PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS DESIGNER

Описание

This is a senior, hands-on role at tobspr Games, a small, fully remote studio based in Germany, working on a new 3D factory game built in Unreal Engine.

Responsibilities

• Design the core systems of the game, with input from the game director: production chains, resources, logistics, progression and economy
• Take high-level mechanics and break them down, step by step, into something the team can build
• Prototype and tune systems yourself, in spreadsheets, simulations, Blueprints
• Write and maintain clear design docs, and keep them in sync with what is actually in the game
• Work daily with programmers, artists and production so design and implementation don't drift apart
• Bring structure to the design work: priorities, open questions, decisions and their reasons
• Act as a sparring partner for the Game Director: challenge ideas, bring alternatives, say when something doesn't work
• Later on, lead a small design team (Level Designer, Content Designer) and help shape how we do design as a studio

Requirements

• 8+ years of professional game design experience, with a strong focus on systems design
• At least one shipped title where you owned major systems, ideally a systemic game (simulation, strategy, sandbox, automation, survival, colony builders or similar)
• You play factory and automation games in your free time and genuinely enjoy them. You don't need to have worked on one, but you need to know why players lose 500 hours to them
• You think in systems: feedback loops, dependencies, scaling, emergent behaviour and edge cases
• Hands-on work style. You prototype and test your ideas yourself, not just on paper
• Excellent written and verbal communication in English
• Working times compatible with the CET timezone

Nice to have

• A programming background, or solid scripting skills (Blueprints, C++, C#, Python, Lua or similar)
• Experience with Unreal Engine
• Experience leading or mentoring other designers
• You've worked in small or remote indie teams before
• Personal projects related to factory games (mods, tools, prototypes, calculators, blueprints)

We offer

• Full-time (40h/week), fully remote
• Very flexible working hours
• Real influence on a game from its early stages
• Paid overtime (though we do our best to avoid it in the first place)
• Book & training budget (100
• / month, more if needed)
• Focus days for learning new skills or researching
• Yearly on-site team events
• Automatic baseline salary adjustment of 2% per year
• Hardware & home office budget (2.000
• when joining, then 1.000
• yearly)
• Job Ticket (if you live in Germany)