Development Director II

Electronic Arts; Manchester; On-site; GBP 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Electronic Arts is seeking a Development Director II to lead delivery across Playdemic projects. This senior role owns end-to-end live service execution, ensuring high quality, predictable, and commercially successful outcomes while partnering with senior leadership, product, design, and engineering.

You will drive long-range planning, capacity forecasting, and cross-functional alignment, fostering a culture of ownership and continuous improvement across global teams and external partners to

Qualifications

• 10+ years in production, program management, or operations within game development or similar environments.
• Proven track record leading large, cross-functional teams delivering complex products.
• Strong experience in live service development and continuous content delivery.
• Demonstrated success in operational planning, capacity forecasting, and execution at scale.
• Experience working with external partners or distributed development teams.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery of all features, live ops content, and new product initiatives.
• Establish and evolve a scalable operating model for live service development.
• Drive roadmap execution, ensuring alignment to product strategy, commercial goals, and player value.
• Define and enforce clear production standards, processes, and workflows across all disciplines.
• Ensure consistent delivery against quality, timeline, and budget commitments.
• Lead long-range planning, capacity modelling, and resource allocation across the game team.
• Translate product strategy into achievable plans, balancing ambition with execution realities.
• Partner with discipline leaders to ensure skill coverage, team structure, and scalability.
• Identify risks, dependencies, and bottlenecks early, driving proactive mitigation strategies.
• Continuously optimise team efficiency through data-driven planning and KPI frameworks.
• Drive alignment across Product, Design, Engineering, Art, QA, and Analytics.
• Lead cross-team collaboration to solve complex problems and unlock delivery at scale.
• Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, and transparency.
• Drive continuous improvement in how we leverage external development and partnerships.
• Own outsourcing budgets and vendor performance, ensuring value and quality.
• Build strong relationships with external teams, creating a "one team" operating model.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Data-driven decisions

Risk management

Financial acumen

Tools

Jira

Dashboards

Analytics

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.

Playdemic is a BAFTA Award-winning developer and publisher of mobile games, focused on creating fun and engaging, free-to-play game services for iOS and Android, including the global smash hit, Golf Clash.

Golf Clash has been entertaining millions of players for over 9 years, and our goal is to continue providing exciting new features and content to our fans for many more years to come. If you want to create games for millions of players to enjoy on the go, then this is the job you've been looking for! We are committed to continually improving our working practices and collective knowledge through training and supporting one another.

We are seeking a Development Director II to lead delivery across all Playdemic projects. This role is accountable for the end-to-end execution of our live service, ensuring we deliver high-quality, predictable, and commercially successful outcomes.

This is a critical leadership role within the studio, partnering closely with Senior Leadership, Product, Creative, and Technical directors to deliver projects with predictability and in a manner that engages and delights the millions of Playdemic’s loyal customers.

Responsibilities:

Delivery & Operational Excellence

• Own end-to-end delivery of all features, live ops content, and new product initiatives.
• Establish and evolve a predictable, scalable operating model for live service development.
• Drive roadmap execution , ensuring alignment to product strategy, commercial goals, and player value.
• Define and enforce clear production standards, processes, and workflows across all disciplines.
• Ensure consistent delivery against quality, timeline, and budget commitments .

Planning, Forecasting & Capacity

• Lead long-range planning, capacity modelling, and resource allocation across the game team.
• Translate product strategy into achievable plans , balancing ambition with execution realities.
• Partner with discipline leaders to ensure skill coverage, team structure, and scalability .
• Identify risks, dependencies, and bottlenecks early, driving proactive mitigation strategies .
• Continuously optimise team efficiency through data-driven planning and KPI frameworks .

Cross-Functional Leadership & Alignment

• Drive alignment across Product, Design, Engineering, Art, QA, and Analytics .
• Act as a central point of integration , ensuring teams are working toward shared outcomes.
• Communicate clearly with studio leadership and EA partners on progress, risks, and opportunities.
• Lead cross-team collaboration to solve complex problems and unlock delivery at scale.
• Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, and transparency .

External Development & Partnerships

• Drive continuous improvement in how we leverage global and distributed development .
• Oversee external development and partner integration , ensuring seamless collaboration.
• Define and manage partner scopes, SLAs, and delivery expectations .
• Own outsourcing budgets and vendor performance , ensuring value and quality.
• Build strong relationships with external teams, creating a "one team" operating model .

Financial Literacy

• Partner with Finance and Operations to manage forecasting, budget tracking, and cost optimisation .
• Ensure delivery plans align with financial targets and commercial objectives .
• Drive operational efficiency , identifying opportunities to maximise ROI.

Process, Tools & Continuous Improvement

• Define and evolve best-in-class production processes for a live service environment.
• Champion continuous improvement , identifying inefficiencies and scaling what works.
• Ensure teams understand both the "what" and the "why" behind processes.
• Leverage tools (e.g. Jira, dashboards, analytics) to create a single source of truth .
• Lead major transformation initiatives , including AI/ML-enabled workflows where applicable.

Team Leadership & Culture

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing production organisation .
• Build a culture of ownership, empowerment, and accountability .
• Support career growth, succession planning, and leadership development within the team.
• Create an environment where teams feel motivated, supported, and challenged .
• Model inclusive leadership and foster strong collaboration across disciplines and cultures .

Strategic Leadership & Studio Impact

• Partner with studio leadership to shape long-term strategy, operating models, and growth plans .
• Contribute to studio-wide planning , including org design, capability building, and investment decisions.
• Use data, insights, and experience to drive strategic improvements in efficiency, quality, and scale .
• Act as a thought partner to the Head of Operations and GM , with increasing scope over time.

Requirements:

Experience

• 10+ years in production, program management, or operations within game development or similar environments.
• Proven track record leading large, cross-functional teams delivering complex products.
• Strong experience in live service development and continuous content delivery.
• Demonstrated success in operational planning, capacity forecasting, and execution at scale .
• Experience working with external partners or distributed development teams .

Skills & Capabilities

• Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong strategic thinking , with the ability to connect vision to execution.
• Deep understanding of development workflows, pipelines, and team dynamics .
• Highly analytical, with experience using data and KPIs to inform decisions .
• Strong problem-solving and risk management capabilities.
• Financial acumen, including budget management and forecasting .

Leadership Expectations

• Builds alignment across diverse teams and drives outcomes .Creates clarity in ambiguity and leads teams through complex challenges .
• Fosters a culture of continuous improvement and learning .
• Develops talent and creates future leaders within the organisation .
• Operates with a studio-first mindset , thinking beyond immediate team boundaries.

Nice to Have

• Experience in mobile free-to-play games .
• Background in product management or analytics-driven development .
• Experience contributing to studio or franchise-level strategy .
• Familiarity with AI/ML applications in content or production pipelines .

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.