Senior Gameplay Software Engineer - EA SPORTS™ NHL

The Senior Gameplay Engineer will join the EA SPORTS NHL team in Vancouver to help craft the next generation of on-ice gameplay. The role is a core architect of the moment-to-moment hockey experience, driving how skating physics, puck dynamics, player control, body checks, and spatial team AI come to life. Working at the intersection of complex physics, rapid controls, and creative game design, the engineer will collaborate with designers, animators, and technical leaders to deliver responsive, realistic, and exhilarating gameplay.

• Architect and build on-ice systems: design, implement, and optimise core gameplay systems, including player movement/skating physics, stick handling, puck trajectory, collision dynamics, and team AI behaviours.
• Collaborate cross-discipline with game designers, animators, producers, and audio engineers to translate hockey systems and creative concepts into polished gameplay mechanics.
• Write clean, modular, and highly performant C++ code, taking ownership of memory management, multi-threading, and frame-rate optimisation for modern console hardware.
• Explore and integrate emerging AI techniques, automated testing tools, and dynamic behaviour 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.
• Tune and polish gameplay by iterating 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.

• 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 optimisation, 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 optimisations 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.

• 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.

• Vacation: 3 weeks per year to start.
• 10 days per year of paid sick time.
• Company top-up to EI/QPIP benefits up to 100% of base salary when welcoming a new child (12 weeks for maternity, and 4 weeks for parental/adoption leave).
• Extended health/dental/vision coverage.
• Life insurance.
• Disability insurance.
• Retirement benefits to regular full-time employees.
• Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and long-term cash programs.

EA SPORTS is one of the most iconic brands in entertainment, connecting hundreds of millions around the world to the sports they love through a portfolio of industry-leading video games.