Game Design Director (Incubation Team)

Founded in 2010 by the original creators of the Call of Duty Franchise, Respawn was created with the philosophy that when talented people have creative freedom, they'll make extraordinary games that achieve the unexpected. From our roots as an indie studio to joining the expansive roster of studios at Electronic Arts, this remains our guiding principle. We truly love what we do and want to share our passion with players worldwide.

Our shipped titles include critically acclaimed multi-platform games Apex Legends, Titanfall, Titanfall 2, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,  Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond.

Join us for the opportunity to create groundbreaking games with some of the best developer talent in the industry.

We are looking for a Design Director to join our incubation game team. The ideal candidate is an experienced leader who will grow, inspire, and empower a team of designers to create a great game. The role reports to the Game Director and carries substantial creative and managerial responsibility for the design team.

Why Join Us:

• This is a rare leadership opportunity to drive the Game Design on a new incubation project in the early stages.
• You seek a role where your organizational and leadership skills can grow further, and you are excited to take on the challenges of leading a Game Design department.
• You value a gameplay-focused culture that works to build trust, connection and candidness within the team.
• No crunch or overtime. We do not glorify or encourage this behavior.

Responsibilities:

• In collaboration with the team, develop and refine a design vision that supports the overall game direction and project goals. Lead the identification of major Game Design needs, drive the invention and implementation of key features, and achieve successful results from a player-centric perspective.
• Ensure team-wide alignment around ongoing Game Design activities and a general understanding of design team intent and reasoning across the whole dev team. 
• Address concerns, drive solutions on design problems, and close the loop on frequent playtesting feedback.
• Coordinate with leaders in other disciplines, adapt to practical constraints, and produce creative alternatives.
• Lead the design team, achieving a sustainable, high level of team performance. Coach and help designers grow in craft and career areas. Handle routine administrative duties related to managing a team. Advocate for the needs of the Game Design department, and cultivate healthy relationships with other disciplines.
• Own all of design hiring. Lead all design interview panels, debriefings, and new hire onboarding on both craft and culture. Iterate on hiring practices and skills after each experience.
• Model our culture and development practices. Build an inclusive work environment. Help us tend team health and culture to build a great game development experience as well as a great game.

Qualifications:

• Minimum 10 years of hands-on experience building player-facing content in Game Design roles (a specialization in technical scripting will also meet this qualification.)
• At least 3 years of experience leading design teams.
• Access to an online portfolio of work (or practical equivalent), identifying hands-on work on major player-facing features or content in shipped video game projects, in a Game Design capacity, is required.

If all this excites you - let's talk! Don't let doubt deter you! We are an equal opportunity team on a journey to find the fun, looking for people bursting with creative energy to join us, so don't hesitate to apply. Please send us a resume and a link to your portfolio. We will respond once we have a chance to review. (Note: We are open to fully remote WFH options for candidates within 3 hours of our PST time zone.)

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The base salary ranges listed below are for the defined geographic market pay zones in these locations. If you reside outside of these locations, a recruiter will advise on the range and benefits for your specific location.

EA has listed the base salary ranges it in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in the locations listed, as of the time of this posting. Pay offered will be determined based on numerous relevant business and candidate factors including, for example, education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, and business or organizational needs.

BASE SALARY RANGES

• California (depending on location e.g. Los Angeles vs. Sacramento):

$193,000 - $300,850 USD Annually

• New York (depending on location e.g. Manhattan vs. Buffalo):

$184,250 - $300,850 USD Annually

• Jersey City, NJ :

$212,300 - $300,850 USD Annually

• Colorado (depending on location e.g. Denver vs. Colorado Springs):

$184,250 - $252,600 USD Annually

• Washington (depending on location e.g. Seattle vs. Spokane):

$184,250 - $271,700 USD Annually

• British Columbia (depending on location e.g. Vancouver vs. Victoria):

$158,800 - $243,600 CAN Annually

Base salary is just one part of the overall compensation at EA. In the US, we offer a package of benefits including paid time off (3 weeks per year to start), 80 hours per year of sick time, 16 paid company holidays per year, 10 weeks paid time off to bond with baby, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity. For British Columbia, we offer a package of benefits including vacation (3 weeks per year to start), 10 days per year of sick time, paid top-up to EI/QPIP benefits up to 100% of base salary when you welcome a new child (12 weeks for maternity, and 4 weeks for parental/adoption leave), extended health/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, disability insurance, retirement plan to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.