Design Director

Design Director

Reports to: CEO

Employment Status: Permanent / Full Time

Work Location: Vancouver, British Columbia or Montreal, Quebec, Canada (remote or in office)

Overview

Final Strike Games is an independent game-development studio with a passion for creating world-class multiplayer, shooter, and live-service games in Unreal Engine. Our team values honesty, transparency, and respect for all, while working together to create industry-inspiring game experiences.

Final Strike Games is looking for a collaborative, visionary, and hands-on Design Director to lead mission and level design on an unannounced tactical first-person shooter for PC and console. You will own the design and delivery of our tactical missions, from first layout to final polish, and build experiences that shine with AI squadmates and in five-player co-op. We are looking for someone who has shipped FPS games, knows what makes a breach, an encounter, and a replayable mission great, and still loves getting into the editor.

As a leader, you will set the creative bar for the design team, mentor designers, run playtests, and make the calls that keep the game fun while landing on scope and on milestones. Team members are expected to lead with curiosity and to help cultivate a trusting and collaborative environment across disciplines.

Responsibilities include but not limited to

• Own the design vision and delivery of the game’s tactical missions, from concept and graybox through final polish
• Define and uphold the standards for mission layouts, breaching, encounters, objectives, pacing, and replayability
• Design missions that play great with AI squadmates and in five-player co-op, scaling challenge and roles across team sizes
• Partner with AI, gameplay, and systems teams to make sure core FPS mechanics, enemy behavior, and squad tools support mission goals
• Stay hands-on in Unreal Engine: build, prototype, and iterate on levels and encounters alongside the team
• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of level, mission, and encounter designers, giving clear direction and actionable feedback
• Plan and run regular playtests, analyze results, and turn findings into concrete design changes
• Work with production to scope missions, set priorities, and deliver on milestones without compromising quality
• Collaborate closely with art, audio, narrative, and engineering leads to deliver cohesive, polished missions
• Communicate design intent clearly to the team and to studio leadership through documentation, reviews, and presentations
  
  

Required Skills & Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in game design, with at least 4 years leading level or mission design teams
• Shipped at least one first-person shooter in a lead or director role, with strong mission and level design ownership
• Expert in mission layouts, breaching, encounter design, objectives, pacing, and replayability
• Experience designing for co-op multiplayer and for AI companions or squadmates
• Hands-on Unreal Engine skills, including level building, Blueprints, and taking spaces from graybox through final polish
• Strong FPS systems knowledge, including gunplay, movement, AI behavior, and how they shape level and encounter design
• Proven ability to lead and mentor designers, run playtests, and deliver within scope and on milestones
• A portfolio or body of shipped work that shows your mission and level design
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to give clear direction and present design intent to leadership
  
  

Nice to Have

• Shipped a tactical or squad-based shooter
• Experience with live-service or replayable mission structures, such as procedural elements, modifiers, or difficulty tiers
• Experience working with AI engineers on squad commands, companion behavior, or enemy tactics
• Experience building and scaling a design team on a new IP
  
  

Compensation & Employee Benefits

When we find the right person, we try to make an offer that will excite you. In addition to competitive base salaries, we also offer robust employee benefits:

• Health & Wellbeing: We know wellness is multi-dimensional, just like our employees. FSG offers comprehensive health coverage for you and your whole family.
• Total Rewards: We want you to feel empowered in all of life’s circumstances. In addition to offering competitive salaries, we offer stock options, discretionary bonuses & disability and life insurance.
• Flexible Time Off: We know that being your best at work means the ability to be present outside of work. We offer generous paid time off, including unlimited sick & personal days, in addition to studio closure periods.
• Growth: Our studio is filled with innovators and fearless explorers of the unknown. These values lend themselves to curiosity and a passion for learning, which is why we prioritize career advancement opportunities, training, and professional development.
• Connection: We believe in hiring the best people, and that great teams make great games. We create opportunities several times a year to come together as a studio to play and build lifelong connections.
  
  

Final Strike Games is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family status, gender identity or expression, genetic characteristics, marital status, national or ethnic origin, physical or mental disability, political belief, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please let us know.