Unknown Worlds is looking for an experienced Senior Designer to help us incubate and develop new game ideas from conception to release. The ideal candidate is a consummate communicator and collaborator. They are a student of game design, with the toolset to understand and explain design theory and pitfalls. They coach and encourage their team, are self-directed and highly motivated, and enjoy working with multidisciplinary collaborative teams.

This is a remote position on a fully distributed team. We are looking for a candidate with the flexibility to collaborate with a team located primarily in the East and West Coast USA.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of developers to pitch and refine multiple game ideas and systems.

• Help teams navigate the early prototyping phase by assisting with hands-on development and iteration.

• Identify game design needs; drive conception and implementation of key features. 

• Create and shepherd designs from paper to shipping.

• Advocate for the player’s perspective by assisting with the facilitation of playtests, addressing concerns and driving solutions on design challenges. 

• Coordinate with team leaders to identify, address and adhere to constraints. 

• Establish and maintain design documentation for systems across the project.

• Work across teams to ensure best design practices are followed.

Qualifications

• Experience leading or product-owning multi-disciplinary strike teams.

• Extensive experience with game design principles, game balance, pacing and player motivations.

• Deep knowledge and experience in a design discipline: systems, gameplay, 3Cs, level design, or other. 

• Experience shipping at least 2 game titles in a design-focused role.

• Hands-on experience supporting the implementation of features and ideas in-engine.

• Experience transitioning game concepts from prototyping through pre-production and production phases.

• Excellent situational awareness and judgment, with the ability to demonstrate both qualities in high-pressure situations. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication.

• Experience with project management software such as JIRA, Favro, Notion and/or equivalents.

• Deep understanding of the foundational elements and player expectations of multiple genres.

Preferences

• Experience creating and refining game pitches.

• Experience working directly in Unity and/or Unreal 5.

• Experience working on a game in all phases of development, from pre-production to shipping.

• Experience with open development or Early Access models engaging with large and active communities.

• Scripting experience (via code, proprietary tools, and/or visual scripting languages).

• Experience working in an environment that stretches the designer outside their bounds, including experience with level, gameplay, and/or UX/UI design.

Salary and compensation

No salary data published by company so we estimated salary based on similar jobs related to Design, Designer and Senior jobs that are similar:

$65,000 — $100,000/year

Benefits

💰 401(k)

🌎 Distributed team

⏰ Async

🤓 Vision insurance

🦷 Dental insurance

🚑 Medical insurance

🏖 Unlimited vacation

🏖 Paid time off

📆 4 day workweek

💰 401k matching

🏔 Company retreats

🏬 Coworking budget

📚 Learning budget

💪 Free gym membership

🧘 Mental wellness budget

🖥 Home office budget

🥧 Pay in crypto

🥸 Pseudonymous

💰 Profit sharing

💰 Equity compensation

⬜️ No whiteboard interview

👀 No monitoring system

🚫 No politics at work

🎅 We hire old (and young)

Location

Remote