How to hire a level designer

How to hire a level designer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step level designer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a level designer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new level designer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a level designer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a level designer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A level designer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, level designers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of level designers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Level Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Level Designer	Graphic designers create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers. They develop the overall layout and production design for various applications such as advertisements, brochures, magazines, and corporate reports.	$29-71
   Graphic Designer/Production	A Graphics Designer in production is the person in charge of designing and interpreting ideas pointed out by the client or the company. The graphics designer must use market standard applications and techniques to produce attention-grabbing designs intended to market a product, service, or company... Show more	$16-32
   Graphic Designer, Marketing	A graphic designer of marketing specializes in developing creative imagery as part of a company's marketing efforts. Their responsibilities typically revolve around coordinating with the marketing team to share insights and strategies, conceptualizing designs in adherence to objectives and deadlines, and preparing presentations... Show more	$16-33

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Unreal Engine
   • Unity
   • Maya
   • Lua
   • CAD
   • PC
   • Combat
   • Animation
   • Prototyping
   • JavaScript
   • Design Documentation
   • CSS
   • Core Gameplay
   • Level Layouts

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Produce unique concepts and designs on CATIA of never before achieve mechanisms and body components, which are patented by CHRYSLER.
   • Tune the complex oracle SQL.
   • Design game play for puzzle and combat levels.
   • Programme in Java for development of mature prototype.
   • Develop modular building sets for use in quick prototyping.
   • Implement the SQL loader to retrieve the date from files.

   More level designer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your level designer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A level designer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, level designers' average salary in south dakota is 56% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level level designers 58% less than senior-level level designers.
   • Certifications. A level designer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a level designer's salary.

   Average level designer salary

   $96,455yearly

   $46.37 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level level designer salary

   $62,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 22, 2025

   Average level designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$116,362	$56
   2	District of Columbia	$114,816	$55
   3	Maryland	$107,776	$52
   4	Washington	$103,465	$50
   5	Massachusetts	$97,735	$47
   6	New York	$89,910	$43
   7	Illinois	$88,356	$42
   8	Texas	$86,515	$42
   9	Georgia	$84,283	$41
   10	Colorado	$82,370	$40
   11	North Carolina	$76,663	$37
   12	Indiana	$76,640	$37
   13	Kansas	$70,088	$34
   14	Florida	$65,627	$32
   15	Puerto Rico	$52,501	$25

   Average level designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$149,346	$71.80	248
   2	Sony Electronics	$98,054	$47.14
   3	Gearbox Software	$96,063	$46.18
   4	2k	$95,407	$45.87	4
   5	Epic Games	$94,748	$45.55	8
   6	Ready At Dawn Studios	$94,039	$45.21
   7	Take-Two Interactive Software	$93,485	$44.94	1
   8	Electronic Arts	$93,263	$44.84	1
   9	Certain Affinity	$93,257	$44.84
   10	ZeniMax Media	$92,503	$44.47	2
   11	Naughty Dog	$92,488	$44.47	2
   12	Carollo Engineers	$92,251	$44.35	2
   13	Riot Games	$91,459	$43.97	5
   14	USAA	$91,157	$43.83	9
   15	Tencent	$90,089	$43.31	5
   16	Activision Blizzard	$89,009	$42.79	6
   17	Boeing	$88,609	$42.60	14
   18	Kiewit	$86,870	$41.76	79
   19	Miller’s	$86,845	$41.75	4
   20	Modern Technology Solutions	$86,648	$41.66	3

4. Writing a level designer job description

   A job description for a level designer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a level designer job description:

   Level designer job description example

   At MTSI, our more than 1,400 co-owners recognize the high demand for specialized professionals within our industry and that you have many options to choose. As an employee owned company where culture matters, we believe that by investing in our people we are investing in our company’s future!
   
   MTSI is seeking a game engine programmer to work on current and emerging AR, VR, and Desktop projects at our Huntsville, AL office.
   
   MTSI’s core capabilities run deep across a multitude of areas to include Systems Engineering & Technical Assistance, Integration, Modeling & Simulation, Test & Evaluation, Acquisitions & Program Support, and Mission Assurance services. Our expertise includes ballistic missile defense, air defense, air vehicle survivability, unmanned aircraft, flight test operations, intelligence support, cybersecurity, space and homeland defense.
   
   Our first core value is that employees come first. We challenge our co-workers to provide the highest level of support and service, and reward them with some of the best benefits in our industry. Eligible new co-workers start with 20 days PTO plus 10 federal holidays, 6% 401k company match with immediate vesting, semi-annual bonuses, and eligibility to participate in our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). We offer other employee focused benefits, including up to $10k in tuition reimbursement and an optional zero dollar deductible BCBS health insurance plan.
   For additional company information, please visit: www.mtsi-va.com
   Responsibilities
   
   MTSI is seeking a game engine programmer to work on current and emerging AR, VR, and Desktop projects. Candidate will work with other designers, technicians, and engineers to create visually compelling animations, video products, and interactive computer-based training products in a Windows OS environment. Candidate must be self-motivated, an effective communicator, and can work effectively in a dynamic team environment. Candidate must provide a portfolio containing samples of related work.
   Qualifications
   
   Must possess and demonstrate experience and proficiency with the Unity game engine and C# coding language. Highly Desirable Skills: Ideal candidate has a minimum of 2 years’ experience designing, creating, and debugging game levels and writing/debugging code related to game level development. Education and experience : Bachelor’s Degree in related field is strongly desired. Clearance: Candidate must be able to obtain a security clearance. #100esop #LI-Hybrid #defenddifferently

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right level designer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with level designers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit level designers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your level designer job on Zippia to find and attract quality level designer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting level designers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new level designer

   Once you've decided on a perfect level designer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new level designer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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