Technical Designer II - Social Systems

Pipeworks Studios

$92K — $110K *
Consumer Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years professional experience in game or technical design
  • At least one shipped title in a technical design capacity as lead or principal
  • Proficient in C++ and comfortable with coding tests
  • Experience designing social systems for multiplayer or live-service games
  • Knowledge of scripting in Lua, Python, or similar languages
  • Strong communication skills with engineering and UX teams

Responsibilities

  • Plan, design, and implement engaging social systems
  • Build and iterate on system logic and scripting within proprietary tools
  • Collaborate with engineering to define requirements and debug issues
  • Partner with UX and design leads for consistent standards
  • Tune gameplay and social loops for balance and engagement
  • Participate in playtests and integrate feedback
  • Create and maintain clear documentation for systems and tools

Benefits

  • Medical, Dental, and Vision
  • 401K with employer match
  • Employer Paid Life Insurance Policy
  • Generous Paid Time Off
  • 20 Paid Company Holidays
  • Relocation
  • Paid Parental Leave
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Fitness Club Discounts
  • Sports Team Sponsorship
  • Annual Company Events
  • Project Wrap Parties
Full Job Description
Technical Designer II - Social Systems

Department: Design

Employment Type: Fixed Term - Full Time

Location: Eugene, OR

Compensation: $92,000 - $110,000 / year

Description

Pipeworks Studios is seeking a skilled Technical Designer II to join a large-scale multiplayer experience with deep social and community-driven systems. You'll help design, implement, and refine features that connect players-such as matchmaking, parties, and progression loops-while collaborating closely with both Pipeworks and partner teams.

This is a highly collaborative role where you'll bridge design and engineering to bring robust social systems to life in a live, evolving environment.

This is a full-time temporary role with extension or conversion to full-time regular employment possible after 6 months.

Our studio is based in Eugene, Oregon. This role can work fully remote, hybrid, or in-office.

Day To Day

Responsibilities
  • Plan, design, and implement engaging social systems that promote player connection and long-term engagement.
  • Build and iterate on system logic, scripting, and data setups within proprietary tools and technology.
  • Collaborate with engineering to define requirements, debug issues, and maintain tool and content stability.
  • Partner with UX and design leads to ensure consistent standards for matchmaking, progression, and player-to-player interactions.
  • Tune gameplay and social loops to balance usability, reward, and engagement.
  • Participate in playtests and integrate feedback from partner and internal teams.
  • Create and maintain clear, actionable documentation for features, systems, and tools.
  • Contribute to workflow and tooling improvements supporting the broader design team.
  • Communicate clearly across disciplines and time zones to align technical and creative goals.


Skills Knowledge and Expertise

Must Haves
  • C++ proficiency; comfortable completing a basic coding test.
  • Professional experience as a systems or technical designer on a multiplayer or live-service title.
  • Design experience with player-facing social systems such as friends, parties, matchmaking, and shared progression to enable the design and creation of sustainable social systems with long-term player engagement in mind.
  • Technical experience writing text-based scripts to manage game systems (scripting in a Lua, Python, or similar language).
  • Excellent cross-discipline communication skills, especially with engineering and UX.
  • Familiarity with version control and collaboration tools (e.g., Perforce, Jira, Confluence).


Nice-To-Have Skills
  • Experience developing or tuning live-service systems, events, or seasonal content.
  • Exposure to analytics or telemetry workflows for player engagement and community health.
  • Experience supporting or extending proprietary tools and pipelines.
  • Hey Background in game engineering or scripting-heavy design roles.

Education & Experience
  • 5+ years of relevant professional experience in game or technical design.
  • At least one shipped title in a technical design capacity where they acted as a lead or principal for a feature, system, or tool
  • Experience collaborating on live or multiplayer projects preferred.
  • Comfortable working within embedded partner teams and proprietary toolsets.


What We Can Offer You

A Flexible Working EnvironmentAlmost all of our roles allow for your choice of work location. We're happy to support our team no matter where they prefer to work: remote, in office, or hybrid.

Benefits
  • Medical, Dental, and Vision
  • 401K with employer match
  • Employer Paid Life Insurance Policy
  • Generous Paid Time Off
  • 20 Paid Company Holidays
  • Relocation
  • Paid Parental Leave
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Fitness Club Discounts
  • Sports Team Sponsorship
  • Annual Company Events
  • Project Wrap Parties

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