Game Designer

General Information

• Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Studio/Department: EA Studios - SPORTS
• Work Model: Hybrid

Role Overview

EA SPORTS NHL has revolutionized sports gaming for millions of players worldwide. The franchise is founded on passion and new ideas. The team is composed of diverse talent dedicated to creating on-ice experiences that connect gamers around the world. As a Senior Game Designer, you will report to the Game Design Director and manage a pod of designers to deliver high-quality experiences across defined areas of the product. You will be a versatile self-starter, taking end-to-end ownership to drive the vision for diverse features, from immersive presentation and broadcast components to core gameplay systems. You will adopt and build upon AI and automation foundations to create evolutionary changes in how we construct our game.

Responsibilities

• End-to-End Ownership: Act as a self-starter to drive the vision for features from inception to completion, striving for the absolute best quality possible in every experience you own.
• Clear Communication: Create and maintain comprehensive design documentation, pitch decks, and wireframes to clearly communicate feature vision and mechanics to cross-functional teams and leadership.
• Iterative Design: Champion a culture of prototyping and iteration, actively participating in playtests and using peer feedback to refine and polish game feel and mechanics.
• Team Leadership: Manage, mentor, and grow a team of designers, actively shaping their careers and providing daily coaching.
• Design Excellence: Lead and participate in design reviews, fostering a culture of constructive critique, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement within the design discipline.
• Evolutionary Design Approach: Adopt AI and automation foundations to drive evolutionary changes in how we construct game features, from dynamic commentary and broadcast packages to next-gen gameplay systems.
• Adaptable & Utilitarian Design: Maintain a flexible approach with the ability to expand and adapt to different areas of the product, tackling core game systems, UX flows, presentation features, or game modes as the needs of the franchise evolve.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborate closely with Production, Audio, Art, UI/UX, and Engineering to ensure all features and sequences are flawlessly integrated at a high quality.
• Data-Informed Vision: Analyze real-world sports broadcasts, market trends, and player behavior to form a creative vision aligned with business goals.

Qualifications

• Experience: Minimum 5 years of experience as a Game Designer working with internal teams on console/AAA game development, including shipping high-quality titles from concept to completion.
• Leadership: Direct experience in personnel management, coaching, and developing design talent.
• Self-Motivation: Demonstrated ability as a highly motivated self-starter who consistently pushes for top-tier quality from pitch to final polish.
• Technical Knowledge: Familiarity with adopting AI foundations or automation logic to evolve game features, provide more player value, and improve game development workflows.
• Analytical Skills: Familiarity with data-driven design methodologies, including working with KPIs and product insights to make informed design decisions.
• Preferred Qualifications: Experience in sports game presentation, broadcast styling, or scripting dynamic commentary systems.
• Versatility: Proven versatility in tackling diverse design challenges and adapting to varying product needs.
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Attendance: This is an onsite hybrid role at the EA Burnaby campus.

Compensation and Benefits

• Pay Range (British Columbia): $114,300 - $156,200 CAD. Pay offered will be determined based on business and candidate factors (e.g., education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, or business needs).
• Time Off: 3 weeks of vacation per year to start; 10 days per year of sick time.
• Parental Support: Paid top-up to EI/QPIP benefits up to 100% of base salary for new parents (12 weeks for maternity, 4 weeks for parental/adoption leave).
• Insurance: Extended health, dental, vision coverage, life insurance, and disability insurance.
• Financial: Retirement plan.
• Incentives: Certain roles may be eligible for bonus and other incentive programs.
• Wellness: Holistic approach emphasizing physical, emotional, financial, career, and community wellness, including mental well-being support and complimentary games.