Senior Systems Director (Apex Legends)

Founded in 2010 by the original creators of the Call of Duty Franchise, Respawn was created with the philosophy that when talented people have creative freedom, they'll make extraordinary games that achieve the unexpected. From our roots as an indie studio to joining the expansive roster of studios at Electronic Arts, this remains our guiding principle. We truly love what we do and want to share our passion with players worldwide. Our shipped titles include critically acclaimed multi-platform games Apex Legends, Titanfall, Titanfall 2, Star Wars™ Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars™ Jedi: Survivor and Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. Join us for the opportunity to create groundbreaking games with some of the best developer talent in the industry.

Why This Role Matters

This is a fundamental design leadership role for Respawn Entertainment and the player satisfaction of the engagement experience in Apex Legends.  As the Senior Systems Director, you will lead the design vision of all engagement and retention system designs that drives player’s fun in the next generation of Apex Legends live services.  You will lead a passionate team as you collaborate with core leaders to align visions and execution, driving the system design of one of the most iconic titles in gaming toward excellence and growth.

Overview

Respawn Entertainment is looking for a Senior Systems Director to lead the overall design for player systems in Apex Legends. Based on-site in Los Angeles, Vancouver or Madison, you will work closely with the Product Management, Creative leadership and the XD team along with other key stakeholder developing player progression/retention systems that ensure executional excellence, and scalability with the ongoing evolution of live services for Apex Legends. Ideal candidates will have in-depth systems design experience as well as broad experience with validated skills in multiple areas of game design.  This position will be responsible for providing architectural systems design direction focused on all progression and reward systems. Candidates will be required to demonstrate success in sophisticated systems designs on AAA products including XP and leveling conventions, challenge and engagement systems, reward systems and connections to monetization systems. Knowledge and experience working with UX teams to deliver systems design is required.

The Senior Systems Director will report directly to the Franchise Director and must thrive in an exciting and fluid environment! A passion for games new and old is a prerequisite, along with a deep understanding of what makes exceptional games tick and how to articulate that to others. Successful candidates will be expected to be guides in all major industry systems conventions and able to reverse engineer and document competitive titles to identify leading industry practices to drive innovation and evolution for Apex Legends players.

Responsibilities

• Lead Apex Legends System Design Direction: Direct long-term direction for Progression, Economy and Social features rewarding players driving ongoing engagement
• Develop and communicate the vision and design supporting the overall game vision with clear intent of driving innovation and player engagement
• Mentor a high performing team to be best in class enabling scalable impact across the short and long term experience development
• Collaborate to ensure alignment with Product Management, Design stakeholder and XD (UI/UX) that systems meet the needs of all aspects of the game, and are aligned to create a consistent, compelling, and high-quality gameplay experience for players

Qualifications

• At least 10 years of systems design experience, with 3+ years as a systems design leader in the AAA console/PC games or mobile games with similarly rich progression systems
• University/College Degree OR respectable body of professional work experience
• Ego-less personality, who values collaborating and able to communicate complex ideas to the team
• Expert with high and low-level documentation (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Visio, etc.)
• Enjoys creative problem solving, and values respectful feedback
• Avid gamer (especially online) with a broad range of game experience.

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). 

PAY RANGES

* British Columbia (depending on location e.g. Vancouver vs. Victoria) *$187,000 - $259,400 CAD

* California (depending on location e.g. Los Angeles vs. San Francisco) *$210,600 - $320,000 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 equity.  

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 equity.

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.