Design Director (People and Process) - The Sims

Welcome to Maxis, home to tinkerers, craftspeople, & storytellers. Our drive is to inspire everyone to make a better world through creative play. As the developer of The Sims , we create games and experiences for millions of people around the world and are always looking for new ways to inspire our players. Maxis is a place where you can do what you love and help others grow while doing it; a place where your unique voice can be heard and seen. We put creativity and inclusivity at the core of our work and don't settle for seeing the world only as it is, but strive to build a world as it could be.

As a Game Design Director you will help manage a game design team in partnership with Game Design Leadership. You will partner with Design, Production, DD, on establishing and upholding the design process, establishing best practices for design documentation, managing design productivity and output, and facilitating the success of the design team to deliver at a high level of creative quality. While you will focus on process and management, you will draw from your creative experience to guide the team to success.

You will be an advocate for Game Design, making sure the interests of the craft are represented and that the team gets the ownership and support required for them to make an impact. You will equally hold the team accountable to a high standard of productivity and execution quality.

You will be reporting to the Creative Director of the project.

Location (hybrid): Vancouver.

Responsibilities:

• Establish and uphold best practices for design methodology, design process, communication of designs, documentation, designer onboarding and resources (e.g. JIRA, Confluence).
• Help manage and communicate the status of design goals, documentation, and implementation across all features for the project to leadership and the team
• Partner with Game Design Directors, Production, and Development Directors in managing designer assignments, capacity planning, and productivity.
• Manage communication, relationships, and syncs with partner teams and other disciplines.
• Manage design communication channels, including status updates, team health reports, team shares, and intradisciplinary syncs.
• Collaborate with and provide guidance and feedback to game design staff, helping them to resolve complex process, personnel, and discipline challenges.
• Support and grow game designers in their careers, through the creation of development plans, 1:1 mentorship, training, and identifying growth opportunities and resources.
• Promote positive workplace culture and diversity and inclusion when it comes to game design decisions, hiring practices, and mentorship needs of the team.
• Establish and foster the creative culture of the team and studio in collaboration with Game Design Leadership.

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in a game design role within the gaming industry, with 3+ years in a lead or director role.
• Expertise with multiple stages of development, from pre-production through updating live experiences.
• Experience with change management and improving team operations.
• Experience with JIRA and using it for agile methodologies for task tracking.
• Expertise in management, mentoring, and creating career development plans with proven experience growing careers.
• Expertise with proprietary game design tools, game design implementation, and development environments.
• Foster an engaging, fulfilling, trusting and fun working environment that is inclusive and diverse.

Desirable Skills

• Experience with large teams.
• Experience in a Production or Project Management role.
• Worked on a AAA HD or mobile cross platform title.
• Experience working in Waterfall and Agile environments.
• Experience across multiple areas of game design (e.g. Level, Narrative, Systems, etc)
• Experience working with research departments and product management to establish tests and interpret data to improve the design.
• Design experience on games that focus on open-ended player creativity and/or complex interconnected systems

Visit us at: https://www.ea.com/ea-studios/maxis

BC 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 base salary 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. Salary 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

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

º $126,000 - $176,300 CAN Annually

Base salary is just one part of the overall compensation at EA. We also 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.