Lead Narrative Designer
Company: Electronic Arts
Role summary
Lead Narrative Designer is a full-time role at Electronic Arts in Guildford, England, United Kingdom (hybrid). Posted 2026-10-14. Experience level: 5-10.
- Job title
- Lead Narrative Designer
- Company
- Electronic Arts
- Location
- Guildford, England, United Kingdom
- Work arrangement
- hybrid
- Employment type
- full-time
- Category
- Product & Design
- Experience level
- 5-10
- Date posted
- 2026-10-14
This temporary Lead Narrative Designer role at Electronic Arts is a fantastic opportunity to shape compelling stories for a global audience. You'll be part of a creative community that values new perspectives and where your ideas can truly make a difference in bringing exciting entertainment experiences to life.
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.
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.
Battlefield is a storied franchise renowned for uncompromising combat gameplay and all-out warfare, for over two decades. 100 million players and 5 billion hours played later, Battlefield Studios is defining the future of the first-person shooter with the biggest launch in franchise history with Battlefield 6, and a new era beginning with Battlefield REDSEC.
United under the banner of Battlefield Studios, 4 world-class teams across Criterion, DICE, Motive, and Ripple Effect have come together to focus on the future of the franchise, a connected Battlefield universe filled with immersive experiences built on our unique DNA.
Criterion
At Criterion Games we cherish our rich, award-winning, history of crafting quality games with joy and passion. You’ll find us playing, creating, breathing, and talking games. As we look to the future, we're excited to continue innovating and being part of building the future of Battlefield.
We believe that healthy and engaged teams are the key to building great games, so we place enormous value on collaboration, fresh ideas, and diverse perspectives. Criterion is a place where you can unleash your creativity and be part of something extraordinary. Your unique input is welcome here!
We’re all-in on the future and our most ambitious Battlefield yet. Want to be part of something special? Read on.
This is a temporary full-time position for 14 months to cover parental leave.
Role Overview
We are seeking an experienced Lead Narrative Designer to join the Battlefield team on a fixed-term basis to provide maternity leave cover. In this role, you will partner closely with cross-discipline teams to drive the implementation and delivery of narrative content, ensuring a cohesive, immersive player experience that aligns with Battlefield’s tone, lore, and gameplay pillars.
Key Responsibilities
Narrative Leadership Define, champion, and uphold the narrative vision, tone, and storytelling goals across the game. Lead and mentor a small team of narrative designers, providing clear direction, feedback, and support to maintain consistency and high-quality standards across all narrative content.
Narrative Systems Design Design, prototype, and iterate on narrative systems, including dialogue frameworks, branching logic, environmental storytelling, in-world messaging, and interactive narrative moments. Ensure seamless integration of narrative with gameplay systems, UI, and player progression.
Dialogue Implementation Own the end-to-end implementation of dialogue content within the game engine. This includes structuring conversations, setting up branching flows and conditions, integrating VO assets, and implementing triggers, volumes, and state-driven logic. Collaborate with audio and cinematic teams to ensure performances are correctly hooked up, timed, and contextually responsive to gameplay. Maintain clarity, scalability, and performance of dialogue systems across single-player and multiplayer contexts where applicable.
Cross-Discipline Collaboration Work closely with level design, gameplay, art, audio, and cinematic teams to embed narrative meaningfully into all aspects of the player experience. Advocate for narrative needs during development and ensure storytelling opportunities are maximised without compromising gameplay.
Documentation & Communication Create and maintain clear, detailed narrative documentation, including system designs, implementation workflows, VO pipelines, and Confluence pages. Communicate narrative intent effectively across disciplines to ensure alignment and efficient execution.
Iteration & Feedback Continuously refine narrative content based on playtests, team feedback, and production needs. Conduct regular reviews to ensure narrative cohesion, pacing, and emotional impact throughout development milestones.
Planning & Delivery Manage narrative priorities and workload, ensuring timely delivery of assets in line with project milestones. Identify risks, dependencies, and opportunities, and communicate progress clearly to project leadership.
Experience & Qualifications
5+ years of experience in Narrative Design, with at least 1–2 shipped AAA titles in a Senior or Lead capacity (FPS/action experience preferred)
Strong understanding of interactive storytelling, narrative structure, and character development
Hands-on experience implementing narrative content in game engines (e.g. Unreal, Unity, Frostbite)
Familiarity with production tools and pipelines (e.g. Jira, Confluence, Perforce)
Experience designing and implementing branching dialogue and narrative systems
Proven leadership and mentorship skills, with the ability to guide and develop others
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, iterative environment
Passion for military action storytelling and familiarity with the Battlefield franchise
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.
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