Advanced Designer, Systems

Avalanche Software, a division of WB Games Inc., is seeking an Advanced Systems Designer with a strong background in and passion for designing systems that work together to create engaging experiences for players. The role involves direct collaboration with design leadership, narrative design, producers, and peers across every discipline. The successful candidate brings new ideas to the studio's games, finds ways to expand upon existing systems, and thinks about the player's experience from beginning to end with an eye toward keeping players engaged and satisfied.

• Design, prototype, and implement gameplay systems focused on progression, levelling, rewards, loot, economy, open world activities, gear, crafting, and collections.
• Design and communicate the gameplay systems and reward loops needed to achieve the desired player experience.
• Collaborate with other designers and disciplines to integrate systems into narrative and gameplay goals.
• Partner with design leadership to help define pillars, player experience goals, and feature plans that support the broader vision for the game and build on established gameplay systems.
• Translate high-level creative direction, team feedback, and cross-discipline conversations into clear design documentation, specs, and implementation plans.
• Work closely with discipline leads and stakeholders across the studio to gather input, vet proposals, and align gameplay systems with the broader needs of the project.
• Maintain the vision for the systems and drive the team towards achieving that vision through collaboration and decision making.
• Work closely with production to prioritise features and keep milestones on track.
• Help improve tools, pipelines, and documentation for implementation and iteration, and share those processes with the team.
• Partner with the broader team to tune and refine systems based on leadership and peer feedback, playtest results, and data analysis.
• Analyse open world gameplay design and create additional content based on design parameters and guidelines.

• Advanced gameplay and systems design experience, with the ability to own large or complex features from concept through polish.
• Demonstrated ability to define feature direction and turn broad creative goals into clear design plans and documentation.
• Experience designing progression, reward, loot, economy, mini-games, gear, crafting, and/or collection systems for action RPG or open-world games.
• Contributed to multiple shipped titles and participated in a full dev cycle from concept through release.
• Experience with Unreal Engine 5, including Blueprint and other gameplay implementation tools.
• Experience working with SQL and database tools.
• Excellent collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team and provide clear guidance to designers, engineers, and artists.
• Strong written communication skills, with the ability to synthesise feedback from multiple stakeholders into coherent design proposals and implementation specs.

• Degree in Computer Science or similar experience with C++ programming.

• Hybrid position with weekly onsite days at the Avalanche studio in Salt Lake City, Utah.

• Relocation provided for qualified candidates living outside the area.

The studio is the team behind the blockbuster open world action RPG Hogwarts Legacy.