Lead Designer

Job Description

Why Raven?

Here at Raven, we pride ourselves on our unique vision for the industry that continues to inspire us after more than 30 years. We developed a team that cares about one another, our games, and our players. We treat each other with respect. We bring no egos. We focus on what is best for the game. We hire stunning peers. We own our mistakes. As we enter the next exciting chapter of our story, we are looking for people to grow with us. If you want to work with a world-class team, on exciting new projects, then apply today! We look forward to hearing from you.

Your Mission

Your mission is to inspire, mentor, and lead the system design team towards creating highly tuned player-first experiences that will be enjoyed by millions of gamers across the globe. You will be a trusted gatekeeper for performance, efficiency, and quality. You will provide your team with guidance, goals, opportunities, and resources.
Our Lead Designers are role-models that not only manage the team through challenge and change, but also build up individuals into highly engaged, efficient, and effective teammates. You must thrive in a challenging and often ambiguous environment. An agile and flexible mindset is also necessary since this position actively partners with a variety of internal and external partners. Above all, we are looking for an innovative and dedicated leader to help tell our story.

You will…
• Collaborate with Creative Directors, Designers, Engineers, Artists, Producers, and Animators to deliver world-class game systems.
• Research subject matter relating to objectives to ensure an authentic experience.
• Be a proactive self-starter that can independently execute high-level direction.
• Clearly and effectively pitch designs and features using multimedia tools.
• Create, review, and maintain design documents and systems specifications with an eye toward systems design and then provide verbal and written assessments of the same.
• Uphold system designs during a live environment.
• Define team goals, action plans, and schedules for the project.
• Be a trusted gatekeeper for performance, efficiency, and quality.
• Lead, task, mentor and conduct one-to-one meetings with other System Designers.
• Provide your team with guidance, goals, opportunities, and resources.
• Use scripting tools to create, iterate, and balance game mechanics and systems.
• Play builds of games in-progress and provide concise and prioritized feedback to both internal teams and external partners.
• Interface with other teams to ensure systems are understood and utilized.
• Champion best practices and advocate towards streamlining tools and processes.
• Possess a comprehensive understanding of the design process spanning all facets of the game.
• Work closely with our user-testing teams during play-balancing to provide expert feedback.

You Bring…

Minimum Requirements:
• 8+ total years in the games industry working in a system design capacity, with at least 5 shipped title in the AAA console / PC space.
• 5+ years as a Lead Systems Designer, with at least 2 shipped titles as a Lead Systems Designer.
• Ability to lead by example echoed through a professional and egoless personality.
• Rock-solid communication skills.
• Solid understanding of systems design with ability to clearly discuss modern trends.
• Ability to write high and low-level documentation (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Visio, etc.).
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Passion for Call of Duty, with understanding of the franchise's progression and reward systems.
• Hunger for gaming (especially online) with a broad range of game experience.
• Experience with programming/scripting languages.

Extra Points:
• Profound understanding of the Call of Duty franchise and Warzone.
• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the F2P games space.
• Prior experience working on a games-as-a-service product.
• Experience with visual software (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.).

About Activision

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!
Our ability to build immersive and innovate worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional, and financial well-being for 'Every World' - we've got our employees covered!

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-rewwe0-3-138-101-95-42 in your application.