Senior Level Designer (7-month contract)

Blackbird Interactive is a creative-fueled, future-driven, independent game studio where the best talent in the industry can find long-term careers to help grow their abilities while working on a wide range of projects, which encompass world-class IPs as well as our own creations across multiple genres. Our studio operates as a remote-first workplace, offering flexible work arrangements. PLEASE NOTE: At this time, we are only able to hire candidates who are legally eligible to work in Canada and reside within Canada.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with game design, art, engineering, and production to support and implement the established creative vision, raising questions or inconsistencies as they arise during development

• Work within production schedules and constraints, implementing level content in a timely and iterative manner while communicating risks or dependencies to appropriate team members

• Design and build levels end-to-end, including layout, combat spaces, traversal, pacing, player flow, and objective placement

• Create engaging multiplayer environments that support varied combat scenarios, multiple player strategies, and balanced gameplay experiences

• Script and implement gameplay events, encounters, objectives, triggers, and environmental interactions that support gameplay and replayability

• Test, debug, and iterate on levels regularly, identifying and resolving issues related to navigation, combat balance, player flow, readability, progression, and edge cases

• Respond constructively to feedback, refining layouts, combat spaces, and pacing to improve gameplay quality, balance, and player experience

• Maintain an understanding of core gameplay systems and how they interact with level design, adjusting layouts to support multiple playstyles, team dynamics, and systemic gameplay

Requirements

• A minimum of 5 years of experience contributing to game development, with a strong focus on level design for action, multiplayer, or combat-focused games

• Experience shipping at least one title, ideally a multiplayer action or third-person game, with an understanding of the full content lifecycle from implementation through polish

• Hands-on experience with Unreal Engine 5, with confidence using in-engine level editing tools, Blueprint scripting, and gameplay workflows to build, implement, debug, and iterate on gameplay spaces

• Comfort working independently on assigned content, with the ability to manage tasks, iterate on feedback, and solve implementation challenges in a dynamic production environment

• Strong collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to work closely across design, art, engineering, audio, and production to deliver cohesive gameplay experiences

• Strong understanding of combat space design, player navigation, encounter pacing, gameplay readability, and multiplayer level flow

Pluses

• Passion for third-person action games and competitive or cooperative multiplayer experiences

• Strong interest in hands-on level implementation, including layout design, encounter setup, scripting, and gameplay integration

• Appreciation for systemic gameplay and how level design supports replayability, player expression, and multiple tactical approaches

• Interest in creating memorable gameplay moments through level composition, pacing, and environmental storytelling

• Care about polish, clarity, and player comprehension, and enjoy iterating on spaces to improve gameplay balance and overall player experience

• Curiosity about how level design, gameplay systems, and player behavior intersect to create engaging, replayable multiplayer environments