Senior Level Designer - Maze Theory

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ABOUT US:
Maze Theory is pushing the boundaries of interactive and immersive storytelling within VR. We are seeking an experienced Senior Level Designer to work in our studio on an upcoming VR project on a well known and beloved Game IP.
We are an equal-opportunity employer. This is a permanent position; you will work alongside the rest of the team and key stakeholders, daily.

ABOUT YOU:

As a senior level designer, you will be the driving force for level design within the studio. You will take ownership in crafting a believable, user-friendly world for our players to explore. You have an excellent eye for environmental storytelling and are comfortable creating play spaces that invite exploration, whilst also providing the right layout and framing for key narrative events and combat encounters to take place. You will have the opportunity to mentor other designers; teaching them best practices and principles. You're comfortable working closely with all disciplines to craft environments that fit the needs of every department, the IP, and the story being told.

• Excellent problem-solving and communication skills
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of level design for first person perspective environments
• Comfortable creating effective environments which adhere to IP limitations
• Knowledge of how to craft exciting and dynamic combat encounters that encourage player choice on how to overcome them; with a focus on stealth and long-range combat.
• Comfortable with rapid prototyping and quick, iterative level-building
• Understanding of best practice development through all phases of game production
• Experience and familiarity with visual scripting for gameplay events
• Ability to manage your own time and work proactively, whilst being a positive influence on your team.
• Able to adapt to new technologies and technical challenges
• Strong understanding of general design principles, allowing you to support and fulfil other design roles when required
• Exceptional eye for detail, whilst understanding and contributing to the bigger picture

EXPERIENCE:

• Excellent grasp of level design fundamentals and the role it plays in the overall player experience.
• You have 5+ years of experience and have shipped at least two titles; with at least one in a senior position.
• You've taken levels from initial concept through to completion
• Ability to create level layouts at all stages - from simple sketches to fully functional levels
• You have a strong grasp of 3D-level editors and visual scripting systems.
• You are experienced with Unity
• You know how to use the results of user tests to fine-tune and balance the levels you create
• Proven success in creating varied, memorable levels.
• Experience working in VR is a major plus but is not essential

We're looking for someone self-motivated and experienced who will take ownership of level design and bring it to the highest possible quality.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Be the voice for all things level design. Be an inspiration to your team.
• Define & maintain level design processes, pipelines, and best practices.
• Create authentic, rich spaces in which the player can explore, interact with characters, and engage in combat/stealth encounters
• Lead the player through the world, ensuring that they understand their objectives and can find the way intuitively and with confidence
• Lay out the game world and script events to create unforgettable experiences, crafting the pace whilst balancing progression, challenge, and reward
• Collaborate with the rest of the design team and key stakeholders to ensure consistently high-quality level design across the game and well-balanced difficulty & progression
• Fine-tune your levels using data gathered at user tests
• Contribute to Tools and workflow development, identifying bottlenecks or areas where tools could improve efficiency.

BENEFITS:

• Salary Range: 50k - 60k DOE
• Remote-first Studio
• Share option scheme
• Unlimited holidays
• Monthly workplace well-being benefit scheme
• Regular team social events & studio summits and networking opportunities
• Working alongside a friendly, flexible, and highly talented team
• Strong creative freedom that will give you a real impact on the final product
• Opportunity to work on the future of immersive storytelling and big-name IPs

To tell better stories and create inclusive experiences we welcome everyone, especially from under-represented people in our industry whose stories aren't told often enough. Our research has suggested that sometimes people from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to roles unless they meet every single listed requirement. At Emergent we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive working environment, who you are will always deserve our consideration and recognition, and your application is welcome.

While Maze Theory is a diverse and eclectic bunch of people, we subscribe to some core business values. If you feel you can get behind these, please apply (if you don't then you shouldn't):

- We are optimistic & brave

- We are honest & open

- We take ownership & responsibility