Level Designer

Important:

Location: Must be based in the UK or Europe. Applicants outside these regions will not be considered.

Visa Sponsorship: Not available at this time. Applicants must be eligible to work in their current country of residence.

Application Requirements: Submit your CV in .pdf format only.

Right to work: If an offer of employment is made to you, you will need to produce a piece of valid ID to prove your right to work.

Confirmation email: Please note that not receiving a confirmation email post-application is normal, and just a quirk of our application system - your application has been received :)

Timeframe: The role will stay open for applicants for a minimum of 1.5 weeks. As a rough guideline, we endeavour to have gotten back to all applicants within 2 weeks.

About Us: Since 2015, ZA/UM Studio has been at the forefront of artistic achievement within the video games industry. Driven by a commitment to video games as an art form and endless intellectual curiosity, we are now a studio with a portfolio of projects and a global team of over 85 people.

We are committed to creating narrative-driven games that challenge the boundaries of art and storytelling. We do not shy away from social commentary or challenging industry conventions. The foundation of our artistic pursuits is collective creativity, we view teamwork and camaraderie as essential. We're looking for a Level Designer to come and join us in this pursuit.

Responsibilities

• Build levels and areas that balance storytelling, gameplay and pacing
• Prototype layouts and gameplay, to convey and prove intentions.
• Populate levels with gameplay elements, NPCs, dialogues and other interactions. 
• Setup navigation systems and other technical design systems.
• Work closely with the Tech and Tech Art teams to improve processes
• Conduct reviews with other craft teams
• Analyse and integrate playtest feedback
• Cross-discipline collaboration with Art, Narrative and Tech teams
  

Skills & requirements

• Versatile skill set, with a preference for generalist capabilities over specialization.
• Comfortable working with custom pipelines and processes, adapting to unique workflows.
• A good understanding of narrative and mission/quest flow.
• Experience designing for systems-driven games.
• Proven ability to take initiative and responsibility.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Bonuses

• Experience with Unity game engine
• Experience with Blender or similar 3D modeling software (e.g., 3ds Max, Maya) for the creation of level blockouts  
• Proficiency in in-engine or in-editor tools for level implementation 
• Experience working with custom dialogue tools for game development
• Experience or skill in a similar discipline such as narrative design, systems design, environment art, etc.
• Experience with narrative-driven RPGs and cRPGs, and their conventions.  

We Offer:

• Competitive salary.
• Employee Share Option Plan (ESOP) – an opportunity to own a part of the company and share in its growth.
• Excellent career development opportunities.
• The chance to work with some of the most exciting people in the video game industry.
• Flexible work model - the ability to work fully remotely, or hybrid from the office, with occasional required in-person meetings.
• Medical and dental cover.
• Christmas closure.
  

ZA/UM is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion among our workforce, and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative of all sections of society and our customers, and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. The organisation - in providing goods and/or services and/or facilities - is also committed against unlawful discrimination of customers or the public.