Senior VR Game Designer

Wave’s mission is to unite humanity through immersive 3d entertainment. Our vision is to be the live entertainment hub of the metaverse: a place where anyone can attend, perform live, or be a part of a 24/7 live entertainment community. No matter where or who you are, our platform welcomes you—joining on mobile, streaming a 2D social video, or immersing you in 3D VR. Virtual shows (“Waves”) are the heartbeat of our platform. Unlike other virtual experiences, Waves are unique because they happen live, enabling real-time interaction and connection between performers and audiences.

We’re looking for a Senior VR Game Designer to lead the design of next-generation interactive systems and player experiences that make our virtual performances feel alive, social, and unforgettable. This person will define the connective tissue between player creativity, live performance, and social play turning our platform into a living world where fans don’t just attend shows, they participate in them.

Responsibilities

• Lead game and systems design from concept through launch across Wave’s VR experiences defining how users interact, perform, and play together.
• Design social play mechanics that foster meaningful connection and retention through collaboration, creativity, and shared performance.
• Develop and iterate on player progression, onboarding, and UGC (user-generated content) systems that empower community creation and long-term engagement.
• Partner with product, engineering, art, and live ops to design scalable, data-informed features that enhance player experience and platform health.
• Prototype and playtest new mechanics and experiences in-engine (Unreal), leveraging player feedback and analytics to refine designs.
• Advocate for player-centric design across the company; define and communicate design vision through documentation, presentation, and cross-team collaboration.
• Mentor designers and contribute to a culture of experimentation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
  

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience designing interactive systems or multiplayer games, with at least 3 years focused on VR, AR, or social gaming platforms.
• Proven success building or improving player retention and engagement through thoughtful system design and live feature iteration.
• Deep understanding of social mechanics, player behavior, and community-driven content within multiplayer or UGC ecosystems.
• Experience designing or tuning onboarding flows, player progression, or reward systems.
• Proficiency with Unreal Engine for rapid prototyping and system validation.
• Excellent cross-functional communication skills and able to align creative, engineering, and business stakeholders around shared goals.
• Data-informed mindset: able to interpret metrics, playtest results, and player feedback to guide iteration.
• Bachelor’s degree in Game Design, HCI, Interactive Media, or equivalent experience

Desired Qualifications

• Experience designing for live service or cross-platform games (VR + mobile/PC).
• Familiarity with music or rhythm-based gameplay and interactive performance design.
• Understanding of AI-assisted creation tools or systems that support player creativity.
• Strong visual or narrative sensibility and comfortable bridging gameplay and storytelling.
  

Salary Range: $100,000 - $140,000**

**Salaries at Wave are based on a few factors including a candidate's location (to account for any cost of living differences), their experience level and their performance during the interview process. On top of a cash salary we also include company equity in the form of stock options with every full time offer as well as other benefits (insurance, 401k, unlimited PTO, laptop/desktop and other IT equipment as needed, subsidized monthly home internet, etc). Salary ranges at Wave are determined based on the job requirements, experience level and market data attained from compensation surveys.