Director Level Design

Headquartered in Montreal, Reflector, a company of the Bandai Namco group, is a new breed of studio working with top talents to create high-quality, compelling content for global audiences. By employing a true transmedia approach, where content is built outwards from fully fleshed “Storyworlds”, the company is able to tell richer, deeper stories that connect with fans everywhere.

SUMMARY
The person in the position of Level Design Director oversees the content, primarily managing level designers, narrative designers, and other content designers. More specifically, they will be responsible for controlling the in-game elements, such as pacing, tension, gameplay intentions, difficulty levels, etc. They will also constantly improve gameplay and fluidity across all levels.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Participate in the creation of the "roadmap" during the conception phase.
• Collaborate and provide advice on the development of gameplay elements to ensure they are effectively used throughout the player experience.
• Develop various content management methods, including gameplay intention documents (for the game and maps), macro-structure, level design documentation, and game direction documents to achieve the intended gameplay experience and communicate directives to other production teams.
• Work closely with game design to establish the game's exposure and optimize the player’s learning curve.
• Collaborate with the narrative team to structure the game in a way that correctly presents both the story and gameplay experience while respecting the creative vision.
• Align actions with the vision of the Creative Director, ensuring that gameplay loops come together to create a cohesive “gameplay experience”.
• Develop a plan for corrections required during debugging phases based on player feedback.
• Ensure chronological consistency between levels.
• Optimize workflow in terms of organization and priorities to demonstrate, through iterations, concrete results of the “gameplay experience”.
• Choose and oversee a series of prototypes to validate that the selected gameplay elements fit within the game’s vision during the conception phase.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Degree in level design and video game direction or any other equivalent education.
• A minimum of 10 years of experience as a level designer and in a leadership position, or any other relevant experience in the video game industry on console platforms.
• Shipped at least one game.
• Experience working on a published game from conception to release, preferably on a "AAA" console title.
• Ability to collaborate with members of the graphic, gameplay, game design, narrative teams, etc.
• Strong ability to formulate ideas, communicate and make constructive suggestions.
• Team player.
• Ability to adapt to changes.
• Strong organizational skills
• Solid coaching and leadership skills.

Location

For this position, a presence at the Montreal, Canada office is required a minimum of two days per week.