Manager, Game Studio Design

Get to know The Pokémon Company International

The Pokémon Company International manages the Pokémon property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing and 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: Manager, Game Studio Creative

• Job Summary: The Game Studio Creative Manager role motivates, mentors, supervises, and supports a team of creatives with diverse skillsets, primarily focused on design like game design and user experience design. This manager provides clear and consistent direction to their directs while helping lead, build, and evolve the overall Creative team’s mission through consistency, transparency, and strategic business alignment.

• Along with the rest of the Creative leadership team, this manager will help implement our Creative cultural norms - lead with curiosity, build and offer trust, work out loud, and solve the right problems - as the team collectively supports a globally beloved brand.

• People Manager: Yes

What you’ll do

• Develop your team through coaching, providing timely feedback and establish performance and development plans.

• Mentor current and future leaders, ensuring a constantly rising bar in technical excellence and professional growth.

• Partner with the Creative Director to understand and inform the long-term vision for the Game Studio and our games, and help communicate that vision to the team and your directs.

• Drive a culture of change, excellence and innovation which constructively challenges the status quo and leads to prudent experimentation.

• Drive the team to self-sufficiency in evaluating and prioritizing work with a mixture of coaching and course-correction as appropriate.

• Proactively identify technical, legal, procedural, logistical and communication issues and drive creative solutions to address them and manage risk.

• Partner with teams across Game Studio, the Technical Organization, and company based on project need.

• Coach Creative employees through the end-to-end production process, helping ensure their feature work is well-supported, high-quality, and aligned with business and player needs.

• Understand the full capacity of the team and align on what is considered done. 

• Develop and manage ideation, design, and delivery schedules, balancing resourcing needs and milestone deliverables at a quarterly viewpoint, with an eye to predictability and risk management.

• Contribute to building processes, standardization, and best practices for the Creative team and Game Studio.

• Foster a positive team culture based on listening and learning from each other.

• Develop the skill sets of direct reports and other team members through knowledge sharing.

• Identify, communicate and propose solutions to project risks to the leadership of the company.

What you’ll bring

• Three+ (3+) years of people management experience, plus seven+ (7+) years experience developing mobile/console video games; preference for demonstrated experience on AAA or live-service games.

• Formal training or shipped experience in at least one game-related Design discipline: Game Design is preferred, but will also consider narrative design, UX design, UI design, or related disciplines. 

• Demonstrated leadership capabilities, both as a leader of teams and as a leader of projects - dynamic, strategic and resourceful.

• Experienced in leading creatives in both career growth and strategic planning.

• Ability to communicate with both technical and non-technical audiences, and influence at all levels.

• Ability to work in a highly matrixed environment and identify, define and resolve organizational issues.

• Demonstrable expertise in communicating mobile game industry standards like core loops, FTUEs (First-Time User Experience), narrative gameplay, and “games as a service” along with a solid foundation in game systems and game economies.

• Familiarity with navigating in JIRA, Confluence, and Microsoft Office products.

• A mastery of communicating game design through flowcharts, wireframes, concise documentation, defined core loops, mockups, and even through the sheer power of your charismatic storytelling.

• Consistent track record of focusing on priorities – frequently aligning with stated strategic goals, problem solving, prioritizing against roadmaps, leading multiple activities, and meeting project goals.

• Ability to partner within and across the team to drive successful project outcomes.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously, be highly organized with a keen eye for detail, and be able to quickly respond to leadership ad hoc requests and shifting priorities.

• Excellent organizational, planning, and problem-solving skills.

• Have a growth mindset with the ability to adopt new practices with emphasis on quality and execution.

Base Salary Range: For this role, new hires generally start between $119,000.00 - $158,000.00 per year. The full range is $119,000.00 - $214,000.00 per year. This range is applicable for the labor market where the role is intended to be hired. The final base salary is directly related to the candidate’s qualifications and professional experience uniquely.

#LI-Hybrid #LI-MK1

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.