Associate Lead Technical Narrative Designer - F/M/NB

Novaquark is seeking an Associate Lead Narrative Designer to serve as a crucial technical leader, bridging creative story concepts with robust gameplay implementation. This role involves partnering with Narrative & Story leadership to define core narrative systems, ensuring high-quality playable content with clean logic and documentation. The individual will mentor Narrative Designers, refine in-engine tools, and ensure scalability of narrative interactions. Key responsibilities include owning narrative systems, leading team reviews, and collaborating cross-functionally to create impactful narrative moments focused on pacing and player engagement. Success involves leading design meetings, maintaining documentation, solving pipeline issues, and validating designer submissions.

Must Have

• Own and manage multiple core Narrative Systems (e.g., Quest, Dialogue, Event scripting).
• Maintain quality and technical benchmarks for player experience.
• Support Narrative Leadership by managing, reviewing, and mentoring the team’s output.
• Ensure all Narrative gameplay meets high design and quality standards.
• Collaborate closely with writers, level designers, and combat designers.
• Build integrated, impactful narrative moments focused on thematic pacing, player engagement, and clear delivery.
• 6+ years AAA narrative or quest design experience.
• Proven experience owning large-scale quest lines or systemic narrative features.
• Strong Unreal Engine (preferably UE5) Narrative Design and Quest Design implementation.
• Deep understanding of combat encounter design, pacing, player agency, and environmental storytelling.
• Excellent cross-department collaboration and communication skills.
• English fluency.

Good to Have

• Experience in Souls-like or melee-focused gameplay.
• Familiarity with systemic mission or quest design (e.g. hub/interconnected structure).
• Background in design documentation and pipeline organization.
• Proficiency with cutscene creation and implementation.
• Previous experience in a mentoring, senior, or associate lead position.

Perks & Benefits

• Competitive packages
• Seamless onboarding
• Tailored benefits (country-specific)

The position

Job description

Why do we need an Associate Lead Narrative Designer ?

We are looking for an Associate Lead Narrative Designer to act as the critical leader and technical bridge between creative story concepts and their robust, scalable implementation in gameplay. This individual will partner with Narrative & Story leadership to define the execution of core narrative systems, ensuring world-building is translated into consistently high-quality playable content with clean logic and industry-leading documentation. They will be a key leader, mentoring and guiding other Narrative Designers throughout production, and working closely with technical teams to refine our in-engine tools and ensure the long-term scalability of our narrative interactions.

Team composition:

Supervises Narrative Designers (2-4). Collaborates with Tools Teams, Narrative / Writing / Localization, Art, Animation, Mo-Cap, and Level Design teams.

Core Mandate (3 main missions)

• System Ownership & Quality: Own and manage multiple core Narrative Systems (e.g., Quest, Dialogue, Event scripting), maintaining the quality and technical benchmarks for player experience from concept to final polish.
• Team Leadership & Review: Support Narrative Leadership by proactively managing, reviewing, and mentoring the team’s output, ensuring all Narrative gameplay meets our high design and quality standards.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with writers, level designers, and combat designers to build integrated, impactful narrative moments focused on thematic pacing, player engagement, and clear delivery.

Success Criteria (What are we expecting from you in the next months)

• Successfully lead weekly design review and sync meetings, and contribute to broader cross-functional design discussions.
• Establish and maintain up-to-date, reliable quest tracker and comprehensive design documentation.
• Proactively identify and solve design or pipeline issues to improve iteration speed and collaboration across departments.
• Review, validate, and playtest designer submissions daily to ensure clean quest logic, stability, and adherence to performance goals.
• Deliver clear training notes or hands-on documentation for any new tools, features, or pipelines used by the team.

Key information

• Accepting permanent staff and freelance candidates
• Availability: ASAP (if available later, do not hesitate to apply!)
• Location: Full remote possible (Europe only)
• Compensation and Benefits:

We partner with Deel to facilitate hiring globally, ensuring compliance with local labor laws and providing tailored benefits for each country. This collaboration allows us to offer competitive packages and seamless onboarding for our international team members, enhancing their employment experience no matter where they are located.

• Few links about us
• We released the first trailer: https://tinyurl.com/yd9k7fa8
• Our website: https://tinyurl.com/2ae4hxuu
• A short article about us: https://tinyurl.com/mr23zkkb
• Good summary of our game: https://tinyurl.com/bdzxd9cc

Preferred experience

Hard skills

• Mandatory to start the hiring process:
• 6+ years AAA narrative or quest design experience, including contribution to at least one shipped AAA action/adventure title.
• Proven experience owning large-scale quest lines or systemic narrative features from concept to completion.
• Strong Unreal Engine (preferably UE5) Narrative Design and Quest Design implementation.
• Deep understanding of combat encounter design, pacing, player agency, and environmental storytelling within the narrative context of third-person action games.
• Excellent cross-department collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to provide constructive, actionable feedback and mentor other designers.
• English fluency.
• Nice to have (not mandatory but it will be a plus!)
• Experience in Souls-like or melee-focused gameplay.
• Familiarity with systemic mission or quest design (e.g. hub/interconnected structure).
• Background in design documentation and pipeline organization.
• Proficiency with cutscene creation and implementation.
• Previous experience in a mentoring, senior, or associate lead position.

Recruitment process

1. First conversation (20 min) by video call with Arthur (Recruiter): To learn more about your experience, your expectations and Novaquark

2. Hiring Manager interview (1 hour) with Ruty (Lead Narrative Designer): To meet your futur manager and to go deeper in our current context

3. Technical interview (1 hour) via video call with Ruty (Lead Narrative Designer) and Francisc (Design Director): To assess your leadership skills and to go deeper regarding your experience

Throughout the entire recruitment process, Arthur will ensure follow-up and coordination. Do not hesitate to send your portfolio in addition to your CV to showcase your creations!