Lead Technical Level Designer

The Studio

Compulsion Games is a first-party game studio and subsidiary of Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios, located in Montreal, Canada.

We have a human-first culture where we trust and respect one another, with a shared love and passion for our craft. Our games have won praise for their art, music, world-building and engaging narratives.

Our Culture

Compulsion Games is a quality-led studio with a humble team that enjoys experimenting with an artistic approach to making games. We like to hire people who are drawn to our core values of trust, autonomy, harmony and craftsmanship and share our vision of a studio built around them. Our team is passionately committed to both diversity and accessibility, core values throughout the Xbox Game Studios group. As a studio we value creativity. For this creativity to grow we believe in having a team filled with different voices, different views and different backgrounds. A core part of our hiring process is ensuring new hires are well-aligned with these values to build a harmonious team and company.

The Need

This is a leadership role rooted in hands-on technical craft. You’ll play a pivotal part in shaping gameplay systems, authoring reusable design ingredients, and maintaining pipelines — all while guiding a small team through mentorship and example. You’ll be actively contributing while helping others succeed, with minimal management overhead and maximum impact. We’d like you to be a senior or a lead in the games industry, preferably working with PC and/or Console Games

Specific Role Requirements

• Systems & Ingredients Ownership: Define, prototype, and implement reusable gameplay ingredients such as triggers, interactive objects, scripted events, AI encounters, and gameplay systems. Collaborate with design and engineering teams to ensure these ingredients are robust, scalable, and flexible for use across multiple levels and scenarios
• Tool Mastery: Develop, refine, and maintain level design tools and pipelines for both internal use and cross-team workflows
• Gameplay Integration: Collaborate closely with engineering and art teams to ensure seamless integration of level design features
• Lead by Doing: Guide and support the tech level design team through direct contribution, technical mentorship, and regular one-on-one check-ins focused on growth and alignment
• Documentation & Communication: Create clear specs, technical breakdowns, and workflows to support your work and your team

What We’re Looking For

• Proven experience as a Technical Level Designer in shipped titles or equivalent work
• Strong grasp of scripting languages and the Unreal Game Engine
• Ability to independently own systems, pipelines, and tools from prototype to final
• A collaborative mindset with the ability to mentor others without needing to "manage"
• Excellent problem-solving skills and eye for design nuance
• Comfortable in a startup-like, rapidly evolving environment
• A human-focused professional who deeply cares for your colleagues and is always ready to support them
• You share our vision of leadership as service, acting as a mentor to help team members grow
• You play games regularly and are well-attuned to performance and quality expectations across the industry
• You bring exceptional communication skills to collaborate effectively with a wide range of disciplines
• You’re a thoughtful listener, comfortable conducting one-on-one meetings and supporting others’ success
• You demonstrate high levels of autonomy and proactivity, thriving in a culture of creative ownership and trust

Nice to Have

• Familiarity with performance optimization and memory constraints
• A portfolio showcasing impactful level design contributions

This is a full-time position offering a competitive salary and comprehensive studio benefits, which include full health care provided to you and your entire “party” (read family), RRSP matching, relocation support, mental health and wellbeing support, MS Store discounts, 3 weeks' vacation plus 2 x one-week studio closures, and a number of other perks.

Our downtown Montreal location, conveniently situated by Atwater Metro station, operates on a hybrid or fully remote working setup for employees based in or willing to relocate to Canada.

If you’re eager to contribute to a team that’s redefining storytelling in games, we’d love to hear from you.