Senior Technical Lead - EA SPORTSTM NHL

Electronic Arts; Vancouver; Hybrid; CAD 123,000 - 204,000; Full time

Job summary

Electronic Arts in Vancouver is seeking a Senior Technical Lead – Core Technology to guide the foundational engineering domains of the NHL franchise, overseeing gameplay engineering, rendering, presentation, audio, and 3D art teams. You will shape technical direction, long-term planning, and cross-team alignment while delivering impactful solutions.

You will work in a hybrid model, spending three days per week at EA’s Burnaby studio, collaborating with engineering, design, art, and production

Qualifications

• 8+ years in software or game development, including large codebases or shipped titles.
• 3+ years in technical leadership or engineering management, overseeing multi-domain initiatives.
• Deep expertise in C++ and modern game engine architecture; able to evaluate solutions and guide decisions.
• Proven ability to drive technical strategy, align teams, and communicate across disciplines.
• Strong partnerships across engineering, design, art, production and external technology groups.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive long-term Core Technology roadmap.
• Lead multi-year architectural and foundational initiatives across domains.
• Own end-to-end delivery for Core Technology systems; ensure quality and reliability.
• Coordinate across engineering, design, art, and production to resolve dependencies.
• Provide technical assessments for scope, risk, and feasibility.

Skills

8+ years experience

3+ years leadership

C++ expert

Game engine architecture

Technical strategy

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Job description

Electronic Arts creates next-level entertainment experiences that inspire players and fans around the world. Here, everyone is part of the story. Part of a community that connects across the globe. A place where creativity thrives, new perspectives are invited, and ideas matter. A team where everyone makes play happen.

At EA SPORTS, we’re building the future of interactive entertainment, and the NHL team is at the heart of that mission. Our team in Vancouver, British Columbia, is a diverse group of talented developers dedicated to solving unique technical challenges to create the most authentic on-ice experience for millions of players worldwide.

The Senior Technical Lead – Core Technology is the strategic technical leader for the foundational engineering domains of the NHL franchise, overseeing gameplay engineering, rendering, presentation, audio, and 3D art teams. As the extension of the Franchise Technical Director, you are accountable for technical direction, long term planning, cross-team alignment, and successful delivery across your stream. Your decisions and leadership will shape the experience of millions of players every year. If you are passionate about guiding complex technical initiatives, empowering teams, and shaping the foundation of a world class sports title, this role offers scope, influence, and meaningful impact.

You will be working on a hybrid model, 3 days a week out of our EAV Studio in Burnaby, British Columbia.

What You’ll Do

Technical Leadership & Strategy

• Partner closely with the Franchise Technical Director to define and drive the long-term Core Technology roadmap, aligning technical direction with franchise and studio goals.
• Lead multi-year architectural and foundational initiatives spanning gameplay engineering, rendering, audio, presentation, and art technology.
• Make clear, high-impact technical decisions, balancing tradeoffs while identifying and mitigating risks early.

Delivery & Execution

• Own end-to-end delivery for your technology stream, ensuring Core Technology systems ship predictably, reliably, and with high quality.
• Coordinate across engineering, design, art, and production to resolve dependencies and maintain forward momentum.
• Provide technical assessments for scope, risk, and feasibility throughout planning, milestones, and execution.

Cross-Discipline Collaboration

• Build strong partnerships with central technology teams, external partners, and other EA SPORTS franchises.
• Ensure Core Technology solutions scale across content pipelines, creative workflows, and runtime performance requirements.

Team Leadership & People Management

• Lead and mentor domain tech leads and senior engineers, setting a high bar for technical excellence, ownership, and growth.
• Foster a culture of openness, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Define and champion engineering standards and best practices that scale across disciplines and across multiple annual releases.

Technical Excellence & Performance

• Champion performance-conscious design, ensuring Core Technology domains consistently meet CPU and GPU budgets across supported platforms.
• Guide teams in identifying and prioritizing performance risks, providing leadership and direction rather than hands-on profiling.

Your Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional software or game development experience, including work on large codebases or shipped console titles.
• 3+ years of technical leadership or engineering management experience, leading multi-domain initiatives or managing senior technical leaders.
• Deep expertise in C++ and a strong understanding of modern game engine architecture, with the ability to evaluate solutions, assess risk, and guide decisions.
• A proven ability to drive technical strategy, align teams, and communicate complex ideas clearly across disciplines.
• Strong partnership skills, with experience working closely across engineering, design, art, production, and external technology groups.

Preferred Experience

• Leadership experience in gameplay, rendering, presentation, audio, or content creation workflows.
• Hands-on exposure to large-scale game engines.

Why Join Us

• Shape the foundational technology powering one of EA’s most iconic sports franchises.
• Lead talented multi-disciplinary teams with real ownership and influence.
• Drive initiatives that will directly impact millions of players every year.
• Work within a collaborative and innovative studio where your leadership will meaningfully shape the future of the NHL franchise.

Pay Transparency - North America

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

PAY RANGES

British Columbia (depending on location e.g. Vancouver vs. Victoria) $141,400 - $204,400 CAD

Pay is just one part of the overall compensation at EA.

For Canada, we 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 other incentive programs.

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 adopt a holistic approach to our benefits programs, emphasizing physical, emotional, financial, career, and community wellness to support a balanced life. Our packages are tailored to meet local needs and may include healthcare coverage, mental well-being support, retirement savings, paid time off, family leaves, complimentary games, and 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.