Activision is looking for a Senior Systems Designer to join Activision’s Central Design team, focused on the Call of Duty franchise. Ideal candidates will have in-depth systems design experience as well as broad experience with validated skills in multiple areas of game design.
This position will be responsible for providing architectural systems design guidance specifically for the Call of Duty franchise. Working directly with the Activision Central Design team, the role will focus on supporting each studio’s metagame, challenge and progression systems. Candidates will be required to demonstrate success in sophisticated systems designs on AAA products including XP and leveling conventions, challenge and engagement systems, reward systems and connections to monetization systems. Knowledge and experience working with UX teams to deliver systems design is required.
We are seeking an excellent and persuasive communicator, capable of collaborating with a wide variety of internal and external partners. They must have deep experience with hands-in game development. Excellent documentation skills are required, along with the ability to create and tune systems using science, user testing, analytics and instinct as guides. They must be comfortable with all degrees of ownership, from personally designing features to providing high-level feedback.
The Senior Systems Designer will report directly to the Senior Design Director in Activision’s Central Design team and must thrive in an exciting and high-stakes environment! A passion for games new and old is a prerequisite, along with a deep understanding of what makes exceptional games tick and how to articulate that to others. Successful candidates will be expected to be guides in all major industry systems conventions and able to reverse engineer and document competitive titles to identify leading industry practices. Act as a design evangelist for Central Studios by building game breakdowns, best method documentation, and keeping a finger on the pulse of the industry
Responsibilities:
Consult on multiple Activision Call of Duty projects, focusing on systems design
Review and provide verbal/written feedback on design documents and work-in-progress builds
When required, work directly with dev teams to write feedback and design support
Partner with User Research and Analytics to provide support and analysis on testing results
Contribute design solutions in the form of high level pitches or low-level designs as needed
Qualifications:
University/College Degree OR respectable body of professional work experience
5+ years acting as a systems designer in the AAA console/PC games industry
3+ titles shipped as a systems designer on a dev or publishing team
3+ design areas with proven proficiency and direct applied experience from the following - UX Design, Level Design, Narrative Design, Mission Design, Systems Design, Core Gameplay Design, Multiplayer Design
Ego-less personality, who can smoothly communicate at all levels of the organization
Expert with high and low-level documentation (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Visio, etc.)
Passion for Call of Duty with an understanding of the franchise’s progression and reward systems
Avid gamer (especially online) with a broad range of game experience.
Programming/scripting experience a plus
Visual skills a plus (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.)
Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™ and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!
Activision Blizzard, Inc is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability
