[Hiring] Level / Game Designer - Senior @Hardsuit Labs

Role Description

As part of Keywords Studios, we are gifted with the opportunity to partner with a variety of studios across the globe on all types of games and genres. If the idea of bringing your skills to bear upon an ever-changing landscape of games in collaboration with teams all over the world sounds exciting to you...well, continue reading my friend.

• Act as a primary design point of contact for external partner studios, driving collaborative efforts and ensuring alignment of vision and execution across distributed teams.
• Drive the conceptualization, documentation, and macro-level vision of levels, spaces, missions, and gameplay experiences.
• Drive the development and iteration of pipelines, processes, and tools to elevate the efficiency and quality of the entire design team.
• Drive cross-functional strike teams to achieve end-user experience goals, proactively identifying and resolving project-wide blockers.
• Lead by example in grey-boxing, pacing, layout beats, scripting, encounters, and gameplay implementation, setting the gold standard for the studio.
• Spearhead testing, debugging, level performance, streaming, and optimization strategies.
• Drive the vision for environmental storytelling, world building, tone, setting, and art propping.
• Act as a champion for the discipline, actively accountable for driving results and owning specific project mandates.
• Be a foundational source of knowledge, providing high-level mentorship to Associate and Core designers to foster a culture of excellence.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional game development experience, demonstrating a consistent track record of driving results, iterating on process, and owning major game features and experiences.
• Experience working on at least 3 shipped titles, with a proven ability in driving macro-level vision, establishing pipelines, and guiding cross-functional teams from concept to final release.
• Exceptional ability to tackle highly complex, cross-discipline problems where no established pipeline exists, turning ambiguity into actionable strategies.
• Mastery of virtual spaces, pacing, flow, immersion, player motivation, and aesthetics.
• Proven leadership in collaborating across disciplines in both internal and external teams.
• Excellent active communication skills, capable of pitching, defending, and driving consensus on high-level design decisions.
• Expert understanding of technical concepts, logic, logic flow, and systemic game design.
• Expert mastery of Unreal Engine and its development environment, with a track record of pushing the engine's capabilities.

Requirements

• NICE TO HAVE: AAA experience.
• While Unreal is our primary focus, experience with Unity or proprietary custom engines is a strong plus.
• Experience developing on console.
• At least one shipped title.

Benefits

• Generous PTO
• Health, Dental, & Vision coverage
• Healthcare and Daycare FSAs
• 401k with company match
• Life and Disability insurance
• Technology Stipend
• Paid Sick leave
• Commuter benefits
• Paid company holidays and office closures

Company Description

We are an independent game developer founded in 2015 in Seattle, Washington. We believe that great games can only be built with great people and that great people thrive and do their best work in a healthy, collaborative, and positive work environment that values them. We believe in a diverse and inclusive workplace and building equity throughout the organization.

• At Hardsuit Labs, we are respectful and inclusive, we are problem solvers and efficiency champions, we are curious and collaborative, we are flexible and adaptable, and most of all, we are always looking to deliver excellence in the experiences and products that we craft!
• As a studio, we have built a reputation as an Unreal Engine-focused development house, working in a multitude of genres and games, from support work and engagement for hire to the development of original in-house projects.
• We have long standing relationships with some of the largest gaming companies in the industry and are certified developers across all major platforms.