Level Designer (4-month contract)

Blackbird Interactive is a creative-fueled, future-driven, independent game studio where the best talent in the industry can find long-term careers to help grow their abilities while working on a wide range of projects, which encompass world-class IPs as well as our own creations across multiple genres. Our studio operates as a remote-first workplace, offering flexible work arrangements. At this time, we are only able to hire candidates who are legally eligible to work in Canada and reside within Canada. Blackbird Interactive is looking for an experienced Level Designer to help build and deliver high-quality gameplay spaces for a third-person military tactical shooter. This role focuses on designing and building environments and combat spaces that support tactical decision-making, squad-based gameplay, and memorable military operations while delivering strong pacing, readability, and player agency. You’ll work closely with art and engineering to create spaces that feel authentic, strategically engaging, and grounded in the game’s setting. The role involves collaborating with leadership to align content with the overall creative vision, while also owning a full level end-to-end, from initial layout through implementation, iteration, and polish. If you enjoy crafting combat spaces that support multiple tactical approaches, reward planning and execution, and create memorable gameplay experiences, this role could be a great fit for you! Responsibilities Collaborate with art, engineering, and production to support and implement the established creative vision, raising questions or inconsistencies as they arise during development Work within production schedules and constraints, implementing level content in a timely and iterative manner while communicating risks or dependencies to appropriate team members Design and build levels end-to-end, including layout, combat encounters, traversal, pacing, player flow, and objectives Create and implement tactical combat spaces that support flanking, cover usage, squad coordination, sightlines, and multiple approaches to objectives Script and set up gameplay events, encounters, AI behaviors, triggers, and environmental interactions to support mission functionality and player experience Test, debug, and iterate on levels regularly, identifying and resolving issues related to navigation, combat balance, progression blockers, readability, and edge cases Respond constructively to feedback, refining layouts, encounters, pacing, and mission flow to improve clarity, challenge, and overall player experience Maintain an understanding of core gameplay systems and AI behaviors, adjusting layouts and encounters to support tactical gameplay and multiple player approaches Requirements A minimum of 5 years of experience contributing to game development, with a strong focus on level design within action, shooter, or combat-focused games Experience shipping at least one title, ideally within the shooter space, with an understanding of the full content lifecycle from implementation through polish Comfort working independently on assigned content, with the ability to manage tasks, iterate on feedback, and solve implementation problems in a dynamic production environment Strong collaboration and communication skills, including the ability to work closely with other designers, artists, engineers, and audio partners to deliver cohesive gameplay experiences Familiarity with level editing and gameplay scripting in Unreal, with confidence building, debugging, and maintaining gameplay spaces directly in-engine Strong understanding of combat space design, player navigation, encounter pacing, and environmental readability Pluses A passion for military fiction, tactical shooters, and squad-based gameplay Appreciation for systemic gameplay and how level design supports multiple tactical approaches and emergent combat scenarios An interest in cinematic mission design, including staging, composition, scripted moments, and environmental storytelling Care about polish, clarity, and player comprehension, and enjoy iterating on spaces to improve navigation, combat readability, and overall gameplay experience Curiosity about how level design, AI, and systems intersect to create cohesive, replayable combat experiences rather than isolated encounters