Senior Enemy (Systems) Designer (Unannounced Project)

• NaturalMotion is looking for a talented and passionate Enemy Designer to join our London studio, helping shape the combat experience for our first-person shooter mobile title
• This role focuses on implementing well known enemies, adapting existing enemies and adding new compelling enemies to bring an authentic console experience to mobile
• Sitting at the intersection of design, art, animation, audio, and engineering, you will ensure enemy encounters are polished, purposeful and fun
• A core responsibility will be working with Level Design & Combat Design to ensure every enemy encounter is polished, purposeful, and fun
• We are looking for someone who brings both craft knowledge and a genuine love of action games
• We embrace a hybrid work environment
• Within this role you will work 2 days per week in our London office and the remaining days at home
• Ownership of designing, prototyping, and implementing enemy behaviours, AI systems, boss encounters & other features that align with the creative vision of the game
• Take enemies and bosses from paper design through to shipping quality, ensuring they are complete, polished and fun for players
• Work with Level Design & Combat Design to ensure enemies, factions, and NPCs meet their goals at every stage of development. Define required metrics to track and achieve them
• Collaborate closely with art, animation, audio, design and engineering teams to build content and solve problems in a multi-disciplinary environment
• Develop and balance a diverse roster of enemies, bosses, mutators & more
• Create compelling AI behaviours & attack patterns that provide an exciting experience and appropriately challenging for players
• Analyse combat data, player feedback, and internal playtests to refine and iterate on enemy and boss designs
• Work concurrently on multiple features at varying stages of development, managing priorities effectively as content pipelines run in parallel
• Document and communicate enemy and boss design concepts clearly to ensure alignment across all development teams

Benefits

• WELLNESS - Gym benefits, wellness programs, employee assistance programs and generous time-off policies
• FOOD - Food and snacks made in-house or delivered, healthy snack kitchens with drinks and treats, coffee bars, regular social gatherings and happy hours
• WORK & LIFE - Flexible time-off policies (DTO), office rest areas, gaming spaces, employee discounts and more
• TRANSIT BENEFITS - Shuttle service in select locations, commuter/parking benefits, secure bicycle storage, business travel assistance
• RESOURCE GROUPS - Women at Zynga (WAZ), zCares charitable giving, zParents, zEndurance adventure club, BZU, zPride LGBTQ+ inclusion and belonging
• COMPENSATION - Performance bonuses, opportunities for equity participation & retirement/pension savings support
• HEALTH - Medical, dental & vision covered for employees, with participation for employees eligible dependents, plus disability and life insurance program
• FAMILY - Generous parental leave for birth parents, partners and adoptive families, plus Infertility support, emergency child care and flexible time-off policies- Passionate about action games with a deep understanding of what makes enemy designs engaging and memorable
• Experience designing and implementing enemy AI, behaviours, and encounters for action games
• Experience working on a first-person or third-person game
• At least one shipped title in a design role for a Shooter / Action / RPG title
• The ability to manage multiple designs in a fast-paced development environment
• Ability to analyse gameplay data and player feedback to inform and balance design decisions
• Previous experience in Combat / Enemy Design or an equivalent role in the video game industry
• Familiarity with the Unreal game engine
• Strong visual & verbal communication skills with the ability to work effectively across cross-disciplinary teams
• Background in live service games and/ or mobile games with an understanding of ongoing balancing and content updates
• Experience with visual scripting or rapid prototyping tools
• An avid gamer with a genuine enthusiasm for crafting memorable and inventive enemy designs