Experienced Technical Designer (Systems & Progression)

Description Job type: Fixed term contract - 4 Months Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours per week Salary: £27,500 to £35,000 FTE, pro-rata for 4 month contract Location: Fully remote, UK-based Reporting to: Project Lead About us Cross Key Games is a new independent studio based in the UK. We create distinctive, systems driven games with strong player ownership and our ambition is to build memorable original IP. The project This is a hands-on prototype project with a short development schedule. We’re looking for an experienced designer who can hit the ground running, work independently, collaborate closely with a small team, and turn ideas into playable results quickly. We have an early prototype and are looking to take its systems, combat and gameplay to the next stage. This position will own the game’s systems, progression and player motivation loops. You’ll shape how the different gameplay systems connect, including progression, rewards, goals and the broader loops that give players reasons to engage and keep playing. Core Responsibilities • Own the design of game systems, progression and player motivation loops, ensuring the different parts of the game work together cohesively. • Design and iterate on progression, rewards, goals and meta-systems that give players meaningful reasons to engage and continue playing. • Build and iterate directly in Unreal Engine 5 using Blueprints, turning systems and progression ideas into playable prototypes. • Define how systems interact with and reinforce the player, combat and moment-to-moment experience. • Work closely within a small dev team to create a cohesive gameplay loop from moment-to-moment action through to longer-term progression.