Senior Progression Designer (CONTRACT)

Sony Playstation; Bend (OR); On-site; USD 68,191 - 97,120; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

Job summary

Sony Playstation is searching for a Senior Progression Designer to join their team in Bend, Oregon. This role involves designing and implementing engaging progression systems for their next high-profile AAA game.

The ideal candidate should have 5+ years of relevant experience and a deep understanding of player-centered design. The position offers competitive pay and benefits including medical, dental, and vision.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in video game progression design.
• Empathetic understanding of player motivation and needs.
• Ability to translate design goals into actionable documentation.

Responsibilities

• Design, tune, and implement progression systems for a AAA title.
• Collaborate with teams to build and maintain progression features.
• Conduct testing and optimization based on player feedback.

Skills

Experience in video game progression design

Knowledge of current trends in game design

Data management and spreadsheet modeling

Collaboration and team culture

Tools

Scripting languages

Job description

Why Sony Interactive Entertainment?

Sony Interactive Entertainment isn’t just the Best Place to Play — it’s also the Best Place to Work. Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is the company behind the PlayStation brand. As a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation, we’re part of a proud legacy of innovation and excellence. SIE is a dynamic technology company, delivering cutting‑edge hardware and network services to more than 100 million people and an entertainment leader, home to some of the most beloved and recognizable intellectual properties (IP) in the world. Our role at SIE is to create and nurture the experiences under the PlayStation brand, a name synonymous with entertainment excellence and creativity.

CONTRACT ROLE

Sony Bend Studio, renowned creator of Days Gone, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and Syphon Filter, is seeking outstanding talent to join our passionate and creative team in crafting our next high-profile AAA title.

We are seeking a Senior Progression Designer to help shape and own the progression systems, rewards, and support economies for our next AAA title. In this role, you will contribute to player experiences that drive satisfaction, motivation, and long‑term engagement.

Responsibilities

• Design, tune, and implement fun, meaningful progression systems, reward structures, and supporting economies that align with the game’s creative vision and player experience goals.
• Collaborate effectively with cross‑functional teams to define the tools, workflows, and processes needed to build, tune, and maintain progression features.
• Create and maintain clear documentation for progression systems and related features, including design briefs, spreadsheets, tuning models, and data visualizations.
• Communicate design goals, feature updates, and implementation details to team members and stakeholders.
• Partner with developers in the design and creation of new content, assets, features, and rewards that support progression goals.
• Work with User‑Experience Research (UXR) to test design hypotheses, understand player behavior, and improve the overall player experience.
• Help implement changes to progression systems based on testing, feedback, and data insights.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in video game progression design, systems design, economy design, or related fields, with experience contributing to shipped games.
• Strong knowledge of current trends, innovations, and competitive approaches in game progression and reward design.
• A player‑centered approach to design, with empathy for players and an understanding of player motivation, needs, and psychology.
• Strong proficiency in data management, spreadsheet modeling, analysis, and visualization.
• Ability to translate design goals into practical systems, tuning models, and implementation‑ready documentation.
• Strong collaboration skills, with a commitment to inclusive, accessible design and a positive team culture.
• Ability to break down, prioritize, and manage tasks across sprints, milestones, and development phases.
• Advanced knowledge of scripting languages and code is preferred, but not required. Comfort working in data tools, tuning pipelines, and implementation‑facing workflows is important.

At SIE, working with our partners, we consider several factors when setting each role’s base pay range, including the competitive benchmarking data for the market and geographic location.

Please note that the individual base pay range may vary based on job‑related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location.

In addition, this role is eligible for benefit offerings that include medical, dental, and vision. Click here to learn more.

$60 — $60 USD

Please note, Sony Interactive Entertainment conducts background checks at the offer stage for all new employees (which may include criminal background checks for some roles) and will need to process personal information to support these checks.

Please refer to our Candidate Privacy Notice for more information about what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and your data protection rights.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Sony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All persons will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender (including gender identity, gender expression and gender reassignment), race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, disability, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, maternity or parental status, trade union membership or membership in any other legally protected category.

We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees and embrace diversity. We encourage everyone to respond.

Sony Interactive Entertainment is a Fair Chance employer and qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for employment.