Expert Lead Designer

Job Description

Reporting to the Design Director, the Expert Lead Designer delivers high-quality gameplay systems, mechanics, and level design across the project. This includes defining and refining core gameplay mechanics, player progression, combat systems, and level layouts, ensuring a cohesive and engaging player experience.

The Expert Lead Designer works closely with the Game Director, Design Director, Studio Product Director and Technical Leads to shape gameplay experiences, mission design, world-building, and encounters, ensuring that the game delivers cutting-edge, immersive gameplay.

The role is both strategic and hands-on. The Expert lead designer leads a multidisciplinary team of designers while collaborating with other disciplines to ensure design excellence and technical feasibility. The Lead Designer is key in defining how the game feels, how players engage with mechanics, and how levels support gameplay loops.

Key Responsibilities
• Work closely with the Game Director and Studio Product Director to uphold the strategic and game vision for gameplay.
• Establish and maintain design pillars for game mechanics, level design, and player progression.
• Define and oversee the gameplay experience, ensuring it aligns with narrative, pacing, and world-building goals.
• Own game design documentation, ensuring vision and quality targets are consistently met across all gameplay and level design aspects.
• Develop and iterate on combat mechanics, enemy encounters, traversal, and puzzle design to craft memorable gameplay experiences.
• Ensure levels are mechanically rich, supporting player agency, varied playstyles, and emergent gameplay.
• Oversee the creation and refinement of level layouts, from blockout to final polish, ensuring best-in-class player navigation, encounter pacing, and visual storytelling.
• Provide expert feedback on missions, traversal, combat, UI, and overall gameplay balance, ensuring a cohesive gameplay loop.
• Lead playtesting sessions, gathering data and iterating on levels and mechanics based on player experience and telemetry feedback.
• Work closely with combat designers and AI engineers to ensure challenging and dynamic enemy encounters.
• Champion a cycle of prototyping, iteration, and polish, ensuring design decisions are data-driven and player-focused.
• Develop grey box levels and gameplay prototypes, working closely with engineers and artists to refine mechanics and spaces.
• Collaborate with Art, Engineering, Narrative, and Audio teams to deliver cohesive, technically feasible, and visually stunning gameplay spaces.
• Work with AI programmers, animators, and combat designers to bring encounters and systems to life.
• Communicate design goals to stakeholders, publishing partners, and marketing teams.
• Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of Game and Level Designers, fostering a culture of creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving.
• Define best practices for game and level design, ensuring smooth pipelines from concept to final polish.
• Work with Production to develop schedules, track milestones, and ensure timely, high-quality feature delivery.
• Identify and communicate design risks early, proactively resolving issues to keep development on track.
• Ensure all design and implementation deliverables meet Rocksteady's high standards of quality and polish.

Technical Requirements
• Proven track record as a Lead Designer or Lead Level Designer on at least one shipped AAA title.
• Significant experience in game and level design, ideally in action-adventure, open-world, or immersive sim genres.
• Expertise in-game mechanics, systems design, encounter balance, and level flow.
• Proficiency in Unreal Engine (or equivalent), with strong experience in level editing tools, scripting, and world-building.
• Strong technical knowledge of AI behaviour, traversal systems, combat design, and progression balance.
• Experience balancing difficulty scaling, encountering variety and pacing across levels.

Skill Requirements
• Expertise in game systems, world interactivity, and player agency.
• Strong leadership and mentorship skills with experience managing design teams.
• Ability to balance combat, exploration, and storytelling within game levels.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with a proactive and solution-oriented mindset.
• Ability to pitch and present design ideas to both internal teams and external partners.
• A passion for immersive storytelling, level composition, and gameplay design.

Benefits
• Private family medical and dental care
• Contributory pension scheme
• Annual bonus scheme
• Custom-designed studio
• World-class guest speakers & training sessions
• Access to online training resources
• Monthly team meals & outings
• On-site subsidised masseuse, yoga, and life drawing classes
• Regular 1-on-1 career development sessions
• Film nights in our mocap theatre
• Subsidised on-site gym
• Discounts on Warner Bros. products, HBO content, and studio merchandise
• Exclusive staff-only merchandise store
• Modern open-plan office with a 150+ person team
• Free fruit, juices, and soft drinks
• National Rail Season Ticket Travel Loan
• Overseas relocation support
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Employee Support Assistance Programme (free personal counselling and guidance)
• Employee referral program (''Finder's Fee'')
• Free eye tests & discounted glasses
• Free seasonal flu jab

Hybrid Working - This role is advertised as a Hybrid work model, that combines remote and in-office work, following our current company policy and to be agreed with your Line Manager. Subject to any applicable laws, WBD / your Line Manager reserves the right to change this working agreement where this is essential to business needs and upon reasonable notice to you.

Championing Inclusion at WBD
Warner Bros. Discovery embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects the diversity of our society and the world around us. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, regardless of sex, gender identity, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, disability or any other category protected by law.

If you're a qualified candidate with a disability and you require adjustments or accommodations during the job application and/or recruitment process, please visit our accessibility page for instructions to submit your request.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-gq2pox-3-142-185-209-42 in your application.