.org/, is seeking a full-time faculty member to teach Game Design and related design and social media courses.  We are especially interested in applicants who can strengthen the diversity of our academic community.

Please note, this full-time faculty position is located at our main campus in Phoenix, AZ . 

What we are offering:

• The opportunity to work at a thriving diverse campus in the growing area of Arts and Media

• 9-month (generally mid-August through April) faculty role teaching game design and related courses

• Projected start date - August 2025

• The chance to grow students’ creative mindset for today’s changing world, as well as help with the integration of faith and work.

• The opportunity to contribute to the development of the next generation of design professionals

What you will do:

• Teach students through effective demonstrations and lectures that stimulate knowledge growth and classroom discussions

• Bring Game Design and Social Media industry expectations to life for undergraduate students

• Teach students to build marketable ideas for games and gamification, implement game theory to solve business needs, and to build exciting and innovative pitch presentations which will position ideas for venture funding.

• Lead in our use of AI technologies in appropriate places within these creative projects.

• Network to provide connections for internships and job placements

• Continue to remain current in the fields of Games, Gamification Design, and Creative Technologies 

• Participates in faculty and CAM meetings and College/University committee activities

• Be an active part of our continuously improving curriculum design process

• Engage with students as a club advisor and become part of our campus community

• Support the integrity of the GCU Christian mission, faith integration & learning outcomes

What you need:

• MFA in a design-related field with a minimum of 5 years documented experience in design work

• A portfolio of professional work done within the past 5 years showing idea generation, game concepts and pitches, storyboards for client presentation, complete lifecycle of ideas through to completion that integrate typography, color, and overall aesthetics aligned with client needs, innovative creative solutions, and other related projects. (Note this is not an illustration or programming position but a design position)

• Significant (5+ years desired), documented industry experience, and post-secondary teaching experience is a plus.

• Provide a positive example to students by supporting the University’s Doctrinal Statement, Ethical Position Statement and Mission of Grand Canyon University.

Bonus Points:

• Ideal candidates have significant skills in the design thinking process, Adobe products, idea generating processes and tools, design project management, and presentation tools

• Ideal candidate will have experience in and around the game and gamification industries or applications. This allows you to present a holistic view of these industries, and identify the different roles and responsibilities needed to produce a successful game.

Why work at GCU:

• Exceptional workplace benefits include medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, a 401K savings plan

• Generous time off plan and 11 paid holidays

• Paid time off to volunteer in the community or at GCU sponsored events

• Free covered parking

• We also offer full-time employees, their spouses, and dependent children an Education Tuition Discount Program

• Free on-site gyms on campus