Lead Systems Designer

Sledgehammer Games is a leading developer in the video game industry, best known for its work on the Call of Duty franchise. Since its founding in 2009, the studio has delivered iconic titles like "Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare," "Call of Duty: WWII," and most recently, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III.” We combine cutting-edge technology with creative vision to produce games that resonate with players worldwide. With a focus on creating high-quality multiplayer experiences and captivating single-player campaigns, we continue to shape the future of first-person shooters.

We are looking for passionate and talented individuals to join our studio team. In this role you will partner closely with our teams at our other studio locations in the United States and Australia in the creation of epic content for some of the biggest games in the world. If you're ready to be part of a dynamic and collaborative environment where your skills can make a real impact, we invite you to explore career opportunities with us.

Sledgehammer Games is wholly owned by Activision. To learn more about our studio, please visit us at www.sledgehammergames.com or search for Sledgehammer Games on your favorite social media platform. Want to hear what it’s like at the studio directly from current employees? Check out our #LifeatSHG developer profiles: https://youtu.be/12DUBszg-w4

Your Mission

Your mission is to develop, implement and tune player-first experiences that will be enjoyed by millions of gamers across the globe. You must thrive in a challenging and often ambiguous environment. An agile and flexible mindset is also necessary since this position must deal with a wide variety of internal and external partners. Excellent and persuasive communication skills are a must.

• Interpret high-level vision into clear guidance for the team, holding regular reviews and providing iterative feedback to meet the required quality bar.

• Manage a team of designers and help to better the processes and workflows for systems design.

• Strive for deep systems design that focuses on elevating the gameplay experience with fewer, more impactful systems.

• Work with user research during playtests to identify iterative improvements and changes.

• Build effective working relationships with key creative and production collaborators across SHG, helping to ensure consistency of output from the studio.

Previous Experience

• 8+ years of industry experience working in the field of systems design on AAA titles.

• 2+ years of experience as a lead systems designer, with at least one shipped title in this position.

• Expansive knowledge of game design with appreciation and understanding for the other fields.

• Ability to pitch concepts clearly and concisely, and which demonstrate critical thinking.

• Experience working with proprietary engines and toolsets including Unreal.

• Strong understanding of First-Person gameplay experiences including gameplay mechanics, feel, and feedback.

• Great technical skills and solid scripting/coding experience.

• Strong problem-solving skills.

• Hunger for gaming with a broad range of game experience.

• An analytical approach and the ability to break down complex problems into consumable and relevant pieces for others.

• Experience taking major AAA console and PC games from concept to completion.

• Exceptional verbal, written, and interpersonal communications skills.