Lead Systems Designer

insomniac; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Insomniac is seeking a Senior Systems Designer to lead the systems design discipline for a large-scale game production. You will guide a small team of Systems Designers, while staying hands-on with gameplay systems to ensure high-quality design on schedule.

You will partner with programming, mission design, project management and creative leadership to translate design goals into polished in-game experiences and maintain design standards across the project.

Qualifications

• Experience leading systems design for a substantial game project.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of Systems Designers; participate in hiring, onboarding and performance management.
• Design, prototype, implement, iterate and polish systems such as player mechanics, progression, economies and game balance.
• Collaborate with gameplay programmers and other teams to realize system designs.
• Plan systems design schedules, priorities, milestones, and staffing with project management.
• Review ongoing work, collect feedback, drive iteration and maintain quality targets.
• Create design documentation, tutorials, standards and metrics to support consistent systems.

Skills

Leadership of systems design

Mentoring and coaching

Cross-functional communication

Prototyping and iteration

Project planning and staffing

Tools

Maya

Level editing tools

Scripting in game engine

Microsoft Office

Unreal/Unity Blueprint scripting

Job description

Role overview

Lead the systems design discipline for a large-scale game production, balancing team leadership with hands‑on ownership of gameplay systems. The role is responsible for delivering high-quality design work on schedule, guiding a small team of Systems Designers, and partnering closely with programming, mission design, project management, and creative leadership to turn design goals into polished in-game experiences.

Responsibilities

• Manage, mentor, coach, and support the career development and performance of Systems Designers; participate in hiring, onboarding, and work assignment.
• Design, prototype, implement, iterate, and polish systems such as player mechanics, non-combat features, world simulation, progression, economies, and game balance.
• Lead or contribute to cross-disciplinary development pods, working closely with gameplay programmers and other contributors to realize system designs.
• Plan systems design schedules, priorities, milestones, dependencies, and staffing in coordination with project management.
• Review work in progress, gather feedback, drive iteration, and maintain quality standards and measurable targets across milestones.
• Create and maintain clear design documentation, tutorials, standards, and metrics that support consistent systems across the full game experience.

Requirements

• Demonstrated experience leading systems design work for a substantial game project, including responsibility for quality and delivery.
• Experience directly managing or supervising designers, including interviewing, training, assigning work, providing feedback, and addressing performance or team issues.
• Practical experience designing and iterating gameplay systems through prototypes, internal tools, editors, and scripting workflows.
• Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, and cross-functional communication skills, with the ability to build alignment among varied stakeholders.
• Intermediate familiarity with level editing tools and scripting in a major game engine or comparable development environment.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office or similar productivity tools, plus familiarity with a major 3D modeling application such as Maya.

Nice to have

• Experience with Unreal Engine or Unity workflows, including Unreal Blueprint scripting.
• Familiarity with Adobe Illustrator.
• Experience establishing shared design practices, standards, and processes across multiple teams or projects.

Benefits and work setup

• The work combines people management, creative leadership, and hands‑on systems design, with responsibilities adjusted according to production needs.
• The role emphasizes collaborative reviews, inclusive brainstorming, continuous improvement, and a supportive team environment.