Game Designer (Quests)

System Era is looking for a Game Designer to focus on quest-like content in a cooperative multiplayer sandbox game.
In this role, you will design, implement, and iterate on systems and content that in other games might be called quests, missions, challenges, in-game events, or similar task-based systems. This content is meant to convey important story beats, deliver on key elements of the game's fantasy, and guide players through open-ended sandbox gameplay. Additionally, you will be the design owner of related systems, working with engineers to improve your tools and workflow and to implement player-facing features.
This position is flexible to fit an intermediate or senior designer depending on your skillset - we are more focused on finding the right person rather than the most experienced one. The ideal candidate has a strong interest in both narrative and systems design and a willingness to collaborate closely with writers and fellow designers.
While we prefer working in a hybrid model, with regular time spent onsite with our team in Seattle, WA, System Era supports a variety of work routines to match the needs of our team, including permanent remote work within the US and Canada.
Compensation package includes salary, benefits with full medical and dental coverage for employee and dependents, 401k with company match, participation in profit sharing, discretionary bonuses, as well as relocation assistance for those interested in moving to Washington state. The base salary range for this position is $90,000 - $125,000 depending on the skills and experience of the candidate. We look for candidates who value joining a team with a diverse set of backgrounds, experiences, interests, and viewpoints.
Responsibilities:

• Craft goals or tasks for players that introduce them to various sandbox systems, encourage exploration, experimentation, and teamwork, and help them develop a sense of mastery over the game
• Drive the design around quests, challenges, or similar task-based content, including implementation, iteration, and bug-fixing
• Design systems related to quest or mission structure and flow, and work with engineering and UX to implement player-facing gameplay systems
• Collaborate closely with the narrative team to translate the game's story and overall fantasy into gameplay beats, and with level design for authoring quest content in the world
• Work with other departments - productions, animation, vfx, audio, QA - to communicate needs and integrate interdisciplinary work into your designs
• Take on the design of additional features as needed, with flexibility to lend a hand to the design team as a whole
• Collect and act on feedback - informally and through playtests - to improve the player's experience, and act as a general advocate for the player

• Prior experience in developing quest-like content across all phases of development, including prototyping, implementation, bug-fixing, and ship
• Decent technical skills and experience with visual scripting systems to implement and debug your work
• Comfortable using modern game development engines such as Unreal, Unity, or proprietary tools (we develop using Unreal)
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Knowledgeable about design for multiplayer cooperative gameplay and open-ended systemic sandbox gameplay

• Familiarity with Astroneer
• Prior experience in level design and/or narrative design
• Keen interest in - or experience with - social systems design
• Experience in game-adjacent fields such as interactive media, film and theatre, creative writing, teaching, engineering, art, etc.