Level / Game Designer - Senior

Overview

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.

What You'll Do

• 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

What You'll Bring

• 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 flow, and systemic game design
• Expert mastery of Unreal Engine and its development environment, with a track record of pushing the engine’s capabilities

Nice to Have

• AAA experience
• Experience with Unity or proprietary custom engines is a strong plus
• Experience developing on console
• At least one shipped title

Job Details

• Job Title: Level Designer – Principal
• Reports to: Director of Design
• Department: Design
• Work Location: Fully Remote
• Employment status: Full Time
• FLSA: Salaried, Exempt
• 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
• Eligible States: Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, Montana, Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Washington, Utah

Salary Range: $80,000 to $120,000 USD

Primary Working Language: English

Hardsuit Labs is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Aff… we do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, disability, genetic information, or other legally protected characteristics. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States and reside in one of the eligible states listed above. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. You may view our Equal Employment Opportunity notice here.

Hardsuit Labs is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at

Keywords Studios is dedicated to following a well‑established Equal Opportunities Policy and endeavors to create a workplace which provides for equal opportunities for all employees and potential employees.