Contract Senior Level Designer

Mob Entertainment

1d•$66,462 - $132,733•Remote

About The Position

Mob Entertainment is a startup multimedia studio best known for its hit indie horror game "Poppy Playtime". As the franchise gains popularity, the team is expanding. Mob Entertainment is seeking a Senior Level Designer to craft engaging and innovative levels that integrate gameplay mechanics with narrative elements for the future of the Poppy Playtime franchise. This role involves collaborating with directors across disciplines to ensure levels are tense, well-paced, and deeply atmospheric. It is a hands-on role requiring greyboxing, iterating, and polishing through to final implementation. The Senior Level Designer will help shape structure and vision, mentor designers, and build compelling spaces using Unreal Engine 5 that serve both gameplay mechanics and narrative delivery. The ideal candidate will have strong execution, clear communication, and an intuitive grasp of player experience, particularly in horror, puzzle, or exploration-based games.

Requirements

8+ years of professional game design experience, with a strong emphasis on level design.
Proficiency in Unreal Engine 5, with experience using Blueprints for gameplay interaction and scripting.
A portfolio demonstrating authored or lead level work, ideally in first-person, puzzle, or horror-based games.
Strong grasp of spatial pacing, gameplay readability, environmental storytelling, and encounter flow.
Experience collaborating with narrative teams, ensuring levels support and enhance story moments.
Strong communication and organizational skills; able to clearly define tasks and communicate direction.
Familiarity with source control (Perforce), task management tools (Jira, Confluence), and level design documentation best practices.

Nice To Haves

Experience shipping narrative-focused or horror adventure games.
Familiarity with modular environment workflows and LD/Art pipeline coordination.
Experience working with procedural elements or systemic game spaces.
Strong instincts for emotional pacing, building tension, and delivering impactful moments through level layout.

Responsibilities

Collaborate on the level design pipeline, ensuring alignment with gameplay mechanics, narrative pacing, and technical constraints.
Partner with the Game Director, Design Director, and Art Director to define the experience, goals, and the spacing of each level.
Prototype, build, and iterate on levels in Unreal Engine, blocking out layouts and refining through to final implementation to deliver on the project’s creative goals.
Work cross-discipline with system Designers, Writers, Engineers, and Environment Artists to ensure all elements of the level support the desired experience.
Maintain strong documentation, workflow clarity, and visibility of progress for the team and stakeholders.
Lead regular playtests and design reviews, collecting feedback and driving iteration to improve player experience.
Balance level aesthetics, readability, and performance, ensuring tight collaboration with environment art and tech design.
Help shape the level design culture at Mob, identifying opportunities to raise team capability and creative ambition.
Mentor and serve as a key collaborator and creative leader across the broader design team, sharing feedback and practical solutions to help the team work through design challenges.
Contribute to level design workflows and reviews, identifying ways to improve iteration and delivery.