Principal Systems Designer

Scopely; California (MO); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Scopely is seeking a Principal Systems Designer to own the design and implementation of core progression, economy, and scaling for a mobile-first live-service title built on a globally recognized IP. This hands-on role is an individual contributor reporting to the Director of Systems Design, collaborating with gameplay, engineering, and production to ship robust systems.

You'll model and tune in-engine, build tooling, and define progression that scales with content.

Qualifications

• 8+ years designing progression, economy or related systems in games.
• Experience taking systems from concept through launch or live ops.
• Ability to translate design problems into clear docs for engineering and production.

Responsibilities

• Design and build core systems, including progression, economy, and scaling, from definition to shippable implementation.
• Collaborate with gameplay designers to align progression with live-service gameplay.
• Develop models, simulations, and tuning tools; implement in-engine tuning and balancing.
• Create clear design documentation and work with engineering to define tools and pipelines.

Skills

Progression systems

Unity/Unreal experience

Analytical skills

Documentation & spec writing

Cross-team collaboration

Live ops experience

Tools

Unity

Unreal

Proprietary engine

Scripting/tools

Job description

We're looking for a Principal Systems Designer to join us on an exciting unannounced title built on a globally recognized IP. This is an F2P, mobile-first live-service game currently in pre-production, and our team is defining the systems and progression that will support the game over the long term.

At Scopely, we care deeply about what we do and want to inspire play, every day, whether in our work environments alongside our talented colleagues, or through our deep connections with our communities of players. We are a global team of game lovers who are developing, publishing, and innovating in the gaming industry, connecting millions of people around the world daily.

This is a hands-on individual contributor role. You'll own the design and implementation of core systems, working with the Director of Systems Design and the broader systems and gameplay teams to turn ambiguous, zero-to-one problems into shippable, well-instrumented systems. You'll work across quantitative modeling and in-engine implementation, building the tuning, tools, and systems needed to bring progression models to life. You'll also partner closely with combat and gameplay design to ensure abilities, progression, and scaling work together as a cohesive player experience.

What You'll Do

• Design and build core systems, including progression, combat scaling, economy, and rewards, from initial definition through shippable implementation
• Partner with gameplay designers to ensure combat abilities, RPG progression, and scaling reinforce one another across the live-service lifecycle
• Build and maintain models, simulations, and tuning tools that define loot tables, costs, XP curves, and stat scaling as the game evolves
• Implement, tune, and iterate on systems directly in Unity and supporting design tools
• Create clear design documentation that enables designers, engineers, and producers to execute effectively
• Collaborate with engineering to define tools and pipelines that enable efficient systems authoring, tuning, and balancing
• Use playtest results and analytics to evaluate system performance, identify opportunities, and iterate based on evidence
• Evaluate system proposals constructively, identifying design risks, tradeoffs, and opportunities for improvement while supporting systems that can evolve with future content

What You'll Bring

• Ideally 8+ years of experience owning complex progression, economy, combat-adjacent, or related systems through development and launch or live operations
• Strong technical capability, including experience building/maintaining spreadsheets and implementing systems in Unity, Unreal, a proprietary engine, or a scripting/tools environment
• Deep understanding of RPG progression and scaling, including power curves, stat growth, gear or ability scaling, and their relationship with combat and content difficulty
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills, including sound judgment about the strengths and limitations of data
• Experience taking systems from initial definition through implementation, tuning, and a shippable state
• Ability to translate ambiguous design problems into clear documentation that engineering, production, and other design partners can act on
• Experience collaborating with combat, gameplay, or content designers to align progression systems with moment-to-moment gameplay
• Evidence of learning from feedback, collaborating constructively across disciplines, and staying closely involved in implementation and iteration

Bonus Points

• Experience designing systems for F2P collector games
• Experience with multiplayer action RPGs
• Experience working with licensed IP

About Scopely

Scopely is a leading video game and global interactive entertainment company, home to many of the world’s most beloved and enduring experiences, including two of the most successful mobile games of all-time “MONOPOLY GO!” and “Pokémon GO,” along with “Stumble Guys,” “Star TrekTM Fleet Command,” “MARVEL Strike Force,” “WWE Champions,” the Scrabble® franchise, “Yahtzee® With Buddies,” and many others. Across mobile, web, PC, and console, Scopely creates, develops, publishes, and live-operates one of the most diversified and award-winning portfolios in the games industry — bringing hundreds of millions of players together through a shared love of play.

Founded in 2011, Scopely is powered by its exceptional team — including thousands of world-class gamemakers around the globe, a distinctive tenet-driven culture, and its proprietary technology platform, Playgami. Together, these strengths have fueled Scopely’s position as the #1 mobile games company in the U.S. and #2 globally, generating more than $10 billion in lifetime revenue. Whether building global sensations like “MONOPOLY GO!” from the ground up, or expanding through strategic acquisitions, including the FoxNext, GSN, and Scopely Explore games businesses — Scopely consistently delivers experiences players love today and return to for years to come.

Recognized multiple times as one of the "100 Most Influential Companies in the World" by TIME magazine and one of Fast Company's "World's Most Innovative Companies" and “Best Workplaces for Innovators,” Scopely believes that video games can be a force for good — creating meaningful connections, vibrant communities, and making life better through play.

Scopely has global operations and partners across four continents in more than a dozen countries worldwide. For more information, visit: https://www.scopely.com/.

Notice to Candidates: Scopely will never request payment or financial information during the application or hiring process. Please apply only through our official website and verify that all Talent Partner communications come from an email address ending in @scopely.com.

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Employment at Scopely is based solely on a person's merit and qualifications. Scopely does not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding), or any other basis protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.