Associate Director, Product Marketing

SEGA OF AMERICA INC•Irvine, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting to the Senior Director of Product Marketing, the Associate Director will lead the marketing strategy and execution for Virtua Fighter and other assigned titles in the Western markets. This role requires a world class skilled marketer and leader to drive player adoption, lifecycle management, cross-functional collaboration, and business planning while ensuring best-in-class marketing campaigns aligned with SEGA’s and studio’s global objectives. The ideal candidate has a proven track record of developing strategic go-to-market plans, ability to execute those plans at tactical level, strong collaborative and communication skills and clear leadership and mentorship skills that inspire innovation and growth within a team dynamic. The position involves owning all aspects of marketing lifecycle management, including portfolio planning, foundational marketing strategy, go-to market execution, postmortem analysis, and long-term catalog performance. It also requires developing and implementing product positioning, audience definition and sizing, and overarching marketing strategies. The Associate Director will provide input into the product Inline/Greenlight process and Western P&L, including strategic recommendations and managing the marketing budget. A key aspect is driving dynamic thinking, innovation, and best practices across marketing and cross-functional teams. The role also entails leading and mentoring cross-functional teams, advocating for Western players’ needs, driving high-impact marketing initiatives, and influencing executive stakeholders. Extensive collaboration is required across communications, public relations, community, sales, creative services, events, paid media, 1st parties, external agencies, development teams, and regional marketing teams in Europe and Japan. The role also involves partnering with brand teams, studio partners, FGC key stakeholders, and Tournament Organizers, serving as a liaison between product and players. Data-driven marketing is essential, including analyzing campaign performance using KPIs and market insights to optimize execution and maximize ROI, and partnering with the marketing strategy team to set and achieve defined KPIs.

Requirements

Working in-office is an essential function of this position.
Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience required.
Typically has 9+ years of experience in marketing.
3+ years of management experience, ideally within gaming and or consumer products.
Demonstrated ability to manage and grow, cultivate, and nurture direct report(s).
Must be a gamer, passionate about the gaming industry and fighting games, with a strong commitment to representing the needs of players.
Demonstrated experience with 1st party console and PC platform partner processes and policies, including optimizing for player journey and discovery.
Proven experience developing, managing, and pitching global marketing campaigns for Fighting Games or eSports-related products, working with regional and cross-functional teams to ensure the vision is executed effectively.
Strong analytical skills necessary to measure campaign effectiveness/ROI and adjust strategies as needed.
Strong project management and analytical skills, with the ability to collaborate with multiple teams on multiple projects in a fast-paced environment, while driving towards shared goals.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a strong attention to detail.
Independent worker with little supervision required and willingness to navigate areas of unfamiliarity while maintaining a positive, professional, collaborative, and flexible attitude.
Able to conduct weekly meetings with Europe and Japan, including occasional meeting outside standard U.S. business hours.
Proven experience working in a layered global environment is required.

Nice To Haves

MBA preferred but not required.
Experience at a major video game publisher or consumer product company, including experience launching Fighting games and multiple successful AAA games is strongly preferred.
Japanese language skills and experience working with Japanese or Asian corporations are a plus but not required.
Experience working at or participating in EVO is a plus.
Working knowledge of recent action-adventure games and like-minded audiences is a plus.

Responsibilities

Own all aspects of marketing lifecycle management across assigned titles, including portfolio planning, foundational marketing strategy, go-to market execution, postmortem analysis, and long-term catalog performance.
Develop, implement, and own product positioning, audience definition and sizing, and overarching marketing strategies.
Provide input into the product Inline/Greenlight process and Western P&L, including development of strategic recommendations and accountability for managing the marketing budget across the portfolio.
Drive dynamic thinking, innovation, and best practices across marketing organization and cross-functional teams to drive best-in class marketing strategy and execution.
Lead cross-functional teams across marketing campaigns, mentoring and empowering team members to foster innovation, accountability, and creative excellence.
Advocate for Western players’ needs and ensure alignment across global marketing strategies.
Function as a change agent and drive high-impact, innovative marketing initiatives, and influencing outcomes using data-driven insights, case studies, and benchmarks.
Lead and influence decision making across key executive stakeholders, including business and game development leadership for the Virtua Fighter and other assigned IP.
Mentor, develop, and empower a team to lead cross-functional marketing campaigns for their assigned titles.
Serve as a collaborative custodian of integrated marketing, coordinating efforts across communications and public relations, community, sales, creative services, events, paid media, 1st parties, external agencies, development teams, and regional marketing teams in the Sega of Europe and Sega of Japan.
Partner closely with brand team counterparts to develop complimentary marketing plans that help grow the audience for Virtua Fighter products and leverage music, consumer products, and other initiatives to amply reach and engagement.
Develop and maintain strong relationships with studio partners, FGC key stakeholders or Tournament Organizers, serving as the voice of the product to players and the voice of the players to developers, including advocating for Western regions and influence into global planning.
Collaborate across U.S., Europe, and Japan cross-functional and international teams to develop globally integrated and innovative community campaigns aligned with strategic KPI’s, financial growth, and engagement goals.
Partner with studio teams to contribute to the adaptation and creation of marketing assets—from trailers to social content—tailored for Western audiences.
Analyze campaign performance using a range of KPIs and market insights to identify marketing trends, optimize marketing execution, and maximize ROI.
Partner with the marketing strategy team to apply targets and goals for marketing campaign and drive accountability among cross functional teams to deliver against defined KPIs.
Perform other responsibilities as assigned or needed.