Lead Level Designer

Mad Head Games; United States; À distance; USD 90 000 - 140 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Hybrid/Remote options

Medical insurance

Education and training

Résumé du poste

Saber Interactive is seeking a Lead Level Designer to bridge high-level creative vision with hands-on Unreal Engine execution. You will mentor a team, craft immersive levels, and guide them from rough pitch to final, atmospheric experiences across multiple studios and international teams.

Join a collaborative, ambitious environment with hybrid/remote options and a focus on signature AAA titles. Expect growth, mentorship, and a strong emphasis on gameplay flow and player psychology.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience as a Level Designer
• Experience on at least one AA/AAA project
• Strong spatial perception and architectural sense in Unreal Engine
• Understanding of level design principles and player psychology
• Basic scripting in Unreal Engine (Blueprints)

Responsabilités

• Collaborate with directors and leads to craft unique spaces with clear gameplay flow
• Establish efficient level design pipelines across design, art and tech
• Mentor level designers with regular feedback and growth opportunities
• Create design docs outlining concepts, goals and moments
• Build levels with blockouts and implement core events (combat, puzzles, narratives)
• Iterate layouts based on playtests and feedback
• Coordinate with narrative, audio, art and engineering teams to ensure cohesion
• Guide level art team on terrain and placeholder assets
• Own levels from pitch to final delivery ensuring goals and constraints are met

Connaissances

Unreal Engine

Level design

Mentoring

BluePrints

3D modeling

Team leadership

Outils

Maya

Blender

3DS MAX

Description du poste

Lead Level Designer

We’re looking for a veteran who can bridge the gap between high-level creative vision and hands‑on Unreal Engine execution. As the Lead Level Designer , you’ll lead a team turning abstract nightmares into polished, playable levels. We don’t want just a manager; we want a mentor who lives in blockouts, understands player psychology, and knows how to guide a level from a rough pitch to a final, atmospheric masterpiece. We're unconventional creators of action games for PC and consoles - extremely fun to work with and definitely not for the faint‑hearted. Formerly known as Mad Head Games, we're now Saber Serbia & Saber Bosnia and Herzegovina , part of Saber Interactive. For 15 years, we've been pioneering the regional game dev scene, and our ambition to lead it hasn't changed. Only the name has. We build our games in Unreal Engine. Our latest title, Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival, is a first‑person action horror survival game based on the iconic franchise. Before that, we released Scars Above , an immersive third‑person sci‑fi shooter set in a mysterious alien world, and Pagan: Absent Gods, a fast‑paced single‑player hack‑and‑slash action RPG. On top of that, we've shipped 65 casual and mobile games. Now, we're working on an unannounced AAA title based on a famous and beloved IP that fans are sure to anticipate. We can't reveal much just yet, but it's by far the biggest project we've ever taken on, and we promise it'll generate some serious hype! Join us in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Sarajevo, or remotely (EMEA) . Wherever you're based, you'll be part of a team that takes games seriously - and itself a little less so. We aim to welcome the new team member early in 2027.

What will you be doing as a Lead Level Designer at Saber? Collaboration with a team of directors and department leads to craft unique spaces where gameplay flow, pacing and visual composition form memorable experiences. Establish and maintain efficient level design pipelines and workflows, ensuring alignment between design, art, and technical teams while promoting best practices across the department. Mentor and support level designers by providing regular feedback, guidance, and opportunities for growth. Produce clear and comprehensive design documentation, including high‑level concepts, gameplay intentions, and moment‑to‑moment experience breakdowns. Build level layouts using blockout geometry and implement core gameplay events into the levels (simple interactions, combat encounters, puzzles, narrative scenes, objectives etc.) Continuously review and iterate on level layouts and gameplay flow based on feedback, playtesting results, and design direction to ensure engaging and balanced player experiences. Collaborate with narrative, audio, art, programming, animation, and other design teams to deliver cohesive and compelling level experiences Provide clear directions for the level art team by sculpting the terrain and modeling basic placeholder low poly assets where needed (for example, input for critical gameplay assets) Take ownership of levels from initial pitch through final delivery, ensuring they meet design goals, technical constraints, and quality standards Sets up basic or placeholder lighting in collaboration with the lighting team to support gameplay intentions, early mood and atmosphere exploration

What do we expect from our ideal candidate? 5+ years of experience as a Level Designer Experience in working on at least one AA/AAA project Strong spatial perception, eye for aesthetics, and understanding of architectural concepts, with experience in composition and scene organization within Unreal Engine Strong understanding of level design principles, game design concepts and player psychology. Basic to Intermediate knowledge of 3D modeling tools like Maya, Blender, or 3DSMAX Experience in Unreal Engine Experience in collaborating with other relevant development teams in order to create visually appealing and technically optimized levels Basic scripting knowledge (e.g., Blueprints in Unreal Engine) to implement gameplay mechanics or environmental behaviors Strong communication skills to effectively convey ideas verbally, in writing, and visually

It would be a plus if you have:

• Understanding of physics and simulation tools within Unreal Engine for creating dynamic environmental interactions
• Experience in leading and mentoring other team members

In return, here is what we can give:

• Competitive industry standard salary, because we all know that it matters
• We prefer to work in a hybrid mode, but we also offer options for regular office‑goers and remote work
• Referral program - we want to support team strengthening and hire quality people you want to work with
• For your health and stamina bars: Flexible working hours: sleep in or start early - we trust you with your time
• More time to rest: 25 days of vacation, plus: company‑wide annual leave in January, short‑term sick leaves, additional remote days, additional days for significant life events like childbirths, wedding leaves, and bereavement
• A month of 4‑hour workdays for all Mad Heads returning from maternity leave for a gentle return to the workflow
• Leveling up your XP: Ongoing education and training: self‑improvement is a priority, so conferences, classes, workshops, and courses (external and internal) are all a part of the package
• Work with top talents, senior professionals and teams from your field of work
• Back story and environment: An extremely upbeat workplace like you have never seen before
• Join a team working from 3 offices - and over 16+ countries around the world
• Working shoulder to shoulder with Space Marine, Warhammer and WWZ developers from Sabre (our mother company)
• On‑site based benefits and perks: Premium private medical insurance
• Awesome team‑building events and personalized team‑bonding events tailored to your preferences
• Community events: we are heavily involved in developing startup, tech, and gaming ecosystems - and will include you in it
• Fitness support - allowances for gym/pool/sport activities
• Coffee, fruits, snacks in the office Merch and gifs
• *Benefits may vary depending on location and contract type. Do not hesitate to ask us about more details on our benefits offer.