Lead Level Designer

Mob Entertainment; United States; Remote; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative multimedia studio is seeking a Lead Level Designer to shape the future of a groundbreaking indie horror game franchise. In this pivotal role, you will guide a talented team, ensuring that levels are not only engaging but also deeply atmospheric, enhancing the player's experience. You will collaborate closely with various directors to align gameplay mechanics with narrative pacing. If you have a passion for crafting compelling spaces and a strong background in level design, this is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact in a rapidly growing company. Join us to help create unforgettable gaming experiences that captivate players worldwide.

Qualifications

• Strong execution and clear communication are essential.
• Experience in horror, puzzle, or exploration-based games is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Level Design team, providing direction and mentorship.
• Prototype and iterate on levels in Unreal Engine 5.
• Collaborate with directors to define experience goals.

Skills

Level Design

Game Design

Communication Skills

Mentoring

Player Experience

Environmental Storytelling

Education

10+ years of professional game design experience

2+ years in a leadership role

Tools

Unreal Engine 5

Blueprints

Perforce

Jira

Confluence

Miro

Job description

Mob Entertainment is a startup multimedia studio that is best known for our hit indie horror game "Poppy Playtime". This franchise is one of the hottest new properties in gaming, and our team is naturally expanding as our ambition expands. To give a taste of our brand's popularity, more than 100 billion YouTube views of Poppy Playtime related content have occured since the game's launch 4 years ago.

Mob Entertainment is seeking a Lead Level Designer to guide and own the level design direction for the future of the Poppy Playtime franchise, starting with our upcoming release. You’ll be responsible for leading the level design team, collaborating with directors across disciplines, and ensuring our levels are tense, well-paced, and deeply atmospheric - true to what makes Poppy Playtime special.
This is a hands-on leadership role. You’ll help define structure and vision, mentor designers, and build compelling spaces using Unreal Engine 5 that serve both gameplay mechanics and narrative delivery.We’re looking for someone who combines strong execution, clear communication, and an intuitive grasp of player experience - especially in horror, puzzle, or exploration-based games.Responsibilities

• Lead the Level Design team, providing direction, feedback, and mentorship throughout production.
• Own the level design pipeline, ensuring alignment with gameplay mechanics, narrative pacing, and technical constraints.
• Collaborate with the Game Director, Design Director, and Art Director to define the experience goals and spatial rhythms of each level.
• Prototype, build, and iterate on levels in Unreal Engine, blocking out layouts and refining through to final implementation.
• Work cross-discipline with Gameplay Designers, Writers, Engineers, and Artists to ensure all elements of the level support the desired experience.
• Maintain strong documentation, workflow clarity, and visibility of progress for the team and stakeholders.
• Lead regular playtests and design reviews, collecting feedback and driving iteration to improve player experience.
• Balance level aesthetics, readability, and performance, ensuring tight collaboration with environment art and tech design.
• Help shape the level design culture at Mob, identifying opportunities to raise team capability and creative ambition.

Requirements

• 10+ years of professional game design experience, with a strong emphasis on level design.
• 2+ years of experience in a leadership role, managing or mentoring level designers.
• Proficiency in Unreal Engine 5, with experience using Blueprints for gameplay interaction and scripting.
• A portfolio demonstrating authored or led level work, ideally in first-person, puzzle, or horror-based games.
• Strong grasp of spatial pacing, gameplay readability, environmental storytelling, and encounter flow.
• Experience collaborating with narrative teams, ensuring levels support and enhance story moments.
• Comfortable balancing high-level vision with hands-on production, including greyboxing, paper designs, and iteration.
• Strong communication and organizational skills; able to clearly define tasks, communicate direction, and drive team progress.
• Familiarity with source control (Perforce), task management tools (Jira, Confluence), and level design documentation best practices.

Pluses

• Experience shipping narrative-focused or horror adventure games.
• Familiarity with modular environment workflows and LD/Art pipeline coordination.
• Experience working with procedural elements or systemic game spaces.
• Strong instincts for emotional pacing, building tension, and delivering impactful moments through level layout.

Performance Expectations

• Drive the vision, quality, and execution of level design for the project.
• Empower and support the level design team, helping them succeed within project goals and constraints.
• Help refine and maintain structure, pipeline, and review cadence to improve delivery and iteration speed.
• Serve as a key collaborator and creative leader across the broader design team.

Reporting & Oversight

• Reports to: Design Director
• Works closely with: Game Director, Narrative Director, Game Design Team, Art Director, Level Design Team, Technical Designers
• Communication Tools: Slack, Jira, Confluence, Miro

If you're a senior-level designer who thrives on building compelling spaces, shaping strong teams, and creating unforgettable play experiences, we want to hear from you.

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Mob Entertainment is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or religious creed, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, family or parental status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. All employment decisions are based on a person’s merit, business needs, and role requirements. If you require further accommodations or have questions regarding accessibility of our roles, please reach out to [e-mail]