Technical Game Designer (Contingent) (AAA)

Location: Hybrid role based in Santa Monica, California, United States. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. Temporary engagement through staffing partner DZConneX Services.

Salary: $58.03–$72.55 USD per hour

Company

hirify.global's Naughty Dog studio develops narrative-driven, technically innovative AAA games, including The Last of Us series, and is working on a new single-player title.

What you will do

• Prototype, implement, and own gameplay scenarios, narrative sequences, interactive objects, and AI behaviors.
• Conceptualize, prototype, implement, tune, and balance gameplay mechanics and systems.
• Use in-house tools and scripting to develop combat encounters, narrative sequences, player mechanics, and enemy behaviors.
• Collaborate with design, animation, programming, and art teams to produce required assets and code support.
• Iterate rapidly and polish owned gameplay areas to Naughty Dog's quality standards.

Requirements

• Significant programming ability; a Computer Science undergraduate degree is preferred.
• Knowledge of 3D mathematics.
• Experience with C++, C#, Lua, or another scripting language.
• Broad understanding of the gaming landscape.
• Self-motivated, proactive approach with strong communication and teamwork skills.
• Willingness to accept design direction, brainstorm, iterate, and develop creative solutions.
• Authorization to work in the United States.

Nice to have

• Experience developing AAA third-person action games.
• Experience with 3D level editors.
• Understanding of narrative principles and conveying emotion through gameplay.
• Experience with behavior trees, melee, combat systems, character animation, and enemy and boss design.

Culture & Benefits

• Temporary engagement through DZConneX Services.
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits are available.
• Inclusive environment that values diverse cultural and life experiences.
• Background checks are conducted at the offer stage.