Lead Game Designer - Modes (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 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.
Apex Legends is looking for a Lead Game Designer who will help us create exciting and innovative new game modes. You'll work closely with all departments to plan, design and guide new modes from early prototype through release. We are a studio that values creative ownership and candid feedback and a Design Lead should embody those traits.
You should have experience on a live service game in game mode design OR first person shooter design, and have strong enough technical and scripting abilities to work independently. You should have a strong suite of game development best practices (bug management, self scheduling, feature scoping, etc.) and be enthusiastic about upholding those best practices across the team.
You’ll be leading a team of mode designers and will have management responsibilities. One on one’s with your team will ensure you build the relationships necessary to work tightly as a unit.
This is a fantastic opportunity to work with some of the most creative and talented people in the industry and put your stamp on Apex Legends.
What You’ll Do...

• Create and maintain high-quality game modes in script.
• Collaborate with other disciplines to implement core game mechanics and assets, ensuring they make for the best possible gameplay experience
• Set priorities and goals for your work and the work of the Modes team.
• Propagate and drive a culture of creative ownership, candid feedback and a safe working environment.
• Help set goals and plans for future Apex legend releases, working closely with all departments to ensure cohesive themes.
• Lead design reviews and proactively guide the team towards good solutions to design and development problems.
• Work closely with a team of passionate developers from all disciplines to create new game modes for Apex Legends for many seasons to come.
• Work with others on side projects to make Apex a better game.
• Playtest the game (a lot) and be proactive in feedback for all features, not just game modes.
• Develop and advocate best practices for the Game Modes team
• Maintain your own bug list.
• Support and grow your teammates through knowledge-sharing, debugging, mentoring and training.

Ideally, you will also have...

• A friendly disposition!
• Strong opinions on how we could improve and a drive to accomplish them.
• 8+ years of experience as a technically-oriented game designer, with multiplayer experience with at least 2+ years as a Lead Designer for multiplayer FPS games
• At least one shipped AAA game
• Enjoy playing Apex Legends, understand what makes it work, and can discuss it in depth.
• Experience managing and mentor 1 or more people.
• Proficient in text-based scripting or other programming languages
• A strong understanding of competitive integrity in a multiplayer game.
• Experience designing competitive multiplayer game modes.
• A strong desire to creatively collaborate with many different people with many different views.

Us Compensation And Benefits
The base salary ranges listed below are for the defined geographic market pay zones in these states. If you reside outside of these locations, a recruiter will advise on the base salary range and benefits for your specific location.
EA has listed the base salary ranges it in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in the locations listed, as of the time of this posting. Salary offered will be determined based on numerous relevant business and candidate factors including, for example, education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, and business or organizational needs.
BASE SALARY RANGES

• California (depending on location e.g. Los Angeles vs. Sacramento):

º $131,600 - $213,300

• New York (depending on location e.g. Manhattan vs. Buffalo):

º $131,600 - $213,300

• Jersey City, NJ:

º $154,800 - $213,300

• Colorado (depending on location e.g. Denver vs. Colorado Springs):

º $131,600 - $179,600

• Washington (depending on location e.g. Seattle vs. Spokane):

º $131,600 - $195,200
Base salary is just one part of the overall compensation at EA. We also 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 (following 1 year of service), 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.