Expert Technical Designer (Sports Games)

Location: Hybrid role in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Salary: CAD $118,300–$175,060 per year, with potential bonus, equity awards, and benefits for regular employees.

Company

Small Axe Studios is a stand-alone hirify.global studio developing a new sports franchise and player-first interactive entertainment experience.

What you will do

• Design, prototype, implement, and iterate on gameplay mechanics, core loops, systemic features, and in-game behaviors.
• Translate high-level design concepts into robust systems, script game logic, define system flows, and integrate features into live builds.
• Partner with tools engineers to improve designer workflows, content pipelines, reusable templates, and iteration speed.
• Provide technical guidance, troubleshoot implementations, document solutions, and mentor other technical designers.
• Lead the technical approach for technical designers, including craft leadership and people management responsibilities.
• Collaborate with engineering, animation, audio, UI/UX, design, and production to deliver scalable, performant, and shippable features.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in technical design or related gameplay implementation roles.
• Deep expertise with scripting systems such as Unreal Blueprint.
• Experience implementing complex gameplay systems from prototype through ship.
• Strong understanding of game systems, mechanics, interactions, debugging, optimization, and technical feasibility.
• Experience collaborating with engineers on feature integration and explaining technical solutions to non-technical teammates.
• Proactive, collaborative approach with strong documentation and problem-solving skills.

Nice to have

• Experience with sports games or other systemic titles.
• Familiarity with content pipelines, modular design, data-driven systems, or tool development.
• Experience with performance profiling and optimization on console or PC.
• Background in programming or computer science.

Culture & Benefits

• Creative collaboration across design, engineering, production, animation, audio, and UI/UX disciplines.
• Opportunity to shape a brand-new sports game IP and its gameplay development practices.
• Regular employees may receive bonus and/or equity awards.
• Regular employees receive access to medical, financial, and other benefits.
• Reasonable accommodation is available for qualified individuals with disabilities during hiring and employment.