[Hiring] Principal Systems Designer @tobspr Games GmbH

Role Description

We're looking for a Principal Systems Designer for our next big project: a new 3D factory game built in Unreal Engine, in development until the end of 2028 with a team of around 20 people.

This is a senior, hands-on role. You won't hand off specs and wait. You'll build systems, break them down, test them, and own them until they work.

• Design the core systems of the game, with input from the game director: production chains, resources, logistics, progression and economy.
• Take high-level mechanics and break them down, step by step, into something the team can build.
• Prototype and tune systems yourself, in spreadsheets, simulations, Blueprints.
• Write and maintain clear design docs, and keep them in sync with what is actually in the game.
• Work daily with programmers, artists and production so design and implementation don't drift apart.
• Bring structure to the design work: priorities, open questions, decisions and their reasons.
• Act as a sparring partner for the Game Director: challenge ideas, bring alternatives, say when something doesn't work.
• Later on, lead a small design team (Level Designer, Content Designer) and help shape how we do design as a studio.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional game design experience, with a strong focus on systems design.
• At least one shipped title where you owned major systems, ideally a systemic game (simulation, strategy, sandbox, automation, survival, colony builders or similar).
• You play factory and automation games in your free time and genuinely enjoy them.
• You think in systems: feedback loops, dependencies, scaling, emergent behaviour and edge cases.
• Hands-on work style. You prototype and test your ideas yourself, not just on paper.
• Excellent written and verbal communication in English.
• Working times compatible with the CET timezone.

Requirements

• A programming background, or solid scripting skills (Blueprints, C++, C#, Python, Lua or similar).
• Experience with Unreal Engine.
• Experience leading or mentoring other designers.
• You've worked in small or remote indie teams before.
• Bonus: personal projects related to factory games (mods, tools, prototypes, calculators, blueprints). Please include them!

Benefits

• Full-time (40h/week), fully remote.
• Very flexible working hours.
• Real influence on a game from its early stages.
• Paid overtime (though we do our best to avoid it in the first place).
• Book & training budget (100€/month, more if needed).
• Focus days for learning new skills or researching.
• Yearly on-site team events.
• Automatic baseline salary adjustment of 2% per year.
• Hardware & home office budget (2.000€ when joining, then 1.000€ yearly).
• Job Ticket (if you live in Germany).

Company Description

We are a small indie studio that makes factory and automation games. We started with web games and found our success on PC. Our current 17 staff come from 5 continents, with a diverse range of experiences and backgrounds. We value direct communication and ownership over bureaucracy. We design for our players, in close collaboration with our community.

We work completely remote and in English; professional working proficiency is enough. We have critical meetings and collaborate with other staff during CET core working hours (approx. 11:00-15:00).

We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, genders, ages, abilities and identities, and we evaluate everyone on the same criteria.