Principal Systems Designer

Responsibilities: — Design the core systems of the game, including production chains, resources, logistics, progression, and economy, with input from the game director. — Break down high-level mechanics step by step into actionable tasks for the team. — Prototype and tune systems independently using spreadsheets, simulations, and Blueprints. — Write and maintain clear design documentation aligned with the actual game. — Collaborate daily with programmers, artists, and production to ensure design and implementation alignment. — Organize design work by managing priorities, open questions, decisions, and their rationale. — Act as a sparring partner for the Game Director by challenging ideas and proposing alternatives. — Eventually lead a small design team (Level Designer, Content Designer) and influence studio design practices. Requirements: — Minimum 8 years of professional game design experience with a strong focus on systems design. — At least one shipped title where you owned major systems, preferably in systemic games such as simulation, strategy, sandbox, automation, survival, or colony builders. — Passion for factory and automation games, understanding why players invest extensive time in them. — Systemic thinking including feedback loops, dependencies, scaling, emergent behavior, and edge cases. — Hands-on approach to prototyping and testing ideas personally. — Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. — Availability to work compatible with the CET timezone. Nice to Have: — Programming background or solid scripting skills in Blueprints, C++, C#, Python, Lua, or similar. — Experience with Unreal Engine. — Experience leading or mentoring other designers. — Previous work in small or remote indie teams. — Personal projects related to factory games (mods, tools, prototypes, calculators, blueprints). Benefits: — Full-time (40h/week), fully remote position. — Very flexible working hours. — Real influence on a game from its early stages. — Paid overtime with efforts to minimize it. — Book and training budget (100€ per month, more if needed). — Focus days dedicated to learning new skills or research. — Yearly on-site team events. — Automatic baseline salary adjustment of 2% per year. — Hardware and home office budget (2,000€ upon joining, then 1,000€ yearly). — Job Ticket available if living in Germany.