Sr. Systems Designer
- Vancouver, BC, Canada
Applications open in a new tab.
Job details
- Experience
- 5+ years of professional game design experience on shipped progression, rewards, economies, engagement loops, or other interconnected game systems
- Posting language
- English
- Posted
Original job description
Description & Requirements
Electronic Arts creates next-level entertainment experiences that inspire players and fans around the world. Here, everyone is part of the story. Part of a community that connects across the globe. A place where creativity thrives, new perspectives are invited, and ideas matter. A team where everyone makes play happen.
Senior Systems Designer – Progression & Player Systems
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, Star Wars™ Jedi: Survivor 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.
Why This Role Matters
Respawn is looking for a Senior Systems Designer to help create and evolve the progression and player systems that shape how players engage with Apex Legends over the long term.
In this highly impactful design role, you will work on systems such as account progression, rewards, mastery, collections, player career, challenges, and other engagement features. You will help define how these systems connect, how they motivate different types of players, and how they create meaningful goals across the Apex experience.
You will collaborate closely with Design, Product Management, UX, Engineering, Analytics, Art, and Production to take features from early concept through implementation, iteration, and live operation.
Responsibilities
Design progression, rewards, mastery, collection, and player engagement systems for Apex Legends using clear system goals, rules, progression curves, reward structures, and player-facing experiences
Prototype, implement, tune, and iterate on systems using player feedback, telemetry, and live-service learnings
Actively contribute to estimation, scoping and feasibility assessments of designs
Partner with UX, Engineering and Technical Design to ensure complex systems are understandable, discoverable, easy to navigate, and scalable
Clearly communicate design intent, tradeoffs, and recommendations to partners and design leadership
Identify opportunities to improve existing Apex systems based on player needs, data, competitive analysis, and broader live-service trends
Contribute to strong systems-design practices across the team
Qualifications
5+ years of professional game design experience on shipped progression, rewards, economies, engagement loops, or other interconnected game systems
Experience working on live-service, multiplayer, or free-to-play games
Strong implementation skills including text scripting and ability to create prototypes using in-house tools and platform
Experience taking features from concept through implementation and live iteration
Ability to break complex systems into clear rules, models, player flows, and requirements
Strong analytical skills and comfort using data to inform design decisions
Experience collaborating with UX, Engineering, Product, Production, Analytics, and other disciplines
Strong verbal communication and written documentation skills with the ability to present design rationale clearly to both development teams and design leadership
Ability to balance player needs, design quality, production constraints, and business considerations
Nice to Have
Experience designing account progression, mastery, challenges, collections, ranked systems, Battle Passes, or reward structures.
Experience with live-service economies, currencies, faucets, sinks, or reward valuation.
Experience designing onboarding or returning-player experiences.
Competitive multiplayer and/or FPS experience
Experience using telemetry, experimentation, or player segmentation to evaluate design performance.
Familiarity with Apex Legends and its progression, competitive, and live-service ecosystems.
Pay Transparency - North America
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
The ranges listed below are what EA in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in these locations at the time of this posting. If you reside in a different location, a recruiter will advise on the applicable range and benefits. Pay offered will be determined based on a number of relevant business and candidate factors (e.g. education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, or business needs).
PAY RANGES
- British Columbia (depending on location e.g. Vancouver vs. Victoria) *$114,300 - $156,200 CAD
- California (depending on location e.g. Los Angeles vs. San Francisco) *$127,700 - $190,600 USD
Pay 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 other incentive programs.
For Canada, 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 other incentive programs.
About Electronic Arts
We’re proud to have an extensive portfolio of games and experiences, locations around the world, and opportunities across EA. We value adaptability, resilience, creativity, and curiosity. From leadership that brings out your potential, to creating space for learning and experimenting, we empower you to do great work and pursue opportunities for growth.
We adopt a holistic approach to our benefits programs, emphasizing physical, emotional, financial, career, and community wellness to support a balanced life. Our packages are tailored to meet local needs and may include healthcare coverage, mental well-being support, retirement savings, paid time off, family leaves, complimentary games, and more. We nurture environments where our teams can always bring their best to what they do.
Electronic Arts is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will also consider employment qualified applicants with criminal records in accordance with applicable law. EA also makes workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law.
General Information
Locations: Los Angeles - Chatsworth, California, United States of America- Location: Los Angeles - Chatsworth
- State: California
- Country: United States of America
- Location: Vancouver - Great Northern Way
- State: British Columbia
- Country: Canada
Role ID
216546
Worker Type
Regular Employee
Studio/Department
EA Studios - Respawn
Work Model
Hybrid
More about this job
Responsibilities
Design and iterate on progression, reward, and engagement systems for Apex Legends to motivate players over the long term. Collaborate with cross-functional teams including engineering, UX, and product management to take features from concept through live operation.
Requirements
Requires 5+ years of professional game design experience with a focus on progression, economies, or engagement loops. Candidates must have experience with live-service or multiplayer games and strong implementation skills using in-house tools.
Skills
- Game design
- Systems design
- Progression systems
- Reward structures
- Live-service games
- Multiplayer game design
- Free-to-play games
- Prototyping
- Telemetry
- Data analysis
- UX design
- Technical design
- Scripting
- Game economy
- Player engagement
- Collaboration
Benefits
- Paid time off
- Sick time
- Paid company holidays
- Paid parental leave
- Medical insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Life insurance
- Disability insurance
- 401(k)
- Retirement plan
- Mental well-being support
Visa sponsorship
Not detected in the job text
Categories
- Software
- Creative & Media
- Technology
- Data & Analytics
- Art & Design
Keywords
- Systems Designer
- Apex Legends
- Respawn Entertainment
- Electronic Arts
- Progression Systems
- Live-service
- Multiplayer
- Free-to-play
- Game Economy
- Telemetry
- UX
- Technical Design
- Prototyping
- Scripting
- Engagement Loops
- Battle Pass
- Ranked Systems
- Data-driven design
- Game Development
- Player Retention
- Collections
- Mastery Systems
- Rewards
- Product Management
- Analytics