Technical Director - EA SPORTS Online
at EA
Burnaby, BC
ENTERTAINING IS OUR PASSION
EA SPORTS is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA JAM basketball, NCAA® Football, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS Active. For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.
Technical Director
The EA SPORTS Online division is shaping the future of online gaming for our biggest titles such as FIFA, Madden, NCAA Football, NHL, Tiger Woods, and Fight Night. The division is responsible for the web presence, EASPORTS.com, which is evolving to become a unique, persistent, multi-platform experience designed to extend EA SPORTS console gaming to the web and provide a connected experience and a premier destination for sports gamers. We are searching for a passionate and dedicated Technical Director to help us deliver the next generation online experience for EASPORTS.com product.
Key Responsibilities
•Reporting to the Development Director for EASPORTS.com team you are responsible for the central online web technology direction required to support current and future requirements for EASPORTS.com product.
•Your scope of responsibility includes the technology stack for all of the client and server components necessary to support multiple platforms and multiple games.
•As a Technical Director you will both influence and direct the tactical and strategic decisions of the EA SPORTS Online group.
•This position provides overall technical leadership to develop and refine our online system development strategy across the EA SPORTS Online domain.
•This position requires a personality type that is outgoing, dynamic, enthusiastic and able to network successfully across a large number of groups and individuals to build and maintain excellent relationships and communications channels.
Essential Job Functions
Strategy & Planning
•Provide strategic planning and direction in the area of integrating, testing, and releasing the EA SPORTS Online infrastructure
• Lead the development of EA SPORTS Online client and server integration and release strategy
• Drive the creation of a comprehensive end to end integration service.
• Be accountable for the technical proficiency of the team that delivers web 2.0 technology and services
• Contribute to the definition of the technology and tools required to develop the EA SPORTS Online systems
• Understand and contribute to system provisioning models based on a deep understanding of online gaming systems and scale-able enterprise architectures
• Understand the factors in online system architecture around scale-ability, availability, message flows, processing, points of failure, provisioning, load balancing, and recovery procedures
• In partnership with producers and product owners, identify opportunities and risks for delivering web-based business initiatives, including identification of competitive services, opportunities for innovation, assessment of marketplace obstacles and mitigation of technical hurdles.
• Participate as a member of the EASPORTS.com management team in establishing governance processes to ensure that objectives are achieved and risks are managed appropriately.
• Collaborate with various EA SPORTS / EA groups to assess and recommend technologies that support broad organizational needs.
Implementation & Deployment
• Conduct code reviews, and establish a robust quality assurance process, including integration and system testing.
• Review and approve proposed development releases and oversee the release process for EASPORTS.com deliverables.
• Monitor application performance and resolve any application failures in staging or production.
• Provide consulting to game teams and central technology providers on strategies at the component, sub-system, system level and services.
• Provide technical oversight and direction to the internal and distributed development teams responsible for developing and supporting products.
• Oversee internal and external project dependencies, risks and critical paths; ensure contingency plan is in place; recommend solutions and approve plan & timelines; understand overall impact on all stakeholders.
Operational Management
• Ensure technical problems affecting EASPORTS.com are resolved in a timely and cost-effective manner.
• Ensure that internal technological processes and customer-facing services comply with community expectations and applicable laws and regulations for privacy, security, and social responsibility.
• Promote achievement of EASPORTS.com business goals within the context of the EA technical community, and develop policies for sharing software code, technological innovation, business processes, and other intellectual property.
• Help create a strong and coherent technical community by developing excellent relationships with technical peers in game development teams and other groups throughout EA studios.
• Participate in recruitment, training & coaching of engineers to enhance individual effectiveness and professional growth.
REQUIREMENTS:
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Engineering or Software Engineering or equivalent
• Minimum 7 years of experience in software development and system engineering, preferably with scale-able, real time systems
• Experience and knowledge of SQL, ASP.NET, PHP, Java, Java script, XML, HTML and other current web technologies and stacks.
• Experience architecting or developing online solutions for load, stress, performance and volume testing and monitoring
• Experience with the key aspects of game development including detailed knowledge of pre-production, production, and post-production is a definite asset.
• Strong background in software quality and software engineering practices
• Ability to influence changes across a diverse range of organizational structures and cultures
• Excellent organizational communication and management skills with a strong desire to contribute to a unique creative environment by utilizing world-wide talent.
• Project management skills demonstrated by the ability to define tasks in a well organized manner, based on proper resource and time management.
• Experience with Agile development methodologies is an asset.
ADDITIONAL SKILLS
• Experience with system analysis, message profiling, high availability analysis
• Knowledge of performance and code optimizations techniques
• Experience using configuration management and software management suites and tools
• Performance Competencies (Non Technical Skills)
• Passion for the entertainment industry and distributed development.
• Excellent communication skills, including verbal, face-to-face, written and presentation.
• Excellent detail-oriented, problem solving skills
• Strong understanding of customer service ethos, methods and theory.
• Able to quickly assess situations, troubleshoot complex problems and keep a calm head under tight time constraints and high pressure.
• Self-starter and ability to quickly learn and apply new concepts, principles and solutions with little supervision.
• Ability to review, evaluate and qualify technical skills
• Ability to mentor, coach and develop technical staff
• Ability to travel
EA SPORTS is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA JAM basketball, NCAA® Football, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS Active. For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.
Technical Director
The EA SPORTS Online division is shaping the future of online gaming for our biggest titles such as FIFA, Madden, NCAA Football, NHL, Tiger Woods, and Fight Night. The division is responsible for the web presence, EASPORTS.com, which is evolving to become a unique, persistent, multi-platform experience designed to extend EA SPORTS console gaming to the web and provide a connected experience and a premier destination for sports gamers. We are searching for a passionate and dedicated Technical Director to help us deliver the next generation online experience for EASPORTS.com product.
Key Responsibilities
•Reporting to the Development Director for EASPORTS.com team you are responsible for the central online web technology direction required to support current and future requirements for EASPORTS.com product.
•Your scope of responsibility includes the technology stack for all of the client and server components necessary to support multiple platforms and multiple games.
•As a Technical Director you will both influence and direct the tactical and strategic decisions of the EA SPORTS Online group.
•This position provides overall technical leadership to develop and refine our online system development strategy across the EA SPORTS Online domain.
•This position requires a personality type that is outgoing, dynamic, enthusiastic and able to network successfully across a large number of groups and individuals to build and maintain excellent relationships and communications channels.
Essential Job Functions
Strategy & Planning
•Provide strategic planning and direction in the area of integrating, testing, and releasing the EA SPORTS Online infrastructure
• Lead the development of EA SPORTS Online client and server integration and release strategy
• Drive the creation of a comprehensive end to end integration service.
• Be accountable for the technical proficiency of the team that delivers web 2.0 technology and services
• Contribute to the definition of the technology and tools required to develop the EA SPORTS Online systems
• Understand and contribute to system provisioning models based on a deep understanding of online gaming systems and scale-able enterprise architectures
• Understand the factors in online system architecture around scale-ability, availability, message flows, processing, points of failure, provisioning, load balancing, and recovery procedures
• In partnership with producers and product owners, identify opportunities and risks for delivering web-based business initiatives, including identification of competitive services, opportunities for innovation, assessment of marketplace obstacles and mitigation of technical hurdles.
• Participate as a member of the EASPORTS.com management team in establishing governance processes to ensure that objectives are achieved and risks are managed appropriately.
• Collaborate with various EA SPORTS / EA groups to assess and recommend technologies that support broad organizational needs.
Implementation & Deployment
• Conduct code reviews, and establish a robust quality assurance process, including integration and system testing.
• Review and approve proposed development releases and oversee the release process for EASPORTS.com deliverables.
• Monitor application performance and resolve any application failures in staging or production.
• Provide consulting to game teams and central technology providers on strategies at the component, sub-system, system level and services.
• Provide technical oversight and direction to the internal and distributed development teams responsible for developing and supporting products.
• Oversee internal and external project dependencies, risks and critical paths; ensure contingency plan is in place; recommend solutions and approve plan & timelines; understand overall impact on all stakeholders.
Operational Management
• Ensure technical problems affecting EASPORTS.com are resolved in a timely and cost-effective manner.
• Ensure that internal technological processes and customer-facing services comply with community expectations and applicable laws and regulations for privacy, security, and social responsibility.
• Promote achievement of EASPORTS.com business goals within the context of the EA technical community, and develop policies for sharing software code, technological innovation, business processes, and other intellectual property.
• Help create a strong and coherent technical community by developing excellent relationships with technical peers in game development teams and other groups throughout EA studios.
• Participate in recruitment, training & coaching of engineers to enhance individual effectiveness and professional growth.
REQUIREMENTS:
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Engineering or Software Engineering or equivalent
• Minimum 7 years of experience in software development and system engineering, preferably with scale-able, real time systems
• Experience and knowledge of SQL, ASP.NET, PHP, Java, Java script, XML, HTML and other current web technologies and stacks.
• Experience architecting or developing online solutions for load, stress, performance and volume testing and monitoring
• Experience with the key aspects of game development including detailed knowledge of pre-production, production, and post-production is a definite asset.
• Strong background in software quality and software engineering practices
• Ability to influence changes across a diverse range of organizational structures and cultures
• Excellent organizational communication and management skills with a strong desire to contribute to a unique creative environment by utilizing world-wide talent.
• Project management skills demonstrated by the ability to define tasks in a well organized manner, based on proper resource and time management.
• Experience with Agile development methodologies is an asset.
ADDITIONAL SKILLS
• Experience with system analysis, message profiling, high availability analysis
• Knowledge of performance and code optimizations techniques
• Experience using configuration management and software management suites and tools
• Performance Competencies (Non Technical Skills)
• Passion for the entertainment industry and distributed development.
• Excellent communication skills, including verbal, face-to-face, written and presentation.
• Excellent detail-oriented, problem solving skills
• Strong understanding of customer service ethos, methods and theory.
• Able to quickly assess situations, troubleshoot complex problems and keep a calm head under tight time constraints and high pressure.
• Self-starter and ability to quickly learn and apply new concepts, principles and solutions with little supervision.
• Ability to review, evaluate and qualify technical skills
• Ability to mentor, coach and develop technical staff
• Ability to travel