Development Manager - EA Sports FC

Reporting to the Development Director, the Development Manager leads a multidisciplinary Gameplay team responsible for delivering key areas of the on-pitch experience in EA SPORTS FC. The team brings together Engineering, Animation, Game Design, Production and Quality Verification to build the systems, features, tuning and technology that determine how the game feels, responds and plays. The role combines people leadership with accountability for the delivery health of the team, establishing priorities, translating product goals into executable plans, balancing scope against capacity and managing dependencies and risks.

• Lead a multidisciplinary Gameplay team made up of employees from Engineering, Animation and Game Design.
• Manage the performance, development, engagement and day-to-day experience of direct reports, including setting expectations, providing feedback, supporting career growth and addressing performance concerns.
• Partner with Engineering, Animation and Game Design discipline leaders to align on employee development, craft expectations, staffing needs and team capability.
• Support planning and delivery outcomes for the assigned Gameplay area, ensuring scope, capacity, priorities, quality and execution align with product and franchise objectives.
• Translate creative and technical goals into clear, achievable development plans with defined milestones, dependencies, ownership and success criteria.
• Partner with Gameplay Producers, Designers, Technical Directors, Animation Directors and Quality Verification leaders to establish priorities and maintain alignment across disciplines.
• Balance current-title support, future releases and longer-term Gameplay initiatives, identifying trade-offs where available capacity does not support the full scope of work.
• Monitor team health and delivery performance, proactively identifying risks related to staffing, workload, dependencies, quality, decision-making or execution.
• Support milestone planning and readiness activities, maintaining visibility into feature completion, tuning, defect trends, validation plans, dependencies and delivery risks.
• Use player feedback, telemetry, playtesting insights, quality data and team input to support prioritisation and development decisions.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives that require coordination across Gameplay teams, partner organisations, studios or disciplines.
• Establish and improve team operating practices, including planning, status reporting, risk management, dependency tracking, decision-making and development reviews.
• Provide clear and concise updates to Gameplay leadership on progress, risks, mitigation plans, staffing needs and decisions requiring support.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, inclusion, transparency, constructive feedback and continuous improvement.
• Support hiring, onboarding, workforce planning and organisational changes, partnering with the Development Director on organisational planning, staffing, team health and broader Gameplay initiatives.

• 5+ years of experience in game development, software development, production, project leadership or a related field, including experience leading complex teams or programmes.
• Experience directly managing employees, including goal setting, coaching, career development, performance assessment and managing performance concerns.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams that include two or more of Engineering, Animation, Game Design, Production or Quality Verification.
• Strong understanding of the game development lifecycle and the collaboration required to deliver player-facing features, systems, content and technology.
• Proven ability to manage scope, capacity, schedules, dependencies, quality and risk across multiple workstreams.
• Experience translating creative or technical objectives into structured and achievable execution plans.
• Demonstrated ability to build effective teams, improve ways of working and create clarity in complex or ambiguous environments.
• Experience driving outcomes in a matrixed organisation through influence, collaboration and stakeholder alignment.
• Strong judgement and problem-solving skills, with the ability to balance product, delivery, people and organisational considerations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to facilitate difficult conversations and communicate effectively with senior leaders and cross-functional partners.
• Working knowledge of Agile, Lean or other iterative game-development and continuous-improvement practices.

• Experience working directly with Gameplay teams or systems such as controls, artificial intelligence, physics, animation, player movement, game balance, responsiveness or competitive gameplay.
• Experience leading teams within a large-scale AAA game-development organisation.
• Experience supporting an annualised sports franchise or another product that balances live-service commitments with future product development.
• Experience managing employees from different crafts or job disciplines.
• Experience using player feedback, telemetry, playtesting and quality data to inform development decisions.
• Experience leading teams through finaling, launch readiness, live issue response and post-launch updates.
• Experience working with globally distributed teams and stakeholders.
• Knowledge of EA SPORTS FC, football and the broader sports-gaming landscape.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.

• Hybrid working model with onsite attendance three days per week: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

• Vacation of 3 weeks per year to start.
• 10 days per year of sick time.
• Extended health, dental and vision coverage.
• Basic life insurance.