Lead Game Designer

PLAY, GROW and WIN

To be a part of Virtuos means to be a creator.  

At Virtuos, we harness the latest technologies to make games better and more immersive than ever before. That is why we pride ourselves in constantly pushing the boundaries of possibility since our founding in 2004. 

Virtuosi is a team of experts – people who have come together to share their mutual passion for making and playing games. People with the same enthusiasm for exploring new ideas and the constant drive to excel in their field. People who believe in earning success through dedication.

At Virtuos, we are at the forefront of gaming, creating exciting new experiences daily. Join us to Play, Grow and Win – together.

Company Overview: Black Shamrock – a Virtuos Studio is the leading AAA games studio in Ireland, dedicated to delivering immersive and groundbreaking gaming experiences on our own projects and in collaboration with our AAA partners. With a passion for pushing the boundaries of the industry, we pride ourselves on fostering creativity, innovation, and excellence in our teams.

Position Overview: Black Shamrock is seeking a Lead Game Designer to join our Design team in creating industry leading games. 
Our ideal candidate is an experienced game designer with the ability to design gameplay content as well as engaging level layouts and experiences. As a Lead member of the team, a successful candidate will also be responsible for mentoring colleagues within the department, as well as assisting with the day-to-day management of designers on their team. 
The candidate needs proven experience in game design, a strong aptitude for critical thinking and analysis, outstanding people skills, and a long-standing passion for games.
 

•   Take responsibility for large features and content while working as part of the Design Team. 
•   Deliver content meeting client needs in areas such as system design, combat design, level design etc. 
•   Participate in the conception an implementation of prototypes. 
•   Work with producers to define Design Team targets and tasks.
•   Provide mentoring and feedback to other designers.
•   Collaborate with other departments to ensure positive communication and problem solving between disciplines and across projects.
 

•   Games Industry Experience: Demonstrable experience in game design, including senior or lead design experience on at least 1 shipped console title on gen 7+.
•   Game Engine Knowledge: Understanding of game engines, scripting tools, and asset pipelines and how to use them in concert (e.g. Unreal Engine 5).
•   Team Manager: Experience in a senior/lead role, building a team and providing feedback and performance reviews to help junior developers in their careers.
•   System/Content Design: Ability to leverage your design experience in leading your team and have creatively owned complete implementations from concept to delivery.
•   Level Design: Passion for creating engaging gameplay scenarios and experiences, which showcase the gameplay systems. 
•   Communication: Fluency in both written and spoken English, while also being comfortable on video calls.

Please Note:
•   Meeting all the criteria is not mandatory. We try to be mindful and not set unrealistic expectations to be met in order to apply. If you don’t tick all of the boxes of the role, we encourage you to apply anyway.

What we offer:
•   Company Healthcare Plan – from day one!
•   Eligibility to join Occupational Pension Scheme.
•   Flexible working arrangements – healthy work-life balance.
•   PTO Days for Wellness and Sickness.
•   Training and Skill Development Opportunities.
•   Wellness Initiatives and Workshops.
•   Charity Events, Social Events and Participation in Community Engagement Schemes.