Technical Director

12 Hours ago • 8 Years + • Game Engine • Game Production

About the job

Summary

The Technical Director at Maxis (EA) will guide and review technology development on a Sims game, collaborating with internal and external teams. Responsibilities include prioritizing tech goals, establishing best practices, and working with production and other disciplines. The role requires strong technical expertise in networking, simulation systems, and optimization, along with experience leading engineering teams and shipping AAA console/PC/mobile games. The successful candidate will provide technical mentorship, participate in architecture design, review deliverables, and manage project risks. Regular travel within Asia is required. Japanese bilingual skills are preferred.
Must have:
  • 8+ years software engineering experience
  • 3+ years leading software engineering teams
  • Shipped at least 1 AAA console/cross-platform game
  • Unity game engine experience
  • Experience with internal/external development teams
Good to have:
  • RPG or simulation game experience
  • Nintendo console game development experience
  • Experience with outsourcing and external partners
  • Machine Learning in game development experience
  • Japanese fluency
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Description & Requirements

We are a global team of creators, storytellers, technologists, experience originators, innovators and so much more. We believe amazing games and experiences start with teams as diverse as the players and communities we serve. At Electronic Arts, the only limit is your imagination.

Role: Technical Director, Maxis (Japanese bilingual preferred)

Location: Melbourne, Australia, can relocate from Japan or elsewhere

Role Expectations

  • Guide & review technology development on a Sims game, working with the lead architect and engineers internally and with our external development partner.
  • Partner with the game’s leadership to prioritize and execute on tech goals and milestones, establish best practices, and promote the core development values.
  • Work with Production, Development Directors, external partners, and other disciplines leads to scope tasks and input requirements.
  • Create and adjust technical decisions and roadmap priorities for the game including networking and online infrastructure, using your technical expertise to draw out not only the WHAT & WHEN, but the WHY for the roadmap.
  • Provide technical mentorship and guidance to internal and external engineers.
  • Be a hands-on participant in architecture/design for our hardest technical challenges.
  • Review completed engineering deliverables before release.
  • Collaborate with broader team partners (quality assurance, certification, production, design, art, analytics, and so on) to ensure that engineering interests and values are represented and maintained through the course of development, and that features are being developed with Tech capabilities and performance limitations in mind.
  • Identify, manage, and drive to completion, risks and mitigations for the project
  • Perform research to acquire new knowledge necessary to perform assigned tasks and maintain the technological evolution of the project.
  • Gain a depth of knowledge of The Sims and EA's current game technology.
  • Must be willing and able to travel within Asia regularly (approximately once every other month)
  • Hybrid or on-site work model based out of Melbourne

You have

  • 8+ years of professional experience as a software engineer or lead engineer shipping games on console/PC/mobile. 
  • 3+ years of experience leading a team of software engineers to architect, develop, ship & live service a mobile/PC/console game.
  • Shipped at least 1 AAA console (Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft) or cross-platform (mobile/console/PC) game.
  • Experience working with internal and external development teams.
  • Experience shipping games with the Unity game engine.
  • Experience with architecture of game systems spanning tools, client & server technologies.
  • Expert in at least one of the following domains, and some experience with the other two:
    • Online networking and networking optimizations: connectivity, minimize bandwidth usage, decrease latency, etc.
    • Game simulation systems
    • Console game development
    • Resource management, memory management & graphics performance optimization

Bonus:

  • Experience shipping RPG or simulation games.
  • Experience shipping games on Nintendo consoles. 
  • Experience working with outsourcing and external partners.
  • Interested in and/or experienced with applications of Machine Learning in game development.
  • Fluency or partial fluency in Japanese
View Full Job Description

About The Company

Maxis, creators of the ever-expanding Sims world, is an EA studio where a diverse collection of creatives make games that inspire players across the globe. We have offices in Redwood City, CA, Austin, TX, and Kitchener, ON, as well as team members based across the US and Europe.

Maxis is a place for people who see building games as a unique opportunity to change hearts and minds by giving players the chance to create their own unique experiences. Members of our team are working toward a better world not only through our games, but through employee resource groups and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council.

We support each other so we can be authentic. We foster connectedness so we can collaborate. We respect boundaries to build an environment that’s safe, creative, and ideal for tinkering. We’re on the lookout for diverse, innovative thinkers who want to make a positive impact on the world.

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