Manager, Royalty (Finance and Accounting)

At Electronic Arts, our finance teams are essential partners to the business, delivering strategies that allow us to create amazing experiences for our players. The Global EA Royalty team (GEAR) manages all worldwide license and partner development contracts, pertaining to game development for all Studios, as well as third party and distribution contracts. GEAR's direct internal business partners are Studio Finance, Corporate Finance, Financial Planning & Analysis, Business Development and Legal. The group manages over 700 contracts. Our mission is to affect profitable business strategy and to influence the adoption of best practices in license and developer agreements by designing and leading effective royalty processes and by providing timely insights. In this role, you will help maintain our partnerships with industry leaders and some of the world's best-known brands. You will gain broad exposure and hands-on experience across a variety of areas, building a well-rounded portfolio of skills. You will work a hybrid work model defined as three days on-site from an EA office and will report to the Senior Manager, Royalty.

We are a team that values collaboration, continuous learning, and diverse perspectives. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where you can bring your authentic self to work.

What You Will Do:

As a Manager on our Royalty Accounting team, you will play a key role in our financial operations. This is a fantastic opportunity to expand your influence beyond traditional accounting; you will be essential to the close process and will also partner with business teams to help shape our contracts, financial forecasts and strategic planning.

● You will interpret and manage complex licensing and development contracts, setting them up in our Alliant Royalty System and assessing them against accounting policies and external guidance.

● You will be a hands-on contributor to our accounting close, actively participating in the monthly, quarterly, and year-end processes.

● You will prepare and present key financial reports and analyses during close meetings, translating data into actionable insights for business partners.

● You will manage financial commitments related to our contracts, including prepaid advances, milestone payments, minimum guarantees, and royalty disbursements.

● You will own the reconciliation for Prepaid Royalties and Royalty Payable accounts.

● You will act as a vital link between our business partners (like Studio Finance and Legal) and the accounting team, ensuring financial processes align with business objectives.

● You will help guide and mentor colleagues, sharing your expertise in royalty accounting matters.

● You will contribute to forecasting and planning, and lead projects to streamline our accounting processes.

What You Will Bring:

Must-Have Qualifications:

● A Bachelor's Degree in Accounting or a related field.

● A minimum of 6 years of progressive accounting experience, with direct involvement in month-end/quarter-end close cycles.

● Solid understanding of US GAAP principles.

● Experienced with explaining complex accounting concepts to non-financial stakeholders.

● A collaborative mindset and experience working across different teams and functions.

● Experience leading projects or mentoring team members.

● Willing to work with teams in different time zones and cultures independently.

● Familiarity with and willingness to adopt AI-powered business tools, including generative AI and LLM applications, to enhance financial analysis, reporting, decision support, and workflow efficiency, while maintaining appropriate standards for data integrity, confidentiality, and compliance.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications:

● Experience reading and interpreting commercial contracts.

● Royalty accounting experience is a significant plus.

● A CPA or an MBA.

● Familiarity with royalty management systems (like Alliant) or experience as a system superuser

● Experience working with Shared Service.