Technical Director - Live Ops

Job Description

Technical Director - Live Ops (Apex Legends)

Respawn Entertainment is hiring! Learn more about our studio and values at respawn.com/studio.

Technical Director - Live Ops

We are looking for a Technical Director who is passionate about making great games in a collaborative environment with a team of accomplished developers. You will lead the Live Operations engineering team for Apex Legends, providing technical direction and mentorship to senior technical leads. As Live Operations Technical Director, you will report to the Apex Legends Gameplay Technical Director while working with the Technical Directors on the game team and engine team. You will also collaborate closely with discipline leaders such as art, animation, game design, and audio.

Respawn puts a big emphasis on fun gameplay. We want responsive, immersive gameplay that just feels right. Every detail matters - whether it's the way a player experiences traversing across a cliffside, the way embodying a character can make a player feel powerful and smart, to how an astonishing gameplay moment can leave a player breathless; it's all crafted with purpose. This is especially important to maintain in a live service game like Apex Legends, where small changes can make or break the player experience.

Key Responsibilities
• Craft leader for the Live Operation engineering team, setting project technical standards
• Establish high-level architecture, processes, and technical budgets
• Provide technical and financial feedback on new online features and modes
• Work with the Live Operation Producer to determine Live Operation needs
• Oversee project technical design and implementation
• Work with the Live Operation Producer to set KPIs for the live service; monitor, report and troubleshoot the live service, including, but not limited to: server crashes and script errors, server hitches, client crashes and script errors, server-to-and-from-client bandwidth, Server forced-shutdowns, server CPU or memory out-of-bounds, server lockups, cheat metrics, filtered community-reported gameplay issues and exploits, etc.
• Build out Live Service tools and associated tech for a world-class Live Service
• Monitor and right-size the live service infrastructure on a regular cadence with hosting partners, EA Global Analytics and EA Finance
• Ensure the quality, performance, and stability of technical deliverables
• Manage technical requirements and risks, removing roadblocks and raising red flags, etc.
• Collaborate and manage partnerships with internal and external technical partners
• Partner with Production on development processes and planning
• Provide constructive feedback on the engineering team's work
• Develop and mentor the Live Operations engineering team; create opportunities for challenge and growth
• Participate in recruiting efforts - screening, interviewing, final selection, offer decisions, etc.
• Collaborate with the other TDs and leads in other departments to ensure good communication and solid working relationships between departments
• Analyze technical risk against new online features, and work with EA System Test to load/scale test as appropriate
• Work with EA's Competitive Gaming Division (CGD) to ensure their online and physical tournaments are successful

Qualifications
• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science (or equivalent)
• 8+ years industry experience, having shipped at least 2 cross-platform games above 80% Metacritic
• 8+ years of C/C++
• 3+ years of technical leadership experience as TD / Senior Engineer (with reports)
• Excellent 3D math skills
• Hands-on experience in Online (client-server, server-side technologies, cloud scaling, etc.) and knowledge/experience in all other areas of game development, i.e. AI, Cameras, Controls, Rendering, Audio, etc.
• Mediation, and conflict resolution skills
• Experience working with remote teams
• A passion for making and playing games
• Experience as an Online TD on a live service game is a bonus

If this position sounds like a fit with your background and interests, we look forward to reviewing your resume!

In addition to opportunities for creative impact and professional growth which come with being a member of our team, working at Respawn has many other perks and benefits. You can read more about these here: www.respawn.com/perks

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-r7ykqr-18-216-233-58-42 in your application.