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Lead Level Designer (Apex Legends)

Founded in 2010 by the original creators of the Call of Duty Franchise, Respawn was created with the philosophy that when talented people have creative freedom, they'll make extraordinary games that achieve the unexpected. From our roots as an indie studio to joining the expansive roster of studios at Electronic Arts, this remains our guiding principle. We truly love what we do and want to share our passion with players worldwide.

Our shipped titles include critically acclaimed multi-platform games Apex Legends, Titanfall, Titanfall 2, Star Wars™ Jedi: Fallen Order and Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. Join us for the opportunity to create groundbreaking games with some of the best developer talent in the industry.

Apex Legends is looking for a Lead Level Designer who will help us create exciting and innovative new levels. You'll work closely with all departments to plan, design and guide new levels from early prototype through release. We are a studio that values creative ownership and candid feedback and a Design Lead should embody those traits.

You should have experience on a live service game in level design, and have strong enough technical and scripting abilities to work independently. You should have a strong suite of game development best practices (bug management, self scheduling, feature scoping, etc.) and be enthusiastic about upholding those best practices across the team.

You’ll be leading a team of level designers and will have management responsibilities. One on one’s with your team will ensure you build the relationships necessary to work tightly as a unit.

This is a fantastic opportunity to work with some of the most creative and talented people in the industry and put your stamp on Apex Legends.

What You’ll do...

• Be the Team Leader for a Level Design Team which you will manage, guide, and build.
• Manage tasks, priorities, and feedback for your department and your team, along with performance management of your team’s career path to success.
• Be the vision holder of what maps can be for Apex and drive the team to execute on that vision.
• Work with other departments to agree on vision and acquire assets for a cohesive experience.
• Playtest the game (a lot) and be proactive in feedback for all features, not just levels.
• Lead design reviews and proactively guide the team towards good solutions to design and development problems.
• Propagate and drive a culture of creative ownership, candid feedback and a safe working environment.
• Work with others on side projects to make Apex a better game.

Ideally, you will also have...

• 8+ years professional experience as a Level Designer with at least 2+ years as a Lead Level Designer for multiplayer FPS games.
• At least one shipped AAA game.
• Experience managing and leading a team of top-notch Level Designers.
• Outstanding collaboration skills with departments outside of Level Design.
• Experience with game editors and 3D software.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to block out maps quickly, gather feedback, and iterate rapidly.
• Experience in rapid prototyping and iterative design.
• A strong understanding of competitive integrity in a multiplayer game.
• Experience designing competitive multiplayer levels.
• Ability to self-schedule and drive features with support from design and code leadership.
• Experience managing and mentoring 2 or more people.
• Enjoy playing Apex Legends, understand what makes it work, and can discuss it in depth.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The base salary ranges listed below are for the defined geographic market pay zones in these locations. If you reside outside of these locations, a recruiter will advise on the range and benefits for your specific location.

EA has listed the base salary ranges it in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in the locations listed, as of the time of this posting. Pay offered will be determined based on numerous relevant business and candidate factors including, for example, education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, and business or organizational needs.

BASE SALARY RANGES

• California (depending on location e.g. Los Angeles vs. Sacramento):
º $131,600 - $213,300 USD Annually
• New York (depending on location e.g. Manhattan vs. Buffalo):
º $131,600 - $213,300 USD Annually
• Jersey City, NJ :
º $154,800 - $213,300 USD Annually
• Colorado (depending on location e.g. Denver vs. Colorado Springs):
º $131,600 - $179,600 USD Annually
• Washington (depending on location e.g. Seattle vs. Spokane):
º $131,600 - $195,200 USD Annually
• British Columbia (depending on location e.g. Vancouver vs. Victoria):
º $114,050 - $171,750 CAN Annually

Base salary is just one part of the overall compensation at EA. In the US, we offer a package of benefits including paid time off (3 weeks per year to start), 80 hours per year of sick time, 16 paid company holidays per year, 10 weeks paid time off to bond with baby, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity. For British Columbia, we offer a package of benefits including 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 (12 weeks for maternity, and 4 weeks for parental/adoption leave), extended health/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, disability insurance, retirement plan to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.