Senior Level Designer (Contract)

At ArenaNet, we’ve always believed that games are art. They have the power to communicate ideas and tell stories. They can change the way we think, reflect our cultures, and move us. As the developer of the award-winning Guild Wars game series, we’re proud to share our passion for the online worlds we’ve created with over 21 million players worldwide. ArenaNet develops and publishes games for every kind of person, which means our games need to be built by every kind of person. We believe the best experiences come from working together, celebrating differences, and helping each of our team members shine. We are looking for a Senior Level Designer (Contract) to help define and implement high-quality open world gameplay spaces in our upcoming title, Guild Wars 3. This is an advanced role where you’ll be asked to own complex iteration, work collaboratively with multiple disciplines, and establish and maintain quality and technical standards for our content. WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR Collaborate – Partner with Content Design, Locomotion Design, Technical Design, Narrative, Art, and Engineering to deliver cohesive and quality player-facing levels Plan – Work with Content Leads to support development timelines and goals Champion – Define metrics and drive their adoption across teams with a gameplay first mentality. Supporting player skills, locomotion, exploration, and combat. Implement - Use Unreal Engine 5 tools and scripting systems to build and iterate on gameplay experiences and spaces in an open world environment Iterate – Work with Designers and Artists to find the fun, with an eye towards joy of movement and spaces conducive to the content of an open world, multiplayer game Refine – Work directly with Artists to refine and finalize assets for the use in gameplay Document – Work with Technical Designers and other Designers to fully document tools, pipelines, and content plans Listen - Participate in playtests and incorporate feedback to improve pacing, clarity, and player engagement Polish - Iterate content based on player feedback, internal playtests, and design reviews to ensure gameplay moments are polished, intuitive, and aligned with the player experience. Exemplify – Be an example for the team of the quality bar, how to work effectively within constraints, and how to be a professional within the industry WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL 5+ years of experience of game development with a focus on level design, block outs, and grey boxing 1 or more AAA games shipped in a level design focused role. Pre-production game design experience. Experience implementing level designs using Unreal Engine 5 Strong understanding of gameplay, encounter design, and mission flow Ability to implement and iterate content using engine tools, scripting systems, or visual scripting Excellent collaboration and communication skills when working with cross-disciplinary teams This contract is expected to be 12+ months. Applications will be accepted until Friday, July 10th by 10am PT. If the deadline is extended, the posting will be updated accordingly. If the position is filled before this date, the posting will be removed. Don’t meet every single requirement on this job post? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At ArenaNet, we believe diversity in culture, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and backgrounds make us a better team – we celebrate it. So, if you’re excited about this role, but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification listed, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.