Engagement Manager

Aquent•Seattle, WA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Aquent Studios is seeking a high impact Engagement Manager to lead our embedded agency solution for a premier client in the gaming industry. This is a high-visibility role requiring a unique blend of strategic program management, rigorous business analysis, and empathetic talent leadership. As the primary bridge between the client and our dedicated delivery team, you will act as a "COO" of the account—driving operational excellence, ensuring financial health, and fostering a culture of high performance. The EM owns accurate business and financial management of the engagement, performance management of the team, including resolving HR-related issues, and the continuous improvement of processes and efficiencies. The EM will also be the lead in transitioning, hiring, and on-boarding new members to the team. The EM works with executive leadership to develop, maintain, review and/or disseminate all engagement documentation including business reviews, invoices, and contract change orders. Please note: This is a hybrid role (1 -2days/week). Applicants must be able to commute to the client site located in the Puget Sound region, WA.

Requirements

Minimum 5+ years of experience in account, team and delivery management within an agency or client-side marketing environment managing complex, large-scale accounts.
A deep understanding of the gaming development lifecycle and marketing pipeline.
Proven mastery of program management frameworks, including risk mitigation, resource leveling, and dependency mapping.
Demonstrated ability to juggle high-level account strategy with the granular details of daily deliverables.
Expert level knowledge of project management software (e.g., Asana, Jira, Monday.com) with the ability to build custom reporting dashboards.
Strong competency in business reporting, analyzing burn rates, managing invoices, and navigating contract change orders.
Experience with negotiating project scope and associated pricing so work delivers optimal targets for both our clients and our company.
Ability to interface daily with senior client stakeholders, earning trust through transparency and consistent delivery.
Experience managing distributed or hybrid teams and a track record of developing junior talent into high-performing contributors.

Responsibilities

Define, audit, and evolve workflows to ensure the gaming pipeline—from ideation to live ops—runs at peak efficiency.
Proactively identify bottlenecks in the creative process and implement scalable solutions to increase velocity without sacrificing quality.
Master the client’s internal ecosystem to align project goals with broader business objectives, ensuring seamless cross-functional communication.
Own the reporting suite within project management tools to track team productivity, utilization, and engagement health.
Manage the P&L of the engagement, including accurate forecasting, budget tracking, and the negotiation of project scopes to ensure profitability.
Lead the development and delivery of Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs), translating complex operational data into actionable insights for executive leadership.
Oversee a multidisciplinary team (Designers, Engineers, Copywriters, Producers) with a focus on "right-person-right-task" resource allocation.
Lead the end-to-end talent experience—from strategic hiring and onboarding to performance coaching and HR-related conflict resolution.
Maintain a high-trust, high-accountability environment, providing mentorship and "grace under pressure" leadership during high-stakes gaming launches.
Lead the transitioning, hiring, and on-boarding of new members to the team.
Work with executive leadership to develop, maintain, review and/or disseminate all engagement documentation including business reviews, invoices, and contract change orders.