Design Project Manager (18-month Fixed Term Contract)

Get to know The Pokémon Company International

The Pokémon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing, marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment, and the official Pokémon website. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children's entertainment properties in the world.

Learn more online at corporate.pokemon.com and pokemon.com.

Get to know the role

• Job Title: Design Project Manager (18-month Fixed Term Contract)
• Job Summary: This role will be central to improving workflows, identifying bottlenecks, tracking task completion, and increasing overall efficiency.
• FLSA Classification (US Only): Exempt
• People Manager: No

What you’ll do
 

Project Flow & Traffic Management

• Manage and monitor the flow of design projects through Workfront and Esko WebCenter, ensuring accurate task setup, file tracking, and on-time delivery.
• Coordinate between designers, project managers, and production partners to ensure clarity on project timelines, dependencies, and requirements.
• Serve as the central communication hub for designers—fielding questions, providing updates, and managing file routing to downstream partners.
   

Scheduling & Prioritization

• Collaborate with design managers to plan and balance designer workloads, flag potential risks, and help prioritize critical deliverables.
• Track project milestones and anticipate when delays or reassignments might impact downstream components (e.g., pack-out dates, print timelines).
• Maintain an active view of EWC status dashboards and project timelines, ensuring all design elements are moving through the approval pipeline efficiently.
   

Communication & Risk Reporting

• Develop and share regular status updates, including weekly reports to leadership and bi-weekly syncs with design managers.
• Identify and escalate red flags across projects early, working cross-functionally to clear roadblocks.
• Collaborate with Production and PM partners to align on launch timelines, deliverable dependencies, and continuous improvement initiatives.
   

Process Improvement

• Collaborate with design managers and the Continuous Improvement PM on ways to improve routing, traffic flow, and file delivery.
• Contribute to PLM implementation efforts as they impact the design lifecycle, with an eye toward building efficient, scalable systems.
   

What you’ll bring

• 5–7 years of experience supporting or managing design workflows, ideally in packaging, marketing asset development, or trading card game (TCG) /game industries.
• Strong background in project coordination or traffic management within creative/design or agency environments.
• Familiarity with project management systems (Workfront required), and design review software (Esko WebCenter or equivalent).
• Experience managing deliverables for cross-functional creative teams, including design, production, and marketing.
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills across varied teams and personalities.
• Strong attention to detail, organization, and ability to prioritize in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience with Adobe Creative Suite is a plus (but not a design role).
• Localization experience is helpful.
• Proactive mindset with the ability to both follow through and flag potential improvements to current systems
• Creative-Focused Support: You enable creatives to focus on design by lifting administrative and project-tracking tasks off their plates.
• Strategic Awareness: You see the big picture, identify interdependencies, and act early to prevent issues downstream.
• Operational Expertise: You don’t just track tasks—you manage flow, improve process, and anticipate what’s needed before it’s asked.
• Adaptability & Initiative: You thrive in ambiguity, helping to define a growing role while staying cool under pressure.
• Cross-Team Collaboration: You build strong relationships across teams, becoming a go-to for project clarity, timing, and logistics.

Base salary range: For this role, new hires generally start between $105,000 - $125,000 The full range is $105,000 - $157,000. This range is applicable for the labor market where the role is intended to be hired. The final base salary is directly related to each candidates’ qualifications and experience uniquely.

#LI-Hybrid #LI-CK1

How you’ll be successful

• Passion for Pokémon: Develops an understanding of the Pokémon brand, the impact it has on our people, culture, business, fans, and communities, and applying that knowledge and passion to everything you do.
• Challenging the Expected: Approaches challenges with curiosity and creativity, embracing the possibility of failure as an opportunity to learn something new, develop innovative ideas, solve complex problems and identify unique opportunities.  
• Integrity and Respect: Demonstrates integrity and respect by leading with empathy, listening to others, seeking out different perspectives, and taking personal responsibility for decisions, actions, and results.
• Dedicated to Quality: Takes ownership to maintain and promote high standards, looks for new ways to learn and improve, and embraces a growth mindset to seek and apply feedback from others in an effort to continuously improve. 
• Building Relationships: Develops and strengthens relationships, adopting a “team first” mentality and working collaboratively to solve problems and meet shared goals.  
• Delighting Customers: Listens and understands the interests and needs of our customers and stakeholders, making them feel heard and important, and embracing these learnings to continue delivering a unique Pokémon experience.

What to expect

• An innovative culture driven by impact, delivering meaningful outcomes.
• Company events that celebrate the spirit of Pokémon.
• Competitive cash-based compensation programs.
• 100% employer-paid healthcare premiums for you.
• Generous paid family leave.
• Employer-paid life insurance.
• Employer-paid long and short-term income protection insurance.
• US Employees: 401k Employer Matching.
• UK/IRE/MX Employees: Pension Employer Contributions.
• Fitness reimbursement.
• Commuter benefit.
• LinkedIn learning.
• Comprehensive relocation package for certain roles.
• Hybrid work environment.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this role. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Employees may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed. For roles in the United Kingdom, candidates will need the right to work. In some cases, and for some roles, the Company may be able to arrange a visa. For roles in Ireland, this role requires candidates to have the right to live and work in the Republic of Ireland. However, we welcome applications from all nationalities and may consider supporting an employment permit application, in appropriate and suitable cases.

The Pokémon Company International is committed to the inclusion of all qualified applicants for consideration in our job application process. If you require reasonable accommodation to complete a job application, pre-employment testing, or a job interview, or to otherwise participate in the hiring process, please contact the Talent Acquisition team at accommodationrequest_ta@pokemon.com.