Level Designer

Brighton Zoo is looking for a Level Designer to join our team in central Brighton.

As our Level Designer, you will be responsible for designing engaging, intuitive, and educational levels tailors for the specified target audience. You'll combine creativity with systems thinking to craft player experiences that are fun, accessible, and aligned with the game objectives.

You will work closely with designers, developers, and artists to bring levels from concept through to implementation, iteration, and polish. We are very happy to discuss flexible, hybrid and remote working options for all our vacancies. This vacancy can close early if we receive a high number of applications. This is a very short contract of 7 days, to be worked over a 2 month period, from mid May 2026. Day to Day:

• Designing and building levels that teach coding mechanics in a clear, engaging, and progressive way
• Using Tiled (or similar level editors) to construct and iterate on top-down 2D game environments
• Translating educational design goals into interactive gameplay experiences
• Collaborating with developers to implement level logic, scripting, and mechanics
• Prototyping new gameplay ideas and testing how players interact with them
• Balancing difficulty, pacing, and player progression across levels
• Iterating on levels based on playtesting feedback, analytics, and team reviews
• Working with artists to ensure levels are visually clear and aligned with the game's style
• Creating and maintaining clear level design documentation
• Ensuring accessibility and usability for a broad audience, including younger players
• Managing your workload effectively to meet production deadlines
• Responding positively to feedback and refining work accordingly

Must Have:

• A portfolio showcasing level design work (preferably 2D games or educational games)
• Experience designing levels for games with clear player progression and mechanics
• Familiarity with Tiled (or similar level design tools)
• Understanding of game design principles such as pacing, flow, challenge, and player guidance
• Ability to think logically and design around systems, rules, and player behaviours
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail
• Understanding of how level design supports player learning and onboarding
• Ability to communicate ideas clearly using sketches, diagrams, or documentation
• Experience working collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team
• Self-motivation and willingness to learn and iterate
• Ability to take direction and respond constructively to feedback
• Ability to work independently and manage time effectively

Bonus Points:

• Experience designing levels for educational games
• Basic understanding of programming or scripting (e.g. logic systems, triggers, conditions)
• Experience working in Unity or similar game engines
• Familiarity with UX design for games, especially for younger audiences
• Experience with playtesting and interpreting user feedback
• Passion for games that educate, inspire, and engage young players

We are Brighton Zoo! The marriage of Plug-In Media & Blue Zoo - a brand new animation studio by the sea, designed for a new era of kid's digital content. We are going through an exciting period of growth and are building a studio that is full of amazingly talented, happy artists & production crew, making work they are proud of, which in turn makes a small contribution to a happier world. Brighton Zoo believes that a healthy balance in our lives - whatever our situation - is key to supporting the wellbeing of our staff. We offer flexible working to support this. What we've got for you (Benefits) * Comprehensive benefits package * Online wellbeing programme * Christmas Closing Period * Free Sandwich or Soup Thursdays! Social events throughout the year including the odd beach BBQ & an annual trip to Brighton Fringe Festival Brighton Zoo is committed to creating and nurturing an inclusive studio that promotes and values diversity and invites everyone to 'bring their whole selves' to work. We believe that companies that truly embrace and value diversity, and create an environment where everyone from any background can do their best work, are better companies. To be engaged our people have to feel included and valued. We work hard to build and nurture a culture where inclusiveness is embedded in the way we work, not just an initiative. We strive to engender a studio community that feels a deep sense of pride and commitment that transcends any role, department or level and works together to produce excellent and engaging work.