Senior Manager, Product Marketing- 2K/Firaxis

Who We Are

MAKE LIFE EPIC

Founded in 1996, Firaxis Games is a world-renowned game development studio with an unwavering mission to “build games that stand the test of time”. The name Firaxis, a fusion of “fiery” and “axis,” communicates the company’s dynamic development process that results in the creation of ground breaking titles with unparalleled gameplay delivered to gamers around the globe. Under the creative direction of industry legend Sid Meier, Firaxis has released dozens of hit games on multiple platforms and is recognized as an industry leader in game development.

We are also a philanthropic studio and offer employees the chance to volunteer with local charities and nonprofits throughout the year. Full-time employees can also take advantage of Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage, 401K retirement savings, a wellbeing initiative with the opportunity to earn cash rewards, an Employee Assistance Program, and paid time off and paid holidays

What We Need

2K is looking for a Senior Product Marketing Manager, to be embedded within our Firaxis studio located in Sparks, Maryland. In this position you will work closely with both the Firaxis Development and 2K Global Marketing teams as we plan for the future of one of gaming’s most beloved franchises. Reporting to the 2K Director of Global Marketing Strategy, the ideal candidate will have a wealth of knowledge about the Firaxis portfolio of titles, especially Civilization, with previous experience in one or more of the following areas: consumer insights and data analytics, game development, product management.

Equal parts consumer advocate and liaison, you are a player advocate working collaboratively with both marketing and development teams to represent, ideate, and help drive marketing initiatives at the studio level in addition to working closely with development teams to ensure we have the right product features and plans to ensure Civilization’s continued reign as the best strategy game on Earth.

What You’ll Do

In this role, you will be passionate about two key success KPIs: improving game quality and driving player engagement. To accomplish these, you will have to wear several different hats: diplomat, strategist, data analyst, and marketing producer. Representing the voice of the consumer, you will work closely with the Development Studio, 2K PD and Global Publishing partners to build detailed profiles of our customers and their gaming needs.

This position will be based onsite 3 days/week at our Firaxis studio in Sparks, MD.

Global Audience & Product Strategy

• Help define and prioritize specific product features needs by working closely with data analytics, consumer insights, and community teams across 2K and Firaxis, to synthesize various inputs into specific feature requests and design improvement suggestions that deliver on the needs of our customers.
• Starting with insights- customer, product, competitor, cultural, macro etc., represent the voice of the consumer, identifying global audience needs and opportunities that will contribute to how we develop our current and future products and inform our strategic marketing planning with a long-term 5-, 3-, and 1- year global perspective.
• Immerse yourself deeply in the Strategy gaming genre and be a product master in terms of Civilization and our top competitors.
• Provide product / competitive expertise for Development, Marketing, and Publishing teams.
• Identify our Audience, by synthesizing game telemetry data, competitive research, consumer insights, community input, etc.) to create detailed profiles of our audience including their needs, motivations, and desired features.
• Work closely with both the Game Development team and Consumer Insights to ensure that we have the correct feature sets and product vision for future products.
• Be able to put on your diplomat hat and work with the game team on how to get these features implemented.

Marketing Strategy & Project Management

• Project tracking, maintaining & updating deliverable dates to ensure timely delivery of global marketing materials from the development team.
• Assist both the development and brand marketing teams with strategic planning and long-term campaign rollouts, and help facilitate various marketing requests of the development team and development requests of the marketing team.
• Liaise closely with both Global Marketing Strategy and Development teams to ensure both are well informed and constantly up to date in terms of scheduling and planning, raising concerns as they come up.
• Present marketing plans and represent marketing during day-to-day Firaxis meetings, all-hands, etc.
• Work closely with the Global Marketing Strategy team to ensure they have everything they need – game information wise – to develop a world-class plan and be a sounding board for how we can execute ideas and in-game activations.
• Act as the embedded representative of the 2K Global Marketing team within the studio, being a champion of the marketing plan and strategic vision during day-to-day interactions with the game development team.

Leadership, Collaboration And Communication

• Be an impactful influencer in a senior role with your direct team, also cross functionally to add value to the product and business strategy, and drive excellence in campaign execution.
• Regularly partner, present and report to 2K and Firaxis stakeholders on marketing campaign progress, including findings, results and recommendations as needed.
• Oversee and/or direct the tasks and progress of direct reports, weekly, if not daily, conducting meetings to touch base, observe, and provide guidance as necessary.

What Will Make You a Great Fit

If you’re a collaborative, data-driven, community advocate who is a passionate strategy gamer/Civilization die-hard fan, you might be the right fit for 2K’s team of award-winning brand marketers. You’ll wake up each day thinking about our players and how we can consistently meet their needs and enjoy working across all the marketing disciplines and development teams to orchestrate execution excellence.

• Excellent analytical, verbal, and written communication/presentation skills and a proven track record of working collaboratively across a number of internal, external, and international teams.
• Results-oriented, self-motivated, extremely organized, and meticulous.
• Understanding of games-as-a-service, virtual goods, and emerging technologies and trends.
• Minimum of 5-7 years’ experience in gaming working with or on a development team or marketing in a producer, data-analyst, marketing, or related field.
• Proactive problem solver and strategist with the ability to think ahead, self-prioritize effectively and contribute cross-functionally.
• Bachelor's degree in marketing, analytics, gaming, or related field required.
• Impeccable project management skills and a high degree of comfort in leading multiple projects.
• A strong foundational understanding of both consumer research and business analytics.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to ensuring that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform their essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us if you need reasonable accommodation.

Please note that 2K Games and its studios never uses instant messaging apps or personal email accounts to contact prospective employees or conduct interviews and when emailing, only use 2K.com accounts.

The pay range for this position in Maryland at the start of employment is expected to be between $109,000.00 and $146,000.00 per Year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations. Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment. If hired, employee will be in an 'at-will position' and the company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation or benefit program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.