Director, Organized Play - TCG

Fanatics Collectibles•Seattle, WA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Fanatics TCG is a new Seattle-based trading card game studio within the Fanatics Collectibles family, founded by industry veterans with a long-term mandate: to build enduring franchises that live across tabletop, digital, community, and culture. We're looking for the most skilled and passionate talent in the games industry and beyond to help us create the best trading card games in the world. We’re seeking a Director of Organized Play who has designed and run programs that served players from their first local game night through regional qualifiers and premier events. You know how to strike the balance between competitive integrity and the kind of accessibility that keeps ecosystems healthy for the long term. You understand organized play as one of the most powerful levers a TCG has: it builds community, drives product engagement, and defines the competitive identity of a game. You’re ready to build organized play systems that bring the joy of community and competition to players around the world.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in organized play, competitive gaming operations, or a closely related field, with direct experience at a major trading card game publisher or game company
Proven track record of designing and scaling OP programs — from local event structures through premier competitive circuits — with a deep understanding of what drives player participation and retention at each tier
Experience building and managing judge or TO programs, including community development, training systems, and dispute resolution frameworks
Strong product and commercial instincts: you understand how organized play drives game health, product sell-through, and long-term franchise value
Experience working cross-functionally with game design, marketing, and retail teams to integrate OP into broader product and go-to-market planning
Comfort operating in an early-stage environment — defining programs that don’t yet exist, making calls with incomplete information, and building infrastructure that can scale
Genuine passion for trading card games and deep respect for the competitive player community

Nice To Haves

Systems thinker who can design organized play structures that are simple to participate in, hard to game, and scalable across titles and regions
Strong communicator who can represent the OP function clearly to internal leadership and externally to the player and organizer community
Player-first orientation — you advocate for the player experience in rooms focused on shorter time horizons
Highly collaborative and effective across functions; able to work with game designers, marketers, retail partners, and digital product teams without losing sight of the end player
Analytical and data-literate: able to define meaningful OP metrics, interpret participation and retention data, and translate findings into program improvements
Calm under the pressure of live events and competitive seasons; experienced managing the operational complexity of large-scale tournaments

Responsibilities

Own the strategy, design, and execution of Fanatics TCG’s organized play programs across the full competitive spectrum — from casual and store-level events through regional circuits and premier championships
Define the structural philosophy of our OP ecosystem: qualification pathways, prize support, format philosophy, competitive tiers, and the balance between competitive and casual play that sustains long-term player engagement
Build and manage judge and tournament organizer programs, including certification, training, community development, and ongoing support infrastructure
Partner closely with the Director of Play and Retail Ecosystems to ensure organized play and retail activation are mutually reinforcing — aligning event formats, product timing, and store support to drive participation at every level
Work cross-functionally with trading card game Leadership, Product, Marketing, and Commercial teams to ensure OP programs are integrated into game design, set lifecycle planning, and go-to-market strategy from the start
Define and track the metrics that matter for OP health — participation rates, event growth, player retention, and competitive ecosystem balance — and use them to continuously improve
Represent the organized play function with external stakeholders including tournament organizers, local game stores, regional operators, and the competitive player community
Build a lean, high-impact team capable of designing and executing multiple world-class organized play programs as the studio’s game portfolio grows