Senior Director, External Development and Operations

Electronic Arts (EA); Orlando (FL); On-site; USD 193,000 - 297,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision insurance

Paid time off

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

Electronic Arts (EA) seeks an experienced Senior Director, External Development and Operations to guide global external development strategy and partner ecosystems. You will lead a diverse, distributed team to deliver high-quality content efficiently across EA's franchises.

You will partner with studio leadership, Finance, Legal, Procurement, IT, and Studio Operations to forecast demand, allocate resources, and drive operational delivery while maintaining vendor performance visibility and

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in external development, outsourcing, or production leadership.
• 8+ years leading global teams and managing senior team members in a matrixed organization.
• Experience negotiating vendor contracts and improving cost efficiencies at scale.
• Experience managing external development budgets and using project management tools in AAA game development environments.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute EA's global external development strategy aligning with studio priorities and business goals.
• Lead, mentor, and support a globally distributed team promoting an inclusive and collaborative culture.
• 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

Tools

JIRA

Airtable

PowerBI

Job description

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.

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.

Join us at Electronic Arts (EA), a global leader in interactive entertainment, where we inspire the world to play and connect millions of players through iconic franchises like FIFA, Madden NFL, The Sims, Battlefield, and Apex Legends.

Central Development Partners (CDP) is a cross-functional group who provide world-class support for game teams inspiring the world to play. Our goal is to create high-quality content at scale in service of making EA the best place to make games. Whether it’s realizing games teams’ artistic vision through motion capture technology, creating accessible game experiences for players worldwide through localization services or ensuring that each game experience launches smoothly and with minimal interruption via QV testing, we partner directly with game teams at all stages of development.

As Senior Director, External Development and Operations, you will report to the Vice President, Development Operations and guide our global external development strategy, partner ecosystem, and operational delivery. You will lead a diverse, distributed team within the Central Development Partners group, helping us create great player experiences efficiently and sustainably across EA's portfolio.

Responsibilities

• You will develop and execute EA's global external development strategy, aligning with studio priorities and business goals to improve operational delivery for multiple franchises.
• You will lead, mentor, and support a globally distributed team, promoting an inclusive and collaborative culture that empowers us to achieve our goals.
• You will 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.
• You will manage partner relationships by sourcing, negotiating, contracting, and maintaining clear reporting on vendor performance, capacity, and spend to inform strategic decisions.

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.

Pay Transparency - North America

Compensation And Benefits

The ranges listed below are what EA in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in these locations at the time of this posting. If you reside in a different location, a recruiter will advise on the applicable range and benefits. Pay offered will be determined based on a number of relevant business and candidate factors (e.g. education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, or business needs).

• British Columbia (depending on location e.g. Vancouver vs. Victoria) *$169,500 - $242,600 CAD
• California (depending on location e.g. Los Angeles vs. San Francisco) *$193,100 - $296,500 USD

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

In the US, we offer a package of benefits including paid time off (3 weeks per year to start), 80 hours per year of sick time, 16 paid company holidays per year, 10 weeks paid time off to bond with baby, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and other incentive programs.

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.