Senior Game Designer - EA SPORTS NHL

Global Sports Jobs Limited; Vancouver; Hybrid; CAD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation 3 weeks

Sick time 10 days

EI/QPIP top-up

Extended health/dental/vision

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Retirement plan

Bonus eligibility

Job summary

Electronic Arts in Burnaby is seeking an experienced Senior Game Designer to lead a design team on the NHL franchise. You will own feature vision end-to-end, drive prototyping, and collaborate across Production, Audio, Art, UI/UX, and Engineering to deliver high-quality experiences.

Expect to mentor designers, communicate clearly, and apply AI foundations to evolve gameplay systems and broadcast elements in response to franchise needs.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience as a Game Designer on console/AAA development, shipping titles from concept to finish.
• Direct experience in personnel management, coaching, and developing design talent.
• Highly motivated self-starter who pushes for top-tier quality from pitch to polish.
• Familiarity with adopting AI foundations or automation logic to evolve game features and workflows.
• Familiarity with data-driven design methodologies, KPIs, and product insights.

Responsibilities

• Own feature vision end-to-end from inception to completion, ensuring high quality.
• Create and maintain design documents, pitch decks, and wireframes for cross-functional teams.
• Prototype and iterate through playtests, incorporating feedback to refine game feel and mechanics.
• Mentor and grow a team of designers with daily coaching.
• Lead and participate in design reviews to foster knowledge sharing and improvement.
• Apply AI and automation foundations to evolve game features and systems.
• Collaborate with Production, Audio, Art, UI/UX, and Engineering to ensure high-quality integration.
• Analyze real-world sports broadcasts and market trends to shape creative vision.

Skills

Game design

People management

AI foundations

Data-driven design

Communication

Self-starter

Job description

About the Role

The role sits on the EA SPORTS NHL development team, reports to the Game Design Director, and manages a pod of designers to deliver high-quality experiences across defined areas of the product. It carries end-to-end ownership of feature vision, from immersive presentation and broadcast components to core gameplay systems. The designer adopts and builds upon AI and automation foundations to create evolutionary changes in how the game is constructed, while remaining adaptable to the franchise's evolving needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Take end-to-end ownership of feature vision from inception to completion, striving for the highest possible quality in every experience owned.
• Create and maintain comprehensive design documentation, pitch decks, and wireframes to clearly communicate feature vision and mechanics to cross-functional teams and leadership.
• Champion a culture of prototyping and iteration, actively participating in playtests and using peer feedback to refine and polish game feel and mechanics.
• Manage, mentor, and grow a team of designers, shaping their careers and providing daily coaching.
• Lead and participate in design reviews, fostering constructive critique, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement within the design discipline.
• Adopt AI and automation foundations to drive evolutionary changes in how game features are constructed, from dynamic commentary and broadcast packages to next-gen gameplay systems.
• Maintain a flexible and adaptable approach across core game systems, UX flows, presentation features, and game modes as franchise needs evolve.
• Collaborate closely with Production, Audio, Art, UI/UX, and Engineering to ensure features and sequences are flawlessly integrated at a high quality.
• Analyse real-world sports broadcasts, market trends, and player behaviour to form a creative vision aligned with business goals.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• 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.
• Direct experience in personnel management, coaching, and developing design talent.
• Demonstrated ability as a highly motivated self-starter who consistently pushes for top-tier quality from pitch to final polish.
• Familiarity with adopting AI foundations or automation logic to evolve game features, provide more player value, and improve game development workflows.
• Familiarity with data-driven design methodologies, including working with KPIs and product insights to make informed design decisions.
• Proven versatility in tackling diverse design challenges and adapting to varying product needs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Skills

• Experience in sports game presentation, broadcast styling, or scripting dynamic commentary systems.

Workplace

Onsite hybrid role at the EA Burnaby campus.

Salary

• The range is 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).
• Pay is just one part of the overall compensation at EA.

Benefits & Perks

• 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 welcoming 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 for regular full-time employees.
• Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and other incentive programmes.