Senior Systems Designer - RuneScape: Dragonwilds - Fixed Term Contract

Jagex; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading online game developer in the UK is seeking a Senior Systems Designer for the RuneScape: Dragonwilds project. This role involves designing and balancing scalable systems to enhance player experience in a multiplayer game. A proven track record in MMO design and a collaborative mindset are essential. This position offers remote work options and flexible hours, along with competitive benefits.

Benefits

Private Healthcare

Pension contributions

Life Insurance

Flexible working hours

25 days annual leave + Bank holidays

Qualifications

• Proven experience in live MMO or large-scale game design.
• Experience in balancing interconnected gameplay systems.
• Strong knowledge of economy, progression, and crafting systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and own scalable systems for multiplayer service.
• Balance risk, reward, and progression pacing.
• Mentor junior designers and collaborate with teams.

Skills

MMO design principles

Analytical mindset

Data-informed decision making

Collaborative communication

Job description

Location: Cambridge, UK – (Remote available within the UK with team onsite days in the Cambridge office approx. 4 times per year)

This role is a Fixed Term Contract anticipated to end mid-late 2027.

Are you a designer who loves creating deep, interconnected gameplay experiences that engage players over the long term?

As a Senior Systems Designer on RuneScape: Dragonwilds, our open-world survival crafting game developed in Unreal Engine 5, you’ll take ownership of the scalable systems that define progression, economy, crafting, and survival, shaping how players live, grow, and thrive in a shared world in this large multiplayer live game.

Working closely with the Creative Director and Design Leadership, you’ll design, balance, and evolve systems that reward player choice, mastery, and exploration. Your work will connect every aspect of gameplay into a cohesive, rewarding experience, blending RuneScape’s legacy of skill-based progression with the emergent depth of modern survival MMOs.

If you love building living worlds and systems that feel meaningful and enduring, we’d love to hear from you.

What you’ll be doing:

• Design and own core scalable systems for a large-scale multiplayer, live service experience, including progression, resource management, economy, skills, and more.
• Build interconnected systems that reinforce RuneScape’s identity: freedom of playstyle, mastery, and player-driven choices.
• Prototype, test, and iterate to balance survival challenge with fairness and long-term reward.
• Integrate systems across content, engineering, and art to ensure consistency and immersion.
• Use data, analytics, and player feedback to tune systems and maintain live balance.
• Define and evolve survival mechanics such as crafting, durability, hunger, weather, and resource scarcity.
• Balance risk, reward, and progression pacing to maintain tension and engagement over time.
• Mentor junior designers, providing guidance on systemic thinking and design fundamentals.
• Collaborate with live-ops and production to support updates, expansions, and system evolution.
• Identify and resolve system-level issues or exploits before they impact the live environment.
• Advocate for player experience and RuneScape’s values across the team.
• Contribute to creative innovation while honouring the feel and history of the RuneScape universe.
• Operate autonomously with strong ownership and clear design intent.
• Continually seek new ways to improve systems, pipelines, and team collaboration.
• Deep familiarity with MMO design principles: economy loops, player-driven progression, and emergent play.

What we’re looking for:

• Proven experience designing and maintaining systems in a live MMO, multiplayer survival, or similar large-scale game.
• Demonstrable professional games industry experience working autonomously in a system design role, ideally on multiplayer or live-service titles.
• Proven experience designing and balancing interconnected gameplay systems.
• Expertise in progression, economy, and crafting systems, with an analytical and data-informed mindset.
• Strong understanding of MMO design principles, including economy loops, player progression, and emergent gameplay.
• An analytical mindset, combining data insights, player psychology, and design intuition.
• Collaborative, communicative, and comfortable working across multiple teams and disciplines to translate creative direction into functional, scalable systems.

What we offer:

• Private Healthcare, including Dental Plan.
• Minimum 6% Pension contributions.
• Employee Assistance Programme & onsite Counselling.
• Life Insurance.
• Discretionary annual performance bonus.
• Enhanced family leave policies from day 1.
• Flexible working hours.
• 25 days annual leave + Bank holidays & the option to buy/sell holidays + so much more!

About Jagex:

Jagex is a leader in developing and publishing deep, engaging online games that connect millions of players worldwide. Best known for the RuneScape franchise, which includes two of the world’s longest running and most successful MMORPGs, in Old School RuneScape and RuneScape, and the open-world survival crafting game, RuneScape: Dragonwilds; we have proven success in delivering immersive Forever Games and fostering strong player communities.

We strive to foster an inclusive workplace built on trust, autonomy, and a shared passion for creating forever games. Our values guide everything we do: We Embrace Fellowship by collaborating and sharing openly. We Hone our Craft by always learning and improving; We Honour our Vows by being honest and transparent; We are our Customers’ Heroes by striving to understand our team & player needs, and We Seize The Day by making the most of every opportunity.

With over two decades of experience, and over 400 people in our team, we continue to innovate in live game development, leveraging data-driven insights, and a commitment to player-first game design. We have a diverse and talented team where creativity, collaboration, and community-driven game development drives everything we do.

As part of Jagex, you’ll have the opportunity to work on a globally successful franchise, contribute to exciting new projects, and be part of a company that hugely values both our employees and our players.