Manager, Competitive Programs

The Pokémon Company International•Bellevue, WA

21h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Manager of Competitive Programs will drive the competitive live operations for the path to the Pokémon World Championships covering multiple product categories. This role is responsible for managing a team which will drive the planning and execution of competitive events, as well as developing long-term plans with game developers, evaluating the competitive landscape, and leading the creation of systems that qualify players from North America, Europe, Latin America, MESA, and Oceania to the annual Pokémon World Championships with a focus on increasing annual engagement and long-term value. Key responsibilities include the development and review of competitive event schedules, point systems, player rewards, game incentives, budgets and event reports, as well as a commitment to developing career paths for team members and contributing to the development of TPCi’s overall competitive vision.

Requirements

Five+ (5+) years of relevant professional experience, plus two (2+) years of people management experience, managing a team(s) of direct reports.
Bachelors degree required.
Five+ (5+) years of experience in esports, competitive gaming, events or sports management.
Deep knowledge and passion for competitive systems and player engagement mechanisms, including competitive formats including single elimination, double elimination, swiss, and round robin.
Proven success in managing and a passion for developing a team of diverse skill sets and backgrounds including with multi-office reports.
Excellent process-oriented analytical skills with proven ability to manage multiple projects at once.
Expert in competitive systems including season long qualification planning and point design.
Outstanding communication skills with the ability to work across teams and communicate competitive gaming priorities at the team, department, executive, and company levels.
Ability to understand and provide constructive review of floorplans, network diagrams and other technical requirements for tournament play hardware such as mobile phones and the Nintendo Switch.
Ability to adapt to changing deadlines, emerging needs, policy changes, and the variety of quick pivots which can happen in events and product development.
Ability to operate at a strategic level to define new competitive opportunities and build towards desired outcomes.
Experience working with external partners, particularly international ones.
Knowledge of and a willingness to learn more about the brand is a must. Ability to become a SME of multiple products at a competitive level is a must.
Travel required, approx. 6-8 weeks/year.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.

Nice To Haves

While passion for the Pokémon brand is a plus, it is not required.

Responsibilities

Manage and develop team members responsible for strategic execution of various competitive products such as the Pokémon TCG, VG, Pokémon UNITE, and Pokémon GO.
Oversee the global qualification process for multiple products across North America, Europe, Latin America, MESA, and Oceania.
Plan, budget, and allocate support in line with underlying business and company priorities for each product.
Develop quarterly and annual goals meeting department and company objectives.
Manage competitive program and live ops calendars, as well as oversee the creation of prizing tables, digital rewards, and other player incentives.
Lead and partner with internal and external teams, including game developers, to build the path to Worlds for multiple products.
Work closely with Organized Play, Marketing, Legal, Broadcast and Events teams to ensure the path to Worlds is supported as designed.
Conduct annual performance evaluations for reporting team members.
Develop standards of documentation, tracking, and system design to ensure a consistent and fair approach in annual qualification to Worlds.
Generate event reports for internal stakeholders and track KPIs for each competitive product and provide updates in relation to company goals and objectives.
Advise game product development teams on any relevant product concerns relating to competitive players based on player research and trends.
Collaborate closely with Trust and Safety, Legal, and game development teams to manage creation and revisions of rulesets, penalties, and related guidelines so that they may be clearly applied to competitive events.
Provide leadership for industry objectives, strategy, and content to ensure that competitive pillars are appropriately designed and supported.
Develop the competitive gaming market data needed to support the customer journey to grow player engagement.
Negotiate contracts and manage relationships with external vendors globally.