This job might no longer be available.

Lead Level Designer - Sledgehammer Games

Job Title:

Requisition ID:

Job Description:

Located in the San Francisco Bay Area and Melbourne, Australia – we’re the videogame development team behind Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare 3, Call of Duty®: Advanced Warfare and Call of Duty®: WWII . Since our founding in 2009, our greatest passion has been making AAA games. The strength of our team makes us not only excellent at what we do, but also how we do it. We firmly believe in supporting our talented employees to be the best they can be. Here at Sledgehammer Games, everyone is a game maker.

As we head into decade II of development, we’re focused on constantly evolving, innovating and taking risks – which are some of the most rewarding aspects of game development. With world-class audio, design, engineering and art teams, we’ve been able to achieve some of the highest-quality game execution of any studio in the industry. We love what we do and work hard to make sure that each new game we make is even better than the last. Creativity is key, and we’re looking for talented game developers for our exciting next project.

Sledgehammer Games is wholly owned by Activision. To learn more about our studio, please visit us at www.sledgehammergames.com or search for Sledgehammer Games on your favorite social media platform. Want to hear what it’s like at the studio directly from current employees? Check out our #LifeatSHG developer profiles: https://youtu.be/12DUBszg-w4

Primary Responsibilities

• Act as the level design leader for all content produced by the Melbourne team.
• Lead by example in the hands-on creation of content as part of the team’s output.
• Work with franchise owners within other Activision studios to ensure content developed by SHG Melbourne fits with franchise creative pillars.
• Partner with the recruitment team to identify key hires, taking an active role in building the core team.
• Interpret high-level vision into clear guidance for the team, holding regular reviews and providing iterative feedback to meet the required quality bar.
• Mentor and lead the level design team, taking an active interest in their development.
• Work with user research during playtests to identify iterative improvements and changes.
• Rally the team and create visible, wide-spread support for direction.
• Communicate progress and resolution of issues with the ability to set guidelines for peers and support teams.
• Represent the team’s work at global SHG all-hands meetings when required.
• Build effective working relationships with key creative and production stakeholders across SHG, helping to ensure consistency of output from the studio.
• Over time, become a key creative leader at the studio with a highly visible presence at team all-hands and other studio events, visiting the Foster City and Toronto teams when required.
• Promote the studio’s ‘One Sledgehammer’ philosophy, to help ensure members of the Melbourne team feel truly part of the wider studio. Proactively raise any issues regarding team cohesion with studio Leadership.

Previous Experience

• 8+ years of industry experience working in the field of level design on AAA titles.
• Expansive knowledge of game design with appreciation and understanding for the other disciplines.
• Ability to pitch concepts clearly and concisely, and which demonstrate critical thinking.
• Experience working with proprietary engines and toolsets.
• Strong understanding of geometry building, flow, and layout.
• Solid understanding of level design with ability to clearly discuss modern trends.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Hunger for gaming (especially online) with a broad range of game experience.
• An egoless attitude that welcomes feedback and criticism, and enjoys working in a collaborative, iterative, and agile process.
• An analytical approach and the ability to break down complex problems into consumable and relevant pieces for others.
• Experience taking major AAA console and PC games from concept to completion.
• Exceptional verbal, written, and interpersonal communications skills.

Bonus Points

• 2+ years of experience as a lead level designer, with at least one shipped title in this position.
• Prior experience working on a games-as-a-service product.
• Experience working on projects involving multiple internal and external partners, and with established franchises where close collaboration with publishing owners is required.