Level Designer JD - 31st Union (San Mateo)

WE ARE GAMEMAKERS

Who we are:

We are a diverse team of developers driven by a passion for our art, united by our core values and inspired by a culture of inclusivity to build amazing games that thrill players everywhere. We pursue growth and innovation in an environment of safety and trust. Our culture is built on the belief that the more varied voices in our collective will strengthen our team and our games.  We are looking for our next teammate who will raise our bar and make us better.

What we need:

We’re just beginning a development journey that will take us through design concepting, functional prototyping, milestone deliverables, systems building and tuning, map building, and deep polishing & optimization. We’re looking for a Senior World/Level Designer who can dig deep into each stage of this process, creating inspiring worlds and spaces, applying technical & creative passion to constantly improve the game through an iterative process. We want people who think differently at every step and help us to create a broadly appealing product that resonates with the widest set of fans possible.  Come and help us build the future of Multiplayer Action games!

Responsibilities:

• Design, pitch, & hone world spaces/levels from inception to completion to post-launch. Examine desired player experience goals and introduce designs that help support and enhance that experience
• Be an equal voice within the design team for making both large- and small-scale decisions throughout the project
• Collaborate deeply with other disciplines. This role will touch on everything from animation to UI to environment art to sound, as well as work closely with core engineering teams
• Own map ideas from inception to completion. This includes pitching ideas in their infancy to fine-tuning post-launch. We emphasize a culture of trust, and with that trust comes both responsibility & accountability
• Understand how world design impacts other areas of the game and collaborate deeply with other disciplines.  This role will touch on everything from animation to UI to environment art to sound, as well as work closely with core engineering teams
• Understand how world design fits into the overall creation direction of the game, both on a macro and micro level
• Daily hands-on engine work to bring ideas to life.  Continuous implementation and iteration of game spaces based on direction and playtest feedback.

Required Qualifications:

You’re an experienced World/Level Designer with multiple shipped titles under your belt.  You’re comfortable not just building map content off an established template, but also figuring out what that template is in the first place.  Our ideal candidate has proven experience building world spaces across all phases of development and is excited to build a world from the ground up.

• Experience in creating, or at minimum a strong passion as a player of Multiplayer Action games a MUST  
• 3-5 years or 2+ shipped titles in a World/Level Design role, preferably in the Multiplayer/Action genre
• Experience with modern game engines (Unreal, Unity, etc.)
• Experience building maps, levels, or worlds – particularly in the AAA, action, or shooter spaces – multiplayer experience preferred
• Rock-solid understanding of interplay between systems and world spaces; can take a set of systems or player abilities and build spaces that highlight those abilities in interesting and creative ways
• Familiar with fundamental world-building concepts: flow, landmarking, scale, visibility, metrics, etc.
• Ability to thoughtfully critique and evaluate 3D spaces
• Understanding of how art, color, lighting, composition, etc. can complement gameplay design
• Comfortable with rapid iteration based off feedback from many sources: peer review, data analytics, player surveys, etc.  Capable of filtering large volumes of feedback into concrete and actionable improvements
• Clear understanding of the iterative level design process from inception all the way to post-ship support

Relevant Experience:

• Strong passion for online multiplayer action games a MUST
• Experience working in multiplayer games or systems
• Some experience programming, both code & visual scripting (C++, C#, etc. | Blueprint, Kismet, etc.)
• A passion for diversity & representation in games & game development
• A self-starter who can align with the team’s goals but isn’t hesitant to create solutions on their own
• Ability to iterate & collaborate under deadlines & production constraints
• Backgrounds in art/architecture/CS/etc. a plus

The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between _____ and _____ per year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations. Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment. If hired, employee will be in an ’at-will position’ and the company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation or benefit program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

SECURITY NOTICE -  We have recently been made aware of increasing occurrences of bad actors posing as company HR personnel to gain information from "potential candidates", in the form of job interviews and offers. These scams can be quite sophisticated and appear legitimate.

Please know that 31st Union and 2K never uses instant messaging apps to contact prospective employees or to conduct interviews.

If you believe you have been a victim of such a scam, you may fill out a complaint form at https://complaint.ic3.gov/ and https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ detailing as much as possible. We are taking these matters very seriously and apologize for any inconvenience.

 Join our mission: Bring fun, inspiration and awe to our lives and to our community:

https://thirtyfirstunion.com/values

31st Union prides itself on the diversity of its team members, partners, and communities.  For this reason, we remain committed to providing equal employment opportunity in all aspects of the employment relationship, from recruitment and hiring through compensation, benefits, discipline and termination.  This means that employment at 31st Union depends on your substantive ability, objective qualifications and work ethic – not on your age, race (including traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles), height, weight, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and expression), alienage or citizenship status, transgender, military or veteran status, physical or mental disability (actual or perceived), medical condition, AIDS/HIV, denial of family and medical care leave, genetic information, predisposition or carrier status, pregnancy status, childbirth, breastfeeding (or related medical conditions), marital status or registered domestic partner status, political activity or affiliation, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, arrest record, or taking or requesting statutorily protected leaves, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local laws.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are also committed to ensuring that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation(s) to participate in the job application and/or interview process, to perform their essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.  Please contact us if you need to request a reasonable accommodation.

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