Level Design Lead - VALORANT
Riot Games · Los Angeles, CA · 1 wk ago
Art & CreativeFull-time
Responsibilities
- Set and evolve the design vision for VALORANT maps, ensuring they uphold the game’s tactical DNA while pushing the genre forward
- Lead both live map updates and major reworks, building on successes like Breeze and shaping how players engage with maps over time
- Drive innovation on new maps, exploring new ideas while protecting competitive integrity
- Manage, mentor, and grow a team of level designers, leveling up their craft through hands-on feedback, coaching, and example
- Partner closely with Map Art, Lighting, and Production, blending gameplay clarity with visual quality and shipping reliably at high polish
- Guide projects from early concept through final release, balancing player value, development cost, and long-term sustainability
- Influence senior leadership on product direction, strategy, and priorities related to maps and gameplay experiences
- Anticipate player needs across platforms, understanding how different audiences engage with competitive shooters
- Champion player empathy, using data, feedback, and intuition to evolve maps in ways that resonate with the community
Requirements
- 5+ years experience in a Level Design role; experience as a game design owner of multiple large projects in parallel with successful delivery
- 1+ years people management experience; experience with mentorship of other designers leading to a promotion or substantial positive improvements in their work
- Experience creating systemic change to a design team’s process or principles to improve output significantly across the team
- Experience leading cross-discipline teams to deliver on design goals
- Experience communicating and expressing complex and nuanced designs in simple ways
- Leadership experience resolving conflict, and when needed offering difficult feedback with respect
Qualifications
- Strong understanding of Tactical FPS principles and can apply them effectively
- Robust understanding of the FPS market and player motivations and behaviors
- Experience developing on multiple platforms