Senior Manager, Product Marketing

JOB SUMMARY:

SEGA and the Sonic the Hedgehog games team are looking for an experienced, self-motivated marketing professional to fill the role of Sr. Product Marketing Manager for Sonic video games. The ideal candidate is not only a passionate fan of video games but also a critical thinker that is equally passionate – and studious – about the business of video games and the consumer journey.

Reporting to the Director, Product Marketing, the Sr. Product Marketing Manager will be tasked with driving and supporting best-in-class games marketing and commercial performance across the Sonic the Hedgehog portfolio of SEGA games, including recent releases like Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, catalog titles such as Sonic Frontiers, and unannounced titles in the Sonic games roadmap. Working closely with game studio partners, business partners in the Americas, Europe, and Japan offices, and cross-functional marketing teams, the Sr. Product Marketing Manager will both lead and support in the effort to shape global product marketing strategies and to execute winning go-to-market tactical plans – all to meet business objectives for our various products. As an experienced marketer and intuitive collaborator, the Sr. Product Marketing Manager will build new marketing initiatives, solicit effective ideas and support, achieve alignment with contributors and stakeholders, and champion the definition of success and the rationale for it across the business organization.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own, manage, and champion full lifecycle product marketing campaigns while achieving alignment with key stakeholders for the Sonic games portfolio
• Manage direct reports, defining their business objectives, supporting their execution of project tasks, and overseeing their professional development
• Collaborate with cross-functional and regional marketing teams to ensure tactical executions are aligned with the marketing strategies and financial objectives of the game product(s)
• Serve as a key liaison to the game studio and product development teams in securing buy-in, support, and participation for product marketing efforts at large
• Execute on all manners of go-to-market functions and opportunities, including consumer product integrations, channel marketing, and partner marketing
• Review, analyze, and leverage a broad range of research and business data to make intelligent decisions on marketing investments
• Manage external agencies and work with internal creative partners to produce best-in-class marketing content, including key art, logos, video trailers, social media content, and other critical assets
• Collaborate with internal partners and external agencies to plan and deploy effective paid advertising campaigns that range in scope and objectives
• Monitor and distill core Sonic community and broader gaming sentiment to help shape communication plans and social media campaigns
• Champion and evolve the voice of the Sonic the Hedgehog and SEGA brands
• Other duties as assigned.
• Working in-office is an essential function of this position.  This requirement of face-to-face interaction is in place to ensure effective supervision, collaboration, and teamwork.  In-office attendance is required for the following reasons:
  • For effective supervision of employees and our work product, which includes ensuring all employees have necessary oversight of their work and access to supervisory assistance, which includes meetings to review work product, deadlines, and status.
  • To foster communication and collaboration among team members, which includes the following: allowing for spontaneous brainstorming sessions and exchanges of ideas, quick access to team members to enable collaborative problem-solving, and stronger cohesion among co-workers and within teams.
  • To enhance the sharing of information necessary to effective job performance and product creation. 
  • To enhance understanding of our stakeholders’ work and business needs, facilitate a more seamless and organic workflow, and ultimately increase efficiency and successful outcomes.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing or equivalent education in relevant fields
• 7+ years experience in a publishing/marketing role within gaming, entertainment, and/or consumer products
• Experience in managing a direct report(s) and directing tasks to internal marketing partners
• Strong experience in organizing and championing a marketing plan from strategy to go-to-market through post-launch
• Strong experience in project managing and collaborating on multiple projects with multiple teams in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Strong understanding of how to appeal to and engage both the endemic gaming audience and the mass gaming consumer
• Highly effective communication skills, including strong visual and oral presentation skills via Powerpoint, Slides, etc.
• Ability to produce and evaluate creative works through the lens of good creative direction, product positioning, and marketing objectives
• Ability to leverage quantitative evidence in building business cases for marketing initiatives and reporting on performance through a framework of KPIs and ROI
• Ability to set proper expectations for timelines, budgets, deliverables, etc. and to meet them with quality and consistency
• Experience in managing multi-million dollar marketing budgets and keeping account of monthly expenses and budget forecasts
• Experience working in a global, multilingual, multicultural business environment
• Ability to work outside of Pacific Time business hours to conduct meetings with Europe and Japan offices 
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally for work purposes