Experience Design Director - The Sims

Job Description

Welcome to Maxis, home to tinkerers, craftspeople, & storytellers. Our drive is to inspire everyone to make a better world through creative play. As the developer of The Sims, we create games and experiences for millions of people around the world and are always looking for new ways to inspire our players. Maxis is a place where you can do what you love and help others grow while doing it; a place where your unique voice can be heard and seen. We put creativity and inclusivity at the core of our work and don't settle for seeing the world only as it is, but strive to build a world as it could be.

In this role you will be part of the reimagining of The Sims that players know and love. The Sims is one of the top selling PC game franchise of all time and The Sims 4 is by far our most successful Sims game. We have 65 million registered players of the base game. To date, The Sims 4 has shipped over 50 content packs and countless base game feature and quality of life updates. The Sims 4 continues to transcend being “just a game” and continues to be a positive force in people’s lives while occupying a unique creative space in the game industry. We're excited you're interested to learn more about how you can join our team and dream big. For more information about The Sims, follow @TheSims on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, like The Sims on Facebook, visit TheSims.com newsroom and tune into Behind The Sims on Youtube for the latest news and updates.

You will be reporting to the Senior Director of Experience Design.

Location: Remote North America - open to most North America locations

As a Experience Design Director with Maxis, you will partner with engineering, game design, research, and production leaders and teams to develop great content that delights our growing Sims player base.

Responsibilities:

• Drive user-centered design processes to provide outstanding design solutions for The Sims.
• Collaborate with Assoc. XD Director, Creative Director, UX Researchers, and the larger XD team.
• Be a promoter of usability, inclusiveness, and accessibility across the studio.
• Lead design solutions that are informed by player data (quantitative and qualitative).
• Partner with user research to help the team utilize quality insights that help inform their work.
• Partner with leaders and team members to find balanced design solutions to player and business goals within technical constraints.

Qualifications:

• At least 3+ years of experience as an XD Director or UX Director. Your experience includes some combination of: game and non-gaming products, live service and social networks.
• 2 or more shipped games in a UX Director role with large-scale teams.
• Experience providing craft mentorship to a UX/UI team and providing career development to designers of all levels.
• Can speak to recent experience/case studies where you’ve led UX teams creating research and data informed designs that meet player needs and their motivations.
• Experience partnering with UXR and analysts to drive planning and find opportunities for research.
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative user research methods, user personas, player journey mapping and incorporating insights from analysis into designs.
• Deep knowledge of usability principles and designing for accessibility, diversity, and inclusivity.
• You understand the importance of providing and soliciting feedback in a graceful, constructive manner, with suggestions and solutions for improvement to both process and project.
• You have a passion for playing and making games, with an understanding of what makes them fun and engaging.
• Familiarity with The Sims 4, The Sims franchise and the life-simulation genre.

Visit us at: https://www.ea.com/ea-studios/maxis

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 $162,300 - $252,600 USD Annually
• New York (depending on location e.g. Manhattan vs. Buffalo):
o $162,300 - $252,600 USD Annually
• Jersey City, NJ :
o $179,850 - $252,600 USD Annually
• Colorado (depending on location e.g. Denver vs. Colorado Springs):
o $162,300 - $213,300 USD Annually
• Washington (depending on location e.g. Seattle vs. Spokane):
o $162,300 - $230,150 USD Annually
• British Columbia (depending on location e.g. Vancouver vs. Victoria):
o $134,250 - $202,100 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.