Technical Designer - 4 Month Contract

Blackbird Interactive is a creative-fueled, future-driven, independent game studio where the best talent in the industry can find long-term careers to help grow their abilities while working on a wide range of projects, which encompass world-class IPs as well as our own creations across multiple genres. Our studio operates as a remote-first workplace, offering flexible work arrangements. PLEASE NOTE: At this time, we are only able to hire candidates who are legally eligible to work in Canada and reside within Canada. Blackbird Interactive is looking for a Technical Designer to join our growing studio. We have an exciting new project and are looking for a key contributor to help build and implement gameplay systems for a narrative-driven investigative game focused on player choice, exploration, and interactive storytelling. Do you enjoy bridging design and engineering to bring compelling gameplay and narrative experiences to life? Have you designed , prototyped , and implemented gameplay systems , tools , or scripted content in Unreal Engine ? Do you enjoy collaborating with designers, writers, artists, and programmers to create immersive, player-driven experiences? If so, this role could be a great fit. Responsibilities - Prototype, implement, and iterate on gameplay systems, investigative mechanics, interactive objects, narrative events, scripted sequences, objectives, tutorial systems, and other player-facing content - Implement and maintain gameplay logic, progression systems, and narrative scripting using Unreal Engine 5 and Blueprint, ensuring reliable and scalable content implementation - Collaborate closely with narrative, design, art, and audio teams to bring interactive storytelling, player choices, and scripted gameplay moments to life - Work with engineers to improve technical workflows, gameplay tools, and content pipelines, helping designers efficiently implement and iterate on gameplay and narrative content - Identify, troubleshoot, and resolve gameplay, scripting, and implementation issues while maintaining performance, stability, and content quality - Work with producers and team leadership to estimate work, communicate progress, identify technical risks, and support successful milestone delivery Requirements - A minimum of 5 years of experience in game development, including at least 2 years in a Technical Designer or equivalent gameplay implementation role - Strong proficiency with Unreal Engine 5, including Blueprint scripting, gameplay implementation, debugging, and working within complex gameplay systems and technical frameworks - Experience implementing gameplay systems, scripted events, interactive sequences, or narrative content directly in engine - Confidence working with modern scripting languages, gameplay logic, and state-driven systems - Experience shipping at least one title, ideally featuring narrative gameplay, exploration, adventure, or investigative mechanics - Self-motivated with the ability to thrive in a collaborative, fast-moving technical environment - Strong communication and interdisciplinary collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across design, narrative, engineering, art, and production Pluses - Experience implementing branching dialogue, narrative scripting, quest systems, or investigative gameplay - Familiarity with cinematic pipelines, sequencing tools, or interactive storytelling workflows - Passion for crime fiction, investigative storytelling, and grounded, character-driven narrative games - An innovator's mindset with a passion for building robust gameplay systems and improving development workflows - Experience working closely with writers, narrative designers, or cinematic teams - Demonstrated passion for games, film, television, novels, podcasts, or other forms of narrative entertainment Originally posted on Himalayas