Senior Gameplay Software Engineer - EA SPORTS™ NHL

Electronic Arts is seeking an experienced Senior Gameplay Software Engineer to join the EA SPORTS™ NHL team in Vancouver. As a core architect of the moment-to-moment hockey experience, you will drive how skating physics, puck dynamics, player control, body checks, and spatial team AI come to life.

Responsibilities:

• Design, implement, and optimize core gameplay systems, including player movement/skating physics, stick handling, puck trajectory, collision dynamics, and team AI behaviors.
• Collaborate with designers, animators, and technical leaders to deliver responsive, realistic, and exhilarating gameplay.
• Write clean, modular, and highly performant C++ code, taking ownership of memory management, multi-threading, and frame-rate optimization for modern console hardware.
• Explore and integrate emerging AI techniques, automated testing tools, and dynamic behavior models to elevate on-ice intelligence and streamline team workflows.
• Build and support internal tools, debug utilities, and editor extensions to empower designers and animators to iterate quickly.
• Iterate continuously on responsiveness, stick control, animation transitions, and hit reaction physics to ensure maximum feel, precision, and player satisfaction.
• Guide and mentor mid-level and junior engineers, advocating for software architecture best practices, thorough code reviews, and high technical standards.

Qualifications:

• 5+ years of professional game development experience, with a proven track record of shipping title(s) or building core gameplay/physics systems.
• Advanced proficiency in C++ and object-oriented software engineering.
• Strong foundation in 3D math (vectors, matrices, quaternions), physics simulation, data structures, and algorithms.
• Experience with multi-threaded architecture, memory optimization, and performance profiling tools.
• Deep understanding of character movement, animation blending/state machines, spatial AI, or real-time physics interactions.
• Demonstrated interest or experience in leveraging AI tools, modern automation, and workflow optimizations in game development.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical disciplines.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.

Nice to Haves:

• Direct experience developing for current-generation consoles (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S).
• Passion for hockey, ice sports, or sports gaming titles.
• Knowledge of dynamic character physics, cloth/equipment simulation, or procedural animation techniques.
• Familiarity with Perforce, Git, or modern continuous integration pipelines.

Salary: $141,400 - $204,400 CAD

Benefits:

• 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
• Extended health/dental/vision coverage
• Life insurance
• Disability insurance
• Retirement plan