Global Director, External Development & Operations

Electronic Arts (EA); Redwood City (CA); On-site; USD 178,000 - 297,000; Full time

Job summary

Electronic Arts (EA) invites a Senior Director, External Development and Operations to guide the global external development strategy and partner ecosystem across EA's portfolio, reporting to the VP of Development Operations. You will lead a diverse, distributed team and work with studios, Finance, Legal, Procurement, IT, and Studio Operations to align resources with game priorities.

This role focuses on vendor sourcing, contracting, performance reporting, and ensuring efficient delivery across

Qualifications

• 15+ years in external development, outsourcing, or production leadership within gaming, entertainment, or technology.
• 8+ years leading global teams in a matrixed organization.
• Experience negotiating vendor contracts, managing partner relationships, and improving cost efficiencies at scale.
• Experience managing external development budgets and using project management tools such as JIRA, Airtable, or PowerBI in AAA game development environments.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute EA's global external development strategy, aligning with studio priorities and business goals to improve operational delivery for multiple franchises.
• Lead, mentor, and support a globally distributed team, promoting an inclusive and collaborative culture that empowers us to achieve our goals.
• Partner with studio leadership, Finance, Legal, Procurement, IT, and Studio Operations to forecast demand, allocate resources, and create plans that meet the needs of our game teams.
• Manage partner relationships by sourcing, negotiating, contracting, and maintaining clear reporting on vendor performance, capacity, and spend to inform strategic decisions.

Skills

External development leadership

Vendor contract negotiation

Budget management

PM tools proficiency (JIRA, Airtable,

Tools

JIRA

Airtable

PowerBI

Job description

Electronic Arts (EA) invites a Senior Director, External Development and Operations to guide the global external development strategy and partner ecosystem across EA's portfolio, reporting to the VP of Development Operations. You will lead a diverse, distributed team and work with studios, Finance, Legal, Procurement, IT, and Studio Operations to align resources with game priorities.

This role focuses on vendor sourcing, contracting, performance reporting, and ensuring efficient delivery across