Technical Designer II - Social Systems

Pipeworks, Inc.; Eugene (OR); Hybrid; USD 92,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, and Vision

401K with employer match

Employer Paid Life Insurance Policy

Generous Paid Time Off

20 Paid Company Holidays

Relocation

Paid Parental Leave

Employee Assistance Program

Fitness Club Discounts

Sports Team Sponsorship

Annual Company Events

Project Wrap Parties

Job summary

Pipeworks Studios in Eugene, Oregon is seeking a Technical Designer II to help design, implement, and refine social systems for a large-scale multiplayer title. You’ll work on matchmaking, parties, and progression loops, collaborating closely with design and engineering teams.

This full-time temporary role may extend or convert to full-time after six months. A strong background in game/technical design and scripting is essential.

Qualifications

• C++ proficiency and ability to pass a basic coding test.
• Professional experience as a systems or technical designer on a multiplayer or live-service title.
• Experience designing player-facing social systems (friends, parties, matchmaking, progression).
• Experience scripting game systems (Lua, Python or similar).
• Strong cross-discipline communication, especially with engineering and UX.
• Familiarity with Perforce, Jira, Confluence.

Responsibilities

• Plan, design, and implement engaging social systems to promote player connection and long-term engagement.
• Build and iterate system logic, scripting, and data setups within proprietary tools and tech.
• Collaborate with engineering to define requirements, debug issues, and maintain tool/content stability.
• Partner with UX/design leads to ensure standards for matchmaking, progression, and player interactions.
• Tune gameplay and social loops to balance usability, reward, and engagement.
• Participate in playtests and integrate feedback from partners and internal teams.
• Create and maintain documentation for features, systems, and tools.
• Contribute to workflow and tooling improvements for the design team.
• Communicate clearly across disciplines and time zones to align technical and creative goals.

Skills

C++ proficiency

Multiplayer live-service design

Scripting (Lua/Python)

Cross-disciplinary communication

Version control tools (Perforce, Jira,

Tools

Perforce

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Technical Designer II - Social Systems

Department: Design

Employment Type: Fixed Term - Full Time

Location: Eugene, OR

Compensation: $92,000 - $110,000 / year

Description

Pipeworks Studios is seeking a skilled Technical Designer II to join a large-scale multiplayer experience with deep social and community-driven systems. You’ll help design, implement, and refine features that connect players—such as matchmaking, parties, and progression loops—while collaborating closely with both Pipeworks and partner teams.

This is a highly collaborative role where you’ll bridge design and engineering to bring robust social systems to life in a live, evolving environment.

This is a full-time temporary role with extension or conversion to full-time regular employment possible after 6 months.

Our studio is based in Eugene, Oregon. This role can work fully remote, hybrid, or in-office.

Day To Day

Responsibilities

• Plan, design, and implement engaging social systems that promote player connection and long-term engagement.
• Build and iterate on system logic, scripting, and data setups within proprietary tools and technology.
• Collaborate with engineering to define requirements, debug issues, and maintain tool and content stability.
• Partner with UX and design leads to ensure consistent standards for matchmaking, progression, and player-to-player interactions.
• Tune gameplay and social loops to balance usability, reward, and engagement.
• Participate in playtests and integrate feedback from partner and internal teams.
• Create and maintain clear, actionable documentation for features, systems, and tools.
• Contribute to workflow and tooling improvements supporting the broader design team.
• Communicate clearly across disciplines and time zones to align technical and creative goals.

Skills Knowledge and Expertise

Must Haves

• C++ proficiency; comfortable completing a basic coding test.
• Professional experience as a systems or technical designer on a multiplayer or live-service title.
• Design experience with player-facing social systems such as friends, parties, matchmaking, and shared progression to enable the design and creation of sustainable social systems with long-term player engagement in mind.
• Technical experience writing text-based scripts to manage game systems (scripting in a Lua, Python, or similar language).
• Excellent cross-discipline communication skills, especially with engineering and UX.
• Familiarity with version control and collaboration tools (e.g., Perforce, Jira, Confluence).

Nice-To-Have Skills

• Experience developing or tuning live-service systems, events, or seasonal content.
• Exposure to analytics or telemetry workflows for player engagement and community health.
• Experience supporting or extending proprietary tools and pipelines.
• Hey Background in game engineering or scripting-heavy design roles.

Education & Experience

• 5+ years of relevant professional experience in game or technical design.
• At least one shipped title in a technical design capacity where they acted as a lead or principal for a feature, system, or tool
• Experience collaborating on live or multiplayer projects preferred.
• Comfortable working within embedded partner teams and proprietary toolsets.

What We Can Offer You

A Flexible Working Environment

Almost all of our roles allow for your choice of work location. We're happy to support our team no matter where they prefer to work: remote, in office, or hybrid.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision
• 401K with employer match
• Employer Paid Life Insurance Policy
• Generous Paid Time Off
• 20 Paid Company Holidays
• Relocation
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Assistance Program
• Fitness Club Discounts
• Sports Team Sponsorship
• Annual Company Events
• Project Wrap Parties

A Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Pipeworks Studios recognizes the importance of creating an environment where all of our employees feel included and empowered to bring ideas to the the table. We value each employee's unique experiences and perspectives and recognize that it is both the smart and right thing to foster diversity, equity and inclusion within our organization.

By diversifying our workforce, increasing equity, and ensuring that our individual differences are valued, we are better able to deliver an experience that reflects, inspires, and connects with our audience... because games are for everyone!

Pipeworks provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.

Go to Pipeworks.com to see some of our continued efforts and our latest Diversity Report.