Lead Systems Designer

Job Title:

Lead Systems Designer

Requisition ID:

R023923

Job Description:

Your Mission

Your mission is to inspire, mentor, and lead the system design team towards creating highly tuned player-first experiences that will be enjoyed by millions of gamers across the globe.  You will be a trusted gatekeeper for performance, efficiency, and quality.  You will provide your team with guidance, goals, opportunities, and resources.  Our Lead Designers are role-models that not only manage the team through challenge and change, but also build up individuals into highly engaged, efficient, and effective teammates.   You must thrive in a challenging and often ambiguous environment. An agile and flexible mindset is also necessary since this position actively partners with a variety of internal and external partners. Above all, we are looking for an innovative and dedicated leader to help tell our story.

What you bring to the table

Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:    

• Collaborate with Creative Directors, Designers, Engineers, Artists, Producers, and Animators to deliver world-class game systems.
• Research subject matter relating to objectives to ensure an authentic experience.
• Be a proactive self-starter that can independently execute high-level direction.
• Clearly and effectively pitch designs and features using multimedia tools.
• Create, review, and maintain design documents and systems specifications with an eye toward systems design and then provide verbal and written assessments of the same.
• Uphold system designs during a live environment.
• Define team goals, action plans, and schedules for the project.
• Be a trusted gatekeeper for performance, efficiency, and quality.
• Lead, task, mentor and conduct one-to-one meetings with other System Designers.
• Provide your team with guidance, goals, opportunities, and resources.
• Use scripting tools to create, iterate, and balance game mechanics and systems.
• Play builds of games in-progress and provide concise and prioritized feedback to both internal teams and external partners.
• Interface with other teams to ensure systems are understood and utilized.
• Champion best practices and advocate towards streamlining tools and processes.
• Possess a comprehensive understanding of the design process spanning all facets of the game.
• Work closely with our user-testing teams during play-balancing to provide expert feedback.

Minimum Requirements

Experience

• 8 total years in the games industry working in a system design capacity.
• 5+ years as a Lead Designer
• Experience with programming/scripting languages.

Knowledge & Skills

• Solid understanding of systems and gameplay design with ability to clearly discuss modern trends.
• Ability to write high and low-level documentation (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Visio, etc.).

Key Attributes

• Ability to lead by example echoed through a professional and egoless personality.
• Rock-solid communication skills.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Passion for Call of Duty, with understanding of the franchise’s progression and reward systems.
• Hunger for gaming (especially online) with a broad range of game experience.

Extra Points

Experience

• Prior experience working on a games-as-a-service product.
• Experience with visual software (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.).

Knowledge & Skills

• Profound understanding of the Call of Duty franchise and Warzone.
• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the F2P games space.

Your Platform

Here at Raven, we pride ourselves on our unique vision for the industry that continues to inspire us after more than 30 years.  We developed a team that cares about one another, our games, and our players.  We treat each other with respect.  We bring no egos. We focus on what is best for the game. We hire stunning peers.  We own our mistakes.  As we enter the next exciting chapter of our story, we are looking for people to grow with us. If you want to work with a world-class team, on exciting new projects, then apply today! We look forward to hearing from you.

Our World

At Activision, we strive to create the most iconic brands in gaming and entertainment. We’re driven by our mission to deliver unrivaled gaming experiences for the world to enjoy, together. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot™, Tony Hawk’s™ Pro Skater™, and Guitar Hero®. As a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and products, our “press start” is simple: delight hundreds of millions of players around the world with innovative, fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment experiences.

We’re not just looking back at our decades-long legacy; we’re forging ahead to keep advancing gameplay with some of the most popular titles and sophisticated technology in the world. We have bold ambitions to create the most inclusive company as we know our success comes from the passionate, creative, and diverse teams within our organization. 

We’re in the business of delivering fun and unforgettable entertainment for our player community to enjoy. And our future opportunities have never been greater — this could be your opportunity to level up. 

Ready to Activate Your Future? 

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to accommodationrequests@activisionblizzard.com. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!  Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company.  You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $97,200.00 - $179,900.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.