Staff Hero Designer

Insomniac is looking for a Staff level Hero Designer, focused on combat, traversal, and 3Cs (Camera, Character, Controls) for an upcoming project. This role is accountable for the quality and on-time delivery of design and execution for one or more playable characters, including core combat and features like traversal, abilities, non-combat mechanics, camera, and more. Work will require hands-on, technical implementation and tuning for prototyping, iteration, and polish, as well as creative leadership and vision setting for playable characters. The person in this role will drive the creative vision, gameplay design, and execution quality of new playable hero characters and collaborate with our Gameplay Programmers, Animators, VFX Artists, and Character Artists to create world class moment-to-moment gameplay. The ideal candidates are self-driven, highly technical, and extremely creative, with deep experience in leading and creating high quality 3rd person gameplay. We’re looking for designers who value game feel, player clarity, and high levels of polish in their work and are searching for a highly collaborative development environment. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIECreative leadership and primary ownership of player character systems for one or more playable characters. Accountable for the design, prototyping, iteration and polish of hero core combat, as well as features such as movement / traversal, abilities, interactivity, progression, non-combat mechanics, allies, or game balance. Directly prototypes, implements, and iterates on Hero combat and non-combat gameplay through proprietary internal tools and scripting systems. Brings a focus on innovation, clarity, playability, and presentational polish to hero design work. Collaborates directly with Gameplay Programming and Animation partners to best leverage skills and creativity across both departments. Fosters a strong environment of creative collaboration across all disciplines. Creative leadership for one or more development pods of cross-discipline contributors. Collaborates with Development Management to plan milestones, set priorities, and coordinate feedback. Works autonomously to drive quality, iterate, and innovate in service of the project’s creative goals and values. Is proactive about flagging problems, implementing solutions, and responding to feedback to continuously improve Hero gameplay. Drives collaboration with cross-discipline stakeholders for problem solving and alignment. Collaborates directly with Mission Designers and Combat Designers to integrate and support player work in Missions, encounters, and core combat gameplay. Works with Systems Designers, Gameplay Programmers, and the UI/UX team to help create compelling long-term gameplay through player progression systems and meaningful player growth. Collaborates with the Narrative Department, Mission Designers, and Mission Directors to support player-driven storytelling through player mechanics and interactive experiences. Writes and regularly updates clear player system documentation detailing the scope and feature set for player features. Creates tutorial videos and documentation to support as needed. Regularly reviews player work in progress, proactively gathers feedback, and drives iteration and quality. Accountable for creative quality of all assigned player work and for ensuring the team is hitting on-screen quality targets for each milestone. Collaborates with the Combat Director and project Game Director to ensure player design meets the project’s creative and technical goals and reaches Insomniac’s quality standards. Creates, tracks, and supports player standards and metrics across the whole experience to ensure consistency and quality. Directly supports Mission Design work with metrics as needed. Runs brainstorms / reviews, creates buy-in and alignment, and champions design vision and values through clear communication and inclusivity. Drives, documents, and disseminates standards, best practices, and creative process for Hero / player character design work across the studio. Serves as a Design Department subject matter expert in 3rd person player character design within the studio and keeps up with the state of the art across the industry. Drive innovation and improvement in internal design tools for 3rd person character prototyping, implementation, and iteration. Reviews and provides feedback on hero character work across the studio. Mentors and coaches other Hero Designers. Creates a safe, supportive, and creative work environment that exemplifies our studio values. May take on other gameplay systems design as needed.