Senior Level Designer

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. At this time, we are only able to hire candidates who are legally eligible to work in Canada and reside within Canada.

Blackbird Interactive is looking for an experienced Senior Level Designer to help build and deliver high-quality gameplay spaces for an established science fiction universe. This role focuses on designing, implementing, and refining levels that support player-driven exploration, combat, and narrative within a large, open-ended experience.

You’ll work closely with design, engineering, art, and production to create levels that are cohesive, readable, and engaging, while integrating seamlessly with systems, encounters, and story content. The role involves collaborating with leadership to align level design with the broader creative vision, while owning content end-to-end, from early concept and layout through blockout, implementation, iteration, and polish. As a senior member of the team, you will also support, mentor, and help guide more junior designers. If you enjoy crafting memorable spaces, solving spatial gameplay challenges, and elevating team quality through experience and leadership, this role could be a great fit for you!

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with systems design, quest design, art, engineering, and production to support and implement the established creative vision through level design

• Design and own levels end-to-end, including concepting layouts, defining gameplay beats, pacing encounters, and guiding player flow

• Create and iterate on 2D layouts and 3D blockouts, translating design intent into playable spaces

• Implement levels directly using in-engine tools, scripting, and event systems to ensure functionality across a wide range of player behaviors

• Work closely with other designers to integrate systems, AI, narrative, and encounters into cohesive gameplay experiences

• Plan, implement, and refine combat encounters, traversal, and exploration within levels

• Build and maintain level logic, scripting, and state-based events to support progression, pacing, and player interaction

• Test, debug, and iterate on levels regularly, identifying gameplay, readability, and technical issues

• Provide clear, constructive feedback on the work of other designers, helping maintain quality and consistency across the project

• Mentor and support junior designers, helping them grow their skills, improve their work, and navigate development challenges

• Anticipate dependencies and risks, working with production and cross-discipline partners to ensure smooth delivery

Requirements

• A minimum of 8 years of experience contributing to game development, with a strong focus on level design within complex games

• Experience shipping multiple titles, including at least one AAA project in a level design role

• Proven ability to own level content from concept through final implementation and polish

• Experience mentoring or supporting junior designers, including providing feedback and guidance on their work

• Strong understanding of level design fundamentals, including layout, pacing, player guidance, combat design, and environmental storytelling

• Comfort working independently on features, managing tasks, iterating on feedback, and solving design and implementation challenges in a dynamic production environment

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

• Familiarity with in-engine tools, scripting concepts, and state-driven systems, with confidence in implementing and debugging level content directly in-game

Pluses

• A strong interest in hands-on level implementation, including scripting, encounter setup, and gameplay integration

• Appreciation for systems-driven RPGs or open-world games, and how level design supports exploration, player choice, and emergent gameplay

• Passion for science fiction worlds, especially those focused on scale, discovery, and environmental storytelling

• Interest in readability, usability, and player guidance, and how UI, VFX, lighting, and audio reinforce level design

• Enjoyment of refining spaces through iteration, playtesting, and polish to improve player experience

• Curiosity about how level design, systems, and narrative come together to create cohesive, memorable gameplay experiences

$110,000 - $130,000 a year