Lead Systems Designer

Company: Skydance Media
Location: Santa Monica
Posted on: May 23, 2023

Job Description:

At Skydance Interactive, we believe in pushing the boundaries of what is possible in interactive entertainment. Innovation in game design, technology and storytelling is the passion that drives our agile studio of dedicated and talented game creators. Collaboration across all disciplines is vital to our success and is at the core of the inclusive culture we strive to foster every day.We empower our employees to take ownership of the features they develop and create their own solutions when challenges arise. As our studio grows, we want to bring even more risk-takers, innovators and diverse voices along for the ride as we continue to create the games that will defy convention and define the future of the medium.Our studio was founded in 2008 by several Treyarch veterans as The Workshop. For eight years, we built our reputation in the AAA console space working on hit titles such asGears of War, XCom 2, SorceryandThe Evil Within. In 2016, we joined forces with Skydance Media to form Skydance Interactive and set our sights on becoming the premiere studio in the burgeoning arena of Virtual Reality. Following the success of our first VR titleArchangel, we elevated our ambition and tackled The Walking Dead universe in VR. The result was the 2018 genre-defining hitThe Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners.We have begun pre-production on a new, unannounced VR title, and are looking for a Lead Systems Designer to form part of our core team. This person will hire, manage and direct a team of systems designers in the pursuit of fun, engaging, state-of-the-art mechanics that keep players coming back again and again. SDI believes in the investment of our people, so this role will have a heavy management component - if you like leveling up others, helping them to set and achieve their goals, and know how to get a team to run like a cohesive whole, then this position might be a great fit!Responsibilities

• Mentor, manage and motivate the members of your team.
• Explore, discover and iterate on large gameplay systems that keep players engaged and having fun
• Understand and be the subject matter expert of how systems interact with each other and what the consequences of those interactions are.
• Drive the existing progression, economy and combat systems toward completion, and work with multi-disciplinary pods to polish and perfect them.
• Invent new world-class VR interactions
• Invest in your team's craft, and provide opportunities and encouragement for their growth as individualsRequirements
  • 8+ years of experience in a systems design or technical design role
  • 1+ years of experience as a lead, manager, or equivalent
  • Contributed to at least one title from pre-production to launch
  • Experience working with or leading cross-discipline teams
  • Experience with writing and appreciation of game design documents
  • Expertise in working with 3rd party game engines (Unreal, Unity)
  • Demonstrated ability to level up people around youExtra Credit
    • Deep understanding of Unreal Engine's visual scripting language
    • Experience on a VR project
    • Familiarity with survival-like games and game loops.The salary range for this position in Los Angeles is $130,000 - $140,000. The salary offered may vary based on the candidate's location, qualifications, experience and relevant expertise, among other factors. The range indicated is for base salary only and does not reflect the total compensation package, including bonus, benefits, etc.We realize that skills and expertise can come from many different experiences and paths, and we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet all of the requirements as written in the job description.#Interactive #LI-hybridSkydance is a diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create high quality, event-level entertainment for global audiences. The Company brings to life stories of immersive worlds across its feature film, television, interactive, and animation divisions.Skydance is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to building and fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce. We welcome and consider applicants for employment regardless of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy status, military/veteran status, disability, or any other protected category. Diversity in the workplace is not just a commitment, it is who we are and a reflection of what makes our world special.Recruitment Fraud AlertIt has come to our attention that there may be fraudulent activity by individuals impersonating our Talent Acquisition team. Skydance will only contact you from an official "@skydance.com" email address. If you suspect that you are being contacted by an unauthorized person or believe that the correspondence you have received is suspicious, please do not click on any links or attachments in such emails and submit any questions or concerns to our information security team at.

Keywords: Skydance Media, Santa Monica , Lead Systems Designer, Other , Santa Monica, California