Product Planning Associate

Role: Product Planning Associate
Company: SEGA Europe Ltd
Location: Building 12, Chiswick Business Park, 566 Chiswick High Road, London, W4 5AN

Job Summary:
SEGA of Europe’s Product Planning team is a centralised team of administrators who oversee the business approvals process – the means with which SEGA of Europe developers secure their budgets for their titles.
 
Your role will be to co-ordinate all SEGA of Europe titles through the various stages of the business approvals process. You’ll liaise with stakeholders across central and studio teams to ensure information is gathered for submissions, that submissions meet the required criteria and that they are completed to schedule.
 
As part of this team, you will be exposed to a huge breadth of information; from development planning and risk assessments to marketing and advertising campaigns. As your role is primarily co-ordination, you will also find yourself working with most departments across the central business and several studio teams.
 
Regular communication with executive management is part of our day-to-day,  and you will be able to spend more time with senior staff during the regular and cross-company meetings that the team hosts.
 
This role is ideal for a new graduate or junior videogames industry worker who wishes to gain a holistic view on the nature of games development and publishing.

Key Responsibilities:

• First point of contact for general enquires from studio, SEGA of Europe (SOE), SEGA of America (SOA) and SEGA of Japan (SOJ) teams. Work closely with SOE studios on the best timing for project approvals, in line with stakeholder requirements across studios and Company-wide best practices.
• Co-ordinate the relevant approval meetings, inviting key stakeholders.
• Liaise with studios, SOE, SOA, and SOJ departments, using team meetings and ad-hoc discussions to track the status of submissions materials.
• Assess submissions materials & documentation to ensure consistency of information and alignment with original approval request.
• Identify any issues with submissions at the earliest stage. Proactively take action to ensure problems are dealt with before they become blockers to a swift approval.
• Minute taking of key meetings, logging action points, ensuring that outstanding tasks are suitably followed up on.
• Translate documents including Power Point presentations and minutes from English to Japanese and vice versa (where relevant).
• Create, submit and track approval confirmations digitally using the Adobe Sign.
• Create documentation for monthly meetings, using ongoing knowledge of current project status to provide concise and useful updates to the wider SOE group.  

Knowledge, Skill, and Experience:
Essential:

• Proven ability to manage procedures and ability to make recommendations for improvements.
• Excellent time-management and multi-tasking skills.
• The ability to manage upwards and pro-activeness to think ahead, identifying tasks that need to be carried out.
• Motivation to complete tasks on own initiative.
• Excellent Office365 competency, and aptitude for learning new software and tools.
• Clear and concise communicator both written and verbally.
• Fluent English spoken and written skill.
• Fluent Japanese spoken and written skill.
• Openness to understand different cultures.

Desirable:

• A passion for computer video games and a knowledge of the industry.

Behaviours and Competencies:

• Process and detail orientated.
• Confident and professional with ability to communicate to senior stakeholders.
• Ability to react quickly, reschedule and prioritise workload.
• Agile
• Calm when working under pressure.
• Able to build and maintain trust with a variety of personalities.

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging:
 
At SEGA, we celebrate diversity and believe in a diverse, inclusive, and equitable world in which everyone feels valued and respected regardless of what they look like or where they come from. Whether you’re a prospective employee or a full-time member of staff, we want you to feel involved and supported in all aspects of our work and to have amazing opportunities during your time with us regardless of your background. We welcome people regardless of age, race, ethnicity, disability, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, neurotype, socioeconomic background, and whether you’re pregnant or on family leave.
 
SEGA is a place where staff have a voice which is integral to our success as a business. Our inclusive, passionate people are empowered to educate, inform, and build awareness through our inclusion and wellbeing staff led values groups which include DEN (Disability Employee Network), RISE (Reinforcing Inclusion through Solidarity and Equality), Women at SEGA, PRIDE, SEGA Minds (group supporting mental health), Momiji (group that celebrates our Japanese heritage, language, and culture) and VIBE (our social and engagement committee).