Technical Game Designer (Level)

Gardens Interactive•Los Angeles, CA

3d•$148,000 - $164,000•Remote

About The Position

At Gardens Interactive, we're building games centered on connection, collective adventure, and emergent stories. We believe the spirit with which we build games is reflected in the experiences our players have. The way we collaborate, solve problems, navigate uncertainty, and care for one another ultimately shapes the worlds we create. We're creating magical, shared experiences that bring players together and we know those experiences come from teams that are curious, resilient, ambitious, and deeply committed to one another. We're a fully remote studio that embraces collaboration, thoughtful iteration, and the courage to explore new ideas. If you're excited by solving difficult problems with kind, talented teammates, and want to help build worlds where friendships flourish, we'd love to meet you. As a Technical Level Designer, you will create worlds and sandboxes filled with opportunities to play. You are a level designer by craft, with the technical skills to build gameplay features in Unreal Engine using Blueprints and/or C++. You will create new world affordances: gameplay verbs, activities, challenges, and interactions that invite players to experiment and engage with their surroundings. You will prototype, validate, iterate on, and deliver these features, then use them to build levels that encourage exploration, problem-solving, and memorable multiplayer moments.

Requirements

Strong level design fundamentals in spatial composition, flow, pacing, and player guidance for open-world exploration and multiplayer play.
At least one shipped game as a level designer on a multidisciplinary team.
Proficiency in Unreal Engine Blueprints and/or C++, with the ability to independently prototype, implement, and debug gameplay features.
Experience building levels and authoring collision and navigation in Unreal Engine.
Strong playtesting and iteration habits, with an understanding of how design shapes player behavior, cooperation, and relationships.
Clear communication, strong collaboration, and the judgment to work independently, recognize constraints, and seek support when needed.

Nice To Haves

Experience building reusable level design tools, modular gameplay kits, or procedural workflows in Unreal Engine.
Experience designing systemic puzzles, physics-based interactions, or environmental features that support multiple solutions and emergent multiplayer play.
Experience profiling and optimizing gameplay scripts and level content.

Responsibilities

Own the design, implementation, debugging, polish, and maintenance of interactive world features and environmental gameplay toys that offer new choices, challenges, and benefits. Creature and NPC behaviors are outside this role.
Build levels from blockout through delivery, shaping flow, pacing, navigation, and readability across exploration, puzzles, traversal, and encounters.
Create reusable, configurable gameplay components and tools that help designers build and iterate on levels efficiently.
Rapidly prototype and playtest ideas to validate their potential, refine features, and manage scope and complexity.
Collaborate across disciplines to align with design direction, integrate player abilities and creature encounters, and meet technical requirements.
Partner with Engineering to resolve performance issues and ensure reliable multiplayer behavior.
Keep implementations organized and document features and tools so the team can use, tune, and maintain them.