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The Pokémon Company International

Creative Director, Game Studio

The Pokémon Company International, Tacoma, Washington, United States,


Get to know The Pokémon Company International

The Pokémon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing, marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment, and the official Pokémon website. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children's entertainment properties in the world.

Learn more online at corporate.pokemon.com and pokemon.com. And check out Twitter (twitter.com/pokemon), LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/Pokemon), YouTube (youtube.com/pokemon), and Instagram (instagram.com/pokemon).

Get to know the role

Job Title: Creative Director, Game Studio

Job Summary: Leads the creative team (Design, Art, UX, UI, Audio) within the game studio at TPCi.

FLSA Classification (US Only): Exempt

People Manager: Yes

What you’ll do

Vision and Strategy

Partner with Studio Leadership to set the long-term vision and creative strategy for TCG Live and future games produced by TPCi, model and uphold our core creative principles, measuring our progress towards our strategic goals.

Formulate and implement creative processes and plans that empower our creative team to do their best work and empower the studio to execute against that vision.

Be a champion for our fans by exploring new opportunities for TPCi through research and development and creating strategies for ongoing improvement and game accessibility.

Set clear goals and guide the team to achievement within our quarterly and annual planning processes.

Communication and collaboration

Effectively communicate the established vision to key internal stakeholders, including studio leadership, the development team and marketing partners.

Provide clear, concise direction, feedback, and guidance to the team enabling our team to do their best work.

Review and Quality Assurance

Regularly review creative assets as well as the functional implementation to ensure alignment with product goals and objectives.

Lead regular reviews of internal projects keeping up to date with market trends across the industry.

Project Management and Leadership

Provide Career Management to a team of Managers and Individual contributors within the creative disciplines (Art, Design, UX, UI, Audio).

Demonstrate strong project management skills and ability to maintain a strategic overview of work happening in game design, UX, UI, art, audio and User Research

Inspire passion and creativity within the team through motivational and inspirational leadership.

Input and lead projects at the game studio leadership level such as workshops, events and strategic planning.

Balance creative needs with the needs for performance, visual appeal, scheduling, and fan experience requirements.

What you’ll bring

Twelve or more (12+) years of relevant professional experience, plus five (5) years of management experience or a demonstrated equivalent level of expertise.

Demonstrated leadership capabilities, both as a leader of teams and as a leader of projects - dynamic, strategic, and resourceful.

Bring extensive experience in leading Design, User Experience, UI, Audio, and Art teams, with a solid understanding of all creative disciplines.

Successfully shipped at least one major title in a leadership role.

Ability to communicate with both technical and non-technical audiences, and influence at all levels.

Ability to work in a highly matrixed environment and identify, define, and resolve organizational issues.

Driven Creative leader with exceptional attention to detail.

Have a growth mindset with the ability to adopt new practices and spearhead adoption with emphasis on quality and execution.

Possess strong experience with Pokémon TCG and a deep understanding of the Pokémon brand.

Experience with Unity strongly desired.

How you’ll be successful

Passion for Pokémon: Develops an understanding of the Pokémon brand, the impact it has on our people, culture, business, fans, and communities, and applying that knowledge and passion to everything you do.

Challenging the Expected: Approaches challenges with curiosity and creativity, embracing the possibility of failure as an opportunity to learn something new, develop innovative ideas, solve complex problems and identify unique opportunities.

Integrity and Respect: Demonstrates integrity and respect by leading with empathy, listening to others, seeking out different perspectives, and taking personal responsibility for decisions, actions, and results.

Dedicated to Quality: Takes ownership to maintain and promote high standards, looks for new ways to learn and improve, and embraces a growth mindset to seek and apply feedback from others in an effort to continuously improve.

Building Relationships: Develops and strengthens relationships, adopting a “team first” mentality and working collaboratively to solve problems and meet shared goals.

Delighting Customers: Listens and understands the interests and needs of our customers and stakeholders, making them feel heard and important, and embracing these learnings to continue delivering a unique Pokémon experience.

What to expect

An employee first culture

Company events that celebrate the spirit of Pokémon

Competitive cash-based compensation programs

Base salary range: For this role, new hires generally start between $178,000.00 - $211,850.00. The full range is $178,000.00 - $267,000.00. This range is applicable for the labor market where the role is intended to be hired. Final base salary is directly related to each candidates' qualifications and professional experience uniquely.

100% employer-paid healthcare premiums for you

Generous paid family leave

Employer-paid life insurance

Employer-paid long and short-term income protection insurance

US Employees: 401k Employer Matching

UK/IRE Employees: Pension Employer Contributions

Fitness reimbursement

Commuter benefit

LinkedIn learning

Comprehensive relocation package

Hybrid work environment

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this role. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Employees may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed. For roles in the United Kingdom, candidates will need the right to work. In some cases, and for some roles, the Company may be able to arrange a visa. For roles in Ireland, this role requires candidates to have the right to live and work in the Republic of Ireland. However, we welcome applications from all nationalities and may consider supporting an employment permit application, in appropriate and suitable cases.

#LI-JL1 #LI-Hybrid