Development Director - EA SPORTS UFC

Electronic Arts creates incredible entertainment experiences that inspire players and fans worldwide. Here, everyone is part of the story, part of a community that connects people globally. It's a place where creativity thrives, new perspectives are welcomed, and ideas matter. The team works together to make the game possible.

Role: Development Director

Reporting to the Lead Development Director, the Development Director is responsible for leading the planning and execution of complex cross-functional development efforts across multiple teams and disciplines. You will partner closely with Production, Design, Engineering, Quality Verification, and other stakeholders to deliver high-quality player experiences on time and within budget.

As a Development Director, you will drive project planning, operational excellence, resource strategy, and delivery predictability while fostering a collaborative, high-performing team culture. You'll help shape how development happens, not just what gets delivered, through continuous improvement of processes, planning, and execution.

The company embraces emerging technologies, including AI, as tools to help teams work smarter, improve quality, and unlock new ways of solving complex development challenges. The ideal candidate is curious, adaptable, and excited to help shape how these technologies are adopted across the team.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the planning, execution, and delivery of complex cross-functional development efforts, ensuring delivery against quality, scope, schedule, and budget objectives.
• Partner with Production, Design, Engineering, QV, and other disciplines to establish delivery plans, align priorities, and drive successful execution.
• Develop and maintain integrated project plans, balancing dependencies, milestones, and resource allocation across multiple teams.
• Drive capacity planning and staffing strategies by identifying resource needs, balancing workloads, and partnering with leadership on hiring and organisational planning.
• Proactively identify delivery risks, remove blockers, and implement mitigation strategies to maintain project health and predictability.
• Facilitate alignment across teams, proactively resolve cross-functional challenges, and influence decisions across disciplines to enable successful delivery.
• Champion operational excellence by improving development processes, planning practices, operating rhythms, and execution frameworks that increase efficiency and predictability.
• Champion the adoption of emerging technologies, including AI, to improve planning, communication, operational efficiency, and development workflows while helping teams successfully adopt new ways of working.
• Lead, coach, and develop high-performing teams through coaching, performance management, feedback, career development, and hiring.
• Manage project budgets, forecasts, and operational planning in partnership with Production and leadership.
• Mentor peers and contribute to the evolution of development management best practices across the studio.

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience leading complex software or game development projects, including 5+ years of people leadership in a collaborative development environment.
• Proven experience leading large cross-functional teams through multiple phases of product development.
• Strong project management skills, including roadmap planning, scheduling, capacity planning, dependency management, and risk mitigation.
• Experience balancing scope, quality, schedule, and budget to successfully deliver complex projects.
• Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority and build alignment across multiple disciplines and stakeholder groups.
• Experience driving operational improvements and implementing scalable development processes.
• Experience using modern AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, Gemini, Claude, or similar) to improve productivity, planning, communication, or problem-solving, with an interest in expanding AI capabilities and applying them to improve quality, operational excellence, and team effectiveness.
• Excellent communication, organisational, and leadership skills with the ability to operate effectively at both strategic and execution levels.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience working with Agile development methodologies.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive benefits package, including medical insurance, mental wellbeing support, pension plan, paid time off, family leave, free games, and more.
• Flexible working arrangements, including hybrid work model.
• Opportunities for growth and professional development.