Development Director

Electronic Arts; Guildford; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Electronic Arts' Maxis studio in Guildford is seeking a Development Director to drive project execution across teams, turning creative vision into deliverable games. You will partner with producers and craft leads to meet scope, schedule and quality targets while building high-trust teams.

As a servant leader, you will remove blockers, design workflows, and use data to guide decisions. You will manage mid- and sprint-level planning, track capacity, and report milestones, ensuring timely,

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in game development project management.
• Proven ability to translate creative vision into executable plans.
• Strong leadership and mentoring skills.

Responsibilities

• Drive project delivery and goals with Producers and Craft Leaders.
• Define cross-discipline workflows and development strategy.
• Lead as a servant leader, remove blockers and provide clarity.
• Enable data-driven decisions with risk and capacity analysis.
• Plan mid-level roadmaps and execution-level sprints.
• Oversee weekly capacity tracking and milestone reporting.
• Foster trust, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Run structured stand-ups and publish transparent status updates.

Skills

Project management

Agile methodologies

Data storytelling

Stakeholder alignment

Tools

Jira

Miro

Airtable

Job description

Locations: Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom

Role ID

215976

Worker Type

Regular Employee

Studio/Department

Maxis

Work Model

Hybrid

Description & Requirements

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.

Development Director

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 Development Director (DD) at Maxis, you are the ultimate driver of project execution, serving as both a strategic project manager and a supportive people manager. You are the engine that translates high-level creative vision into concrete, playable reality. By building high-trust team culture, defining smooth cross-discipline workflows, and mastering data-driven tracking, you enable your team to dodge blockers and deliver high-quality games on schedule. Operating as a servant leader, you empower creative talent, clarify complex paths, and turn project chaos into predictable success. Responsibilities:

Drive Project Delivery & Goals: Partner with Producers and Craft Leaders to ensure work meets strict scope, timeline, and quality targets without setting priorities yourself.

Define Project Process & Strategy: Design and manage cross-discipline workflows, development strategy, and tool integrations (Jira, Miro, Airtable) to optimize team velocity.

Lead as a Servant Leader: Focus on removing operational blockers, framing trade-offs, and equipping the team with clarity and resources rather than commanding.

Enable Data-Driven Decisions: Surface project risks, dependencies, capacity bottlenecks, and ripple effects, presenting actionable scenarios and solutions to leadership.

Master Multi-Level Planning: Own the tactical (mid-level roadmaps, milestone definitions) and execution-level planning (sprints, task tracking) to align cross-functional teams.

Tracking & Reporting: Oversee weekly capacity/scope tracking and bi-weekly milestone reporting (burndowns, roadmaps) to predict issues early and avoid end-of-cycle surprises.

Cultivate Follow-Through & Culture: Foster a team mindset of trust, accountability, and continuous improvement while following through on commitments to guarantee completion.

Facilitate High-Impact Daily Operations: Run structured stand-ups, maintain task discipline, clear individual blockages, and publish transparent status updates.

Qualifications:

Game Production & Project Management Expertise: Deep background in project management methodologies (Agile, Sprint Planning, Milestones) within game development or tech.

Cross-Discipline Systems Thinking: Strong understanding of craft-specific workflows (Design, Engineering, Art) to build effective overall project processes.

Servant Leadership Mindset: Demonstrated ability to build team autonomy, mentor talent, and measure success through team growth and delivery.

Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills: Exceptional skill in leveraging tracking data (burndowns, velocity, capacity) to build visual scenarios and risk-mitigation plans.

Mastery of Project Management Tooling: Hands-on proficiency with industry tools (Jira, Miro, Airtable, Google Sheets) for tracking, roadmapping, and reporting.

You love videogames; knowledge of The Sims is a welcome plus!

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.