Global Head of External Development & Operations

Electronic Arts; Orlando (FL); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Electronic Arts (EA) is seeking a Senior Director, External Development and Operations to lead our global external development strategy and partner ecosystem. You will guide a distributed team, drive operational delivery across EA’s franchises, and partner with studio leadership and cross‑functional groups to ensure scalable workflows.

You will build strong vendor relationships, negotiate contracts, forecast demand, allocate resources, and report on performance and spend to inform strategic

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in external development, outsourcing, or production leadership within gaming, entertainment, or technology.
• 8+ years leading global teams and managing senior team members 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

Global team leadership

Vendor negotiation

Budget management

Project tools (JIRA, Airtable, PowerBI

Tools

JIRA

Airtable

PowerBI

Job description

Electronic Arts (EA) is seeking a Senior Director, External Development and Operations to lead our global external development strategy and partner ecosystem. You will guide a distributed team, drive operational delivery across EA’s franchises, and partner with studio leadership and cross‑functional groups to ensure scalable workflows.

You will build strong vendor relationships, negotiate contracts, forecast demand, allocate resources, and report on performance and spend to inform strategic