Senior Game Designer

2 Weeks ago • 4 Years + • Game Design • $115,700 PA - $176,300 PA

Job Summary

Job Description

Senior Game Designer at PopCap (an EA studio) focusing on Plants vs. Zombies. Responsibilities include creating and developing social systems and gameplay, partnering with other disciplines to ensure high-quality content, developing game content and progression systems, collaborating with production and product management, prototyping and iterating design ideas, leading and mentoring a team of designers, and utilizing telemetry to validate design thinking. The role requires 4+ years of experience in game design, specifically with mobile games, and a strong understanding of player compulsion and social systems within hybrid-casual gameplay. The successful candidate will be a Plants vs. Zombies enthusiast and possess excellent communication and analytical skills. The position involves roughly 50% individual contributor work and 50% team management.
Must have:
  • 4+ years game design experience
  • Mobile game design experience
  • Social systems & hybrid-casual gameplay experience
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Team leadership and mentoring
  • Data-driven design approach
Good to have:
  • Unity, Perforce, scripting experience
Perks:
  • Paid time off
  • Sick time
  • Company holidays
  • Paid parental leave
  • Medical/dental/vision insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Disability insurance
  • 401(k)
  • Bonus and equity (potential)

Job Details

WE WANT YOUR BRAINS… PopCap is looking for brainy and skillful people with a passion for making the world’s best games. What’s in it for you? A super-fun environment, rewarding work, and lots of great perks. It takes big, delicious brains to make award-winning titles like Plants vs. Zombies that delight millions of players around the world every day. Are you up for the challenge?

As a Senior Game Designer reporting to the Design Director, you will set the bar for the quality creation of content and features, ensuring your work aligns with business and design goals with unwavering attention to theme, quality, and the needs of our players. In this role, you will be spending roughly 50% of your time on Individual Contributor work and 50% on managing designers.

You must have experience working on a live, mobile game, with preference being given to those with experience working on Social Systems and Hybrid-Casual Gameplay. You will demonstrate a solid understanding of games and player compulsion, and will be well-versed in games of all types and genres. You are a Plants vs Zombies fan with a history of creating quality, thematic content and features. You are curious, creative, collaborative by nature, and have a preference for using telemetry to validate your design thinking. Additionally, you are an advocate of design culture and thinking who excels in a multidisciplinary environment with experience in managing a team of dedicated individuals.

Come work at an amazing studio and share your passion for Plants vs Zombies with the world!

Responsibilities

  • Create and develop accessible and deep Social Systems and Gameplay for players.

  • Partner with other disciplines to ensure your content and features are delivered to the highest quality.

  • Develop ideas for content, gameplay, and progression systems throughout the player life-cycle.

  • Partner with Production and Product Management to build creative solutions to solve our most challenging business needs and, overall, to delight our players.

  • Quickly prototype design ideas in-game and iterate through playtesting.

  • Partner with other disciplines to ensure game design and player engagement targets are considered.

  • Lead a team of one or more designers.

  • Mentoring other game designers.

Qualifications

  • Have 4+ years of relevant game design experience.

  • Are an active player of mobile games, both casual and core alike.

  • Designed and developed major game systems and content for at least one shipped mobile title.

  • Creatively, analytically, and organizationally skilled with proven ability to write, communicate, and maintain detailed design documentation throughout the game life cycle.

  • Demonstrative proof of an open-minded, upbeat, progressive thinker who is flexible, energetic, and driven with the ability to overcome obstacles and challenges with working solutions.

  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

  • Unity, Perforce, and scripting experience preferred.

Recently, we’ve also developed a strong work-from-home process and are sensitive to the safety and well-being of our team. This opens up new opportunities, at least in the short term, for employees to work remotely.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The ranges listed below are what EA in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in these locations at the time of this posting. If you reside in a different location, a recruiter will advise on the applicable range and benefits. Pay offered will be determined based on a number of relevant business and candidate factors (e.g. education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, or business needs).

BASE SALARY RANGES

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

    • $122,400 - $176,300 USD

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

    • $131,000 - $174,800 USD

  • Illinois (depending on location e.g. Chicago vs Illinois City)

    • $115,700 - $147,800 USD

  • Minnesota (depending on location e.g. Minneapolis vs Saint Paul)

    • $115,700 - $147,800 USD

  • Jersey City, NJ

    • $142,000 - $176,300 USD

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

    • $115,700 - $176,300 USD

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

    • $115,700 - $163,100 USD

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.

About Electronic Arts

We’re proud to have an extensive portfolio of games and experiences, locations around the world, and opportunities across EA. We value adaptability, resilience, creativity, and curiosity. From leadership that brings out your potential, to creating space for learning and experimenting, we empower you to do great work and pursue opportunities for growth.

We take a holistic approach with our benefits program, focusing on physical, emotional, financial, career, and community wellness to support a balanced life with paid time off and new parent leave, plus free games and so much more. We nurture environments where our teams can always bring their best to what they do.

Electronic Arts is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will also consider employment qualified applicants with criminal records in accordance with applicable law. EA also makes workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law.

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We exist to inspire the world to play. We put our people first, and we thrive off their diversity in our innovative technology and immersive storytelling. We’re doing the work to give everyone the space to be their full selves while giving back to our community, no matter where you’re working from. We’re looking for problem-solvers, game-changers, innovators, dreamers, doers—people that are ready to move the needle and transform the future of gaming. Join us.

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