Level Design Lead - VALORANT at Riotgames

Riotgames

Los Angeles, USA·3h ago

LeadFull-timeRustGit

Salary Range

$76,500 - $103,500 /year

Estimated

This salary is estimated based on similar roles. The actual salary may vary.

About the Role

We are looking for a Game Design Manager / Level Design Lead to join our team at Riot Games. This role focuses on defining the design of our game, VALORANT, and ensuring that its tactical gameplay shines through. You will partner with leads from multiple disciplines to create player-focused designs that will delight millions around the world.

Key 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