JOB TITLE:

REPORTING TO:

Software Engineer (Mercury Team)

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

REFERENCE:

DLA

LOCATION:

SINGAPORE

CLIENT BACKGROUND:

Electronic Arts (EA) is the world's leading independent developer and publisher of interactive software games (titles) that are playable by consumers on devices, such as in-home video game players (such as the Sony PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox and Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii (consoles); personal computers (PCs); mobile platforms, including handheld video game players (such as the PlayStation Portable (PSP), Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance) and cellular handsets, and online, over the Internet and other online networks. The Company publishes interactive software games for multiple platforms.

The company’s games are developed in EA Studios and in conjunction with EA Partners around the world and are directly marketed on a global scale in more than 30 countries.

Revenues are close to US$3 Billion with more than 7,000 employees in 26 countries.
EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA is growing its presence in Asia and in particular World Wide Studios development capabilities under the name of the Mercury group. One of the Mercury group’s primary goals will be the Post Launch Development of Mid Session Games (Online games launched on a micro-transaction business model) based on EA’s best Intellectual Properties.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

Work as part of a team of software engineers to support and continue the development of Mid Session Games during the Post Launch phase.

You will report to a Development Director and interact with the Technical Lead, Producer, Artists, QA Department and other Software Engineers on a daily basis in order to maintain and enhance a high-quality game.

KEY TASKS:

• Understand requirements and write technical design documents
• Provide task dependencies, priorities and time estimates
• Coordinate work with other team members
• Mentor junior software engineers on the team
• Design, implement, test, debug and maintain code
• Create tools, features and engine components to required coding standards
• Create leading edge reusable and scalable technologies, both systems and engines if required
• Profile and optimize software components of the game

PERSON SPECIFICATION:

Special Considerations

• The Mid Session Game titles are EA’s first Asian MSGs and as such the scope of the role will be further developed throughout Development, Beta and Post Launch.  Therefore a certain amount of flexibility in the role will be required
• The nature of online games means that the service has to be available 24/7 and issues will need to be resolved as quickly as possible in real-time.  The incumbent must be able to manage the available resources in these scenarios

Required Technical Skills and Experience

• Bachelor degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent training and professional experience
• 4+ years professional C++ experience
• Experience in object-oriented design and implementation
• Demonstrated knowledge of good software engineering practices
• Experience with Software Configuration Management systems (e.g. Perforce)
• Excellent coding/development/debugging skills
• Ability to test, debug and extend other Software Engineers’ code competently.
• Understanding of memory management and runtime optimization
• Understanding of multithreaded application development on Windows 2000/XP PCs

Performance Competencies (Non Technical Skills)

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent decision making capabilities
• Excellent detail-oriented, problem solving skills.  Must be able to quickly identify issues and know when to escalate them to the Development Director and Technical Lead
• Ability to work in a dynamic and collaborative team environment
• Ability to quickly learn and apply new concepts, principles and solutions
• Demonstrates dependability and commitment to projects/tasks
• Focus on quality at all stages of production
• Able to adapt to a constrained schedule and perform under pressure
• Strong multitasking and organizational skills

PERSON SPECIFICATION:

Performance Competencies (Non Technical Skills)

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent decision making capabilities
• Excellent detail-oriented, problem solving skills.  Must be able to quickly identify issues and know when to escalate them to the Development Director and Technical Lead
• Ability to work in a dynamic and collaborative team environment
• Ability to quickly learn and apply new concepts, principles and solutions
• Demonstrates dependability and commitment to projects/tasks
• Focus on quality at all stages of production
• Able to adapt to a constrained schedule and perform under pressure
• Strong multitasking and organizational skills

Additional Skills Preferred

• 2+ years of online game industry experience
• Experience using Microsoft Visual Studio C++/.NET
• Recent experience using DirectX
• Experience with client-server and peer-to-peer architectures
• Advanced knowledge and expertise in a core domain such as rendering, game play, online, user interfaces, multi-processor systems, etc.

JOB TITLE:

REPORTING TO:

TECHNICAL LEAD  

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

REFERENCE:

DLA

LOCATION:

SINGAPORE

CLIENT BACKGROUND:

EA was founded 25 years ago by individuals with a deep passion for making games. Many things have changed over the years as the gaming industry and, the company has expanded immensely, but we are still driven by the same passion for developing, publishing, and distributing the world’s best games.

Their history has been one of great success, and their future looks even brighter. Gaming has come a long way from Pac-Man & Space Invaders to modern EA Favourites like Burnout, Battlefield, Mercenaries, Dead Space, Spore, FIFA, Madden, Need for Speed and the world’s most successful game franchise, The Sims. Fuelled by their talented staff at locations right across the Globe they are united in their passion to continue shaping the future of interactive entertainment.

ADDITIONAL INFO

Software engineers (programmers) are an essential part of the game development team. They bring the vision of the artists and designers to life. They design and write the computer code that runs and controls the game, incorporating and adapting any ready made code libraries and writing custom code as needed. Programmers deal with ever more complex problems including working on creating realistic Artificial Intelligence; believable Physics; delivering a smooth online gaming experience.

Programmers also test the code, fix bugs, and develop customized tools for use by other members of the development team. Due to the complexities of game development, engineers tend to specialize in specific areas of programming.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

Lead a team of software engineers to support and continue the development of Mid Session Games during the Post Launch phase. You will be the senior developer on the team and be expected to address the most challenging technical issues facing the team.

You will report to a Development Director and interact with the Producer, Artists, QA Department and Software Engineers on a daily basis in order to maintain and enhance a high-quality game. You will also communicate regularly with the group Technical Director to provide status reports on technology issues and risks.

KEY TASKS:

• Create tools, features and engine components to required coding standards
• Create leading edge reusable technologies, both systems and engines if required
• Profile and optimize software components of the game
• Ensure the game meets all functional specifications
• Mentor software engineers on the team
• Provide trouble shooting, debugging and problem solving assistance to team members
• Review the code produced by team members to ensure high-quality work (adheres to coding standards, reusable and testable)
• Technical liaison with the group Technical Director and Technical Leads from partner teams
  
  

PERSON SPECIFICATION:

• Bachelor degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent training and professional experience
• 5+ years professional C++ experience
• Experience in object-oriented design and implementation
• Demonstrated knowledge of good software engineering practices
• Experience with Software Configuration Management systems (e.g. Perforce)
• Excellent coding/development/debugging skills
• Understanding of memory management and runtime optimization
• Understanding of multithreaded application development on Windows 2000/XP PCs

Performance Competencies (Non Technical Skills):

• Leadership experience & excellent decision making capabilities
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong multitasking and organizational skills
• Excellent detail-oriented, problem solving skills. Must be able to quickly identify issues and help the team to resolve them, and know when to escalate issues to the Development Director and Technical Director
• Ability to work in a dynamic and collaborative team environment
• Ability to quickly learn and apply new concepts, principles and solutions
• Demonstrates dependability and commitment to projects/tasks
• Focus on quality at all stages of production
• Able to adapt to a constrained schedule and perform under pressure

Additional Skills Preferred:

• Min 5 years of online game industry experience
• Experience using Microsoft Visual Studio C++/.NET
• Recent experience using DirectX
• Experience with client-server and peer-to-peer architectures