--- title: 'Technical UI/UX Designer (5-month contract) at Blackbird Interactive' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/technical-ui-ux-designer-5-month-contract-blackbird-interactive-vancouver-d6xbp9j2d6s7' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-12' --- # Technical UI/UX Designer (5-month contract) at Blackbird Interactive - **Company:** Blackbird Interactive - **Location:** Vancouver, Canada - **Compensation:** $90k–$110k - **Employment:** temporary - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2026-08-14 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/blackbirdinteractive/3104c526-04dd-4e42-b7e5-56885f92efdd ## Job description 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 an experienced Technical UI/UX Designer to help adapt a large, established simulation game to new platforms. This is a hands-on implementation role focused on rebuilding and integrating existing UI systems for new resolutions, input methods, and platform constraints while preserving the core player experience. Working closely with design, engineering, art, and production, you'll implement and refine UI screens, flows, and interactions that feel native to each platform. If you enjoy solving technical UI challenges, working directly in UI tools, and making complex interfaces intuitive and robust, we'd love to hear from you. ## Responsibilities - Adapt existing UI systems for new platforms, resolutions, and input methods - Design, implement, and refine responsive UI layouts across a range of screen sizes and aspect ratios - Work directly in the UI toolset to build, modify, debug, and polish screens, flows, and interactions - Partner with engineers to ensure UI performance, responsiveness, and stability - Resolve platform-specific UX challenges, including controller navigation, readability, and accessibility - Maintain consistency with the game's visual style, information hierarchy, and interaction patterns - Test, debug, and iterate on UI implementation to improve quality and usability - Create documentation that communicates UI changes, constraints, and best practices ## Requirements - 3+ years of professional UI/UX experience in game development with a strong focus on technical implementation - Hands-on experience with Scaleform, including layout, data binding, animation, and debugging - Experience supporting ports or platform transitions for UI-heavy games - Strong understanding of controller-first UX, focus management, and cross-platform interface design - Experience building UI that scales across multiple resolutions and aspect ratios - Strong technical problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently - Excellent collaboration and communication skills with engineers, designers, artists, and QA Pluses - Experience refactoring legacy UI while preserving an established player experience - Background in UI animation, motion, or visual polish - Interest in accessibility, usability, and player comfort - Experience working within technical constraints to deliver elegant UI solutions ## About Blackbird Interactive ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Blackbird Interactive is an award-winning independent game development studio based in Vancouver, best known for the Homeworld series, Hardspace: Shipbreaker, and collaborations on Minecraft Earth and Minecraft Legends. - **Entity Type**: Private (independent studio, no public funding rounds disclosed) - **Headquarters**: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - **Founded**: 2007 (as a studio; began operations in 2010 per company site) - **Founders**: Rob Cunningham (co-founder of Relic Entertainment) ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Video game development (AAA and indie titles, RTS, simulation, action) - **Target customers**: PC and console gamers (B2C); also partners with major publishers (B2B) - **Mission or purpose**: “To create iconic experiences and explore new horizons” through world-class art, design, and technical mastery ## Products & Services - **Homeworld 3**: Direct sequel to the classic RTS franchise; developed for Gearbox Software (PC, 2024) - **Hardspace: Shipbreaker**: Space salvage simulator (early access 2020, full release 2022); IP acquired from Focus Entertainment in 2025; multiple new Hardspace projects in development - **Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak**: RTS spin-off set in the Homeworld universe (2016) - **Earthless**: An original game released via early access in 2024; published by Blackbird Interactive - **Crossfire: Legion**: RTS game set in the Crossfire universe (2022) - **Minecraft Legends / Minecraft Earth**: Co-developed with Mojang Studios (2023, 2019) - **Project Eagle**: Interactive art model of a Mars base in collaboration with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2018) ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available (private company) - **Key Metric**: Total funding not disclosed; significant revenue from publishing partnerships and game sales - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Gearbox Software, Focus Entertainment, Lyrical Games, Xbox Game Studios, Mojang Studios, NASA JPL - **Growth Signals**: - Acquired the IP of the *Hardspace* franchise (August 2025) - Signed a new title with indie publisher Lyrical Games (2025) - Multiple unannounced projects in development (as of 2025) - Staff count ~150 per company website; previously had 330 at peak ## Competitive Advantages - **Deep RTS heritage**: Founders and many staff are veterans from Relic Entertainment (original Homeworld team) - **IP ownership**: Owns the *Hardspace* franchise and developing original IP (e.g., *Earthless*) - **Technical expertise**: Custom pipelines for Unreal Engine 5, VR, data visualization, and procedural content - **Established partnerships**: Long-term relationship with Gearbox (Homeworld) and Xbox Game Studios (Minecraft franchise) - **Award-winning track record**: Multiple critically acclaimed games with strong fan communities ## Strategic Focus - **Expand original IP**: Invest in the *Hardspace* universe and new original games (e.g., *Earthless*) - **Grow development services**: Partner with major publishers for co-development while building own IP portfolio - **Sustain remote-first culture**: Continued focus on flexible work and employee well-being to attract top talent - **Leverage Unreal Engine 5**: Upcoming projects (including “Original Game”) built on UE5 ## Why Work Here - **Remote-first culture**: Flexible work environment (remote-first policy) - **Generous benefits**: Competitive salary, comprehensive extended health & wellness, paid parental leave top-up, generous vacation and personal leave - **Innovation opportunities**: R&D time, New IP Pitching Program with bonuses for greenlit projects - **Engineering culture**: Emphasis on creative freedom, technical challenges, and a healthy work-life balance (previously trialed a 4-day work week in 2021–2022, implemented across teams) - **Industry veterans**: Work alongside talent from EA, Capcom, The Coalition, Relic; leadership with decades of game development experience - **Open roles (as of search date)**: Design Director, Gameplay AI Software Engineer (UE5), Senior Systems Designer, Technical UI, Intermediate Software Engineer, Lead Software Engineer ## Sources 1. [Blackbird Interactive – Official Website](https://www.blackbirdinteractive.com/) 2. [Blackbird Interactive – Careers Page](https://blackbirdinteractive.com/careers-2/) 3. [Blackbird Interactive – Job Listings (Lever)](https://jobs.lever.co/blackbirdinteractive) 4. [Blackbird Interactive – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbird_Interactive) 5. 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