Lead Game Designer

Beamdog is a fantastic place to work with a friendly and creative atmosphere. Located in Edmonton, Alberta, we're a hardworking team of passionate game developers who love the games we work on. Since 2009, we’ve brought enhanced versions of classic Dungeons & Dragons games and exciting original content to fans new and old. We’re best known for bringing beloved isometric roleplaying games like Baldur’s Gate™ and Planescape: Torment™ back to life on desktop and tablets as Enhanced Editions. We love rich stories where players can chose their own journey and the communities that spring up around them. If you’re excited about storytelling games, Dungeons & Dragons, and classic RPGs, stick around! You haven’t seen anything yet!

Position Summary:

We are looking for a standout creative leader and collaborator to work with our Design Director to translate their vision into clear plans and achievable tasks to produce top-tier games. This role requires deep systems expertise and comprehensive knowledge about current gaming trends. The lead game designer will lead the game design team, providing guidance, mentorship, and actionable feedback, to advance and improve their skills and to drive excellence in both process and execution. The lead game designer also needs to be an excellent communicator who will strive to improve collaboration across departments. 

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and collaborate with the Design Director to establish and execute on a coherent project vision, and transform high-level concepts to actionable and deliverable designs.
• Deep understanding of systems, narrative and player choice, and how they impact player experience. 
• Set and maintain a high standard of design & execution quality for oneself and the rest of the design team.
• Improve and maintain standards of documentation, and ensure consistent and up-to-date documentation processes with the design team.
• Oversee the planning and execution of game mechanics and features, and provide guidance & feedback to the design team on designs & design documentation.
• Embody Beamdog Core Values. One must demonstrate, encourage, and motivate others in the display of these values.
• Take ownership of sections of gameplay and ensure delivery of working features within established timelines.
• When necessary, provide direct assistance to the design and development team, including scripting and fine-tuning of mechanics.
• Assist other team leaders in integrating the design process into a scrum agile framework.

Qualifications

• 5+ years practical experience in video game design
• 3+ years experience of demonstrated experience managing and mentoring teams
• Must be able to communicate regarding all aspects of design with other departments.
• Understanding of interdisciplinary dependencies and the ability to anticipate and proactively design around gameplay challenges.

Preferred

• Experience with common scripting languages (Lua, Blueprint)
• Experience with, and understanding of best practices in developing in Unreal 5+
• Knowledge of UI/UX design principles
• Knowledge and understanding of RPG systems
• 3+ years working in an agile development, preferably on a variety of team types

We offer the following perks:

• 3 weeks of flexible vacation plus a 1-week paid holiday closure per year.
• Generous sick and personal days
• Flexible working hours
• NO CRUNCH policy
• RRSP Matching Program
• Vision, dental, and extended health benefits
• Health & wellness spending account
  

Diversity is fundamentally about valuing human differences and recognizing that a diverse group of people bring with them a diverse set of skills which is necessary to propel our company forward. Beamdog is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from all qualified persons. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, colour, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status or any other legally protected status.