Senior Technical Designer

Naughty Dog; Santa Monica (CA); Hybrid; USD 145,100 - 181,400; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Wellness program

Employee discounts for Sony products

Job summary

Naughty Dog in Santa Monica is seeking an experienced Technical Designer with over 5 years in the gaming industry to join their innovative team. You will be responsible for prototyping gameplay scenarios and collaborating with various departments to enhance both gameplay and narrative elements.

The ideal candidate is fluent in programming languages such as C++, C#, and Lua and possesses a solid understanding of narrative principles. This hybrid role offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of industry experience in Technical Design for games.
• 2+ shipped games.
• Self-starter with excellent communication and teamwork skills.

Responsibilities

• Prototyping and implementing gameplay scenarios.
• Communicating with animation and programming departments.
• Fostering team cohesion.

Skills

Technical Design experience

Programming ability

Narrative principles understanding

Fluent in C++, C#, Lua

Education

Computer Science undergraduate degree

Job description

This is a hybrid/ onsite position.

For nearly 40 years, Naughty Dog has been crafting best-selling, critically acclaimed games that constantly push the boundaries of narrative, gameplay, and technology. Naughty Dog recently released The Last of Us Part II Remastered as well as a current generation remake of The Last of Us Part I for the PS5. We're also proud to say that The Last of Us Parts I and II are now available for the first time on PC. Currently, we’re busy at the kennel working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and we’d love to find talented individuals to join us.

Naughty Dog games have long been lauded for their evocative, character-driven stories and attention to detail. We are committed to innovation within our games and as such have curated some of the top creative and technically innovative minds in the industry. We welcome diverse candidates and believe that a broad range of cultural and life experiences contribute to the overall well-being and success of the studio and the titles we craft together.

What you will do

• Prototyping, implementing, and owning gameplay scenarios, narrative sequences, interactive objects, AI behaviors, and other mechanics and systems.
• Communicating with animation, programming, and art departments to effectively produce the assets and code support required for the areas you’re owning.
• Fostering team cohesion, advising design leadership regarding communication breakdowns and personality conflicts.
• Working with minimal supervision while keeping lead designers and directors well-informed.

What skills you will use

• 5+ years of industry experience in Technical Design for games
• 2+ shipped games
• Significant programming ability (Computer Science undergraduate degree preferred)
• Deep understanding of narrative principles and how to convey emotion through gameplay
• Expertise in 3D math
• Fluent in C++, C#, Lua, or other text-based scripting language
• Ability to identify and act on opportunities for improvements to tools and workflows that can help the team be more efficient
• Self-starter with excellent communication and teamwork skills

Bonus Skills

• Experience developing third-person action games
• Experience with the following areas of design
  • Behavior Trees
  • Narrative Gameplay Sequences
  • Encounter Design

At SIE, 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 base pay range may vary in line with our hybrid working policy and individual base pay will be determined based on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location. In addition, this role is eligible for SIE’s top-tier benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, matching 401(k), paid time off, wellness program and coveted employee discounts for Sony products. This role also may be eligible for a bonus package. Click here to learn more. The estimated base pay range for this role is listed below.

$145,100 — $181,400 USD