Senior Manager/Associate Director, Studio Strategy and Operations

Your Platform

Founded in 1979, Activision has continuously disrupted the world of entertainment as a leader in the videogame industry. With a history of delivering iconic innovators -- like Pitfall®, Tony Hawk®, Guitar Hero®, Crash Bandicoot™, Skylanders™ and Call of Duty® -- our obsession is delighting our players around the globe. Focused and committed to innovation, we consistently deliver the most beloved, engaging and successful entertainment.

And while we have world-class franchises, infrastructure and resources, our success comes from a passionate, dedicated and diverse team of people producing greatness together. So, if you’re interested in our biggest priority, it’s our people.

We’re currently driving the next era for our company and community by creating amazing experiences for fans and continuing to make Activision an inclusive place where everyone can thrive!

Join us, make history. To learn more, check us out at www.activision.com, www.activisiongamesblog.com or @Activision on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

The Team

We are versatile, flexible and strategic hustlers passionate about content and creative talent. We take pride in proactively discovering opportunities to help our teammates to do their best work and championing studio initiatives in the dynamic world of gaming.

The Studio Strategy and Operations team is a part of the broader Call of Duty Development (incl. studios, production management, publishing ops, studio strategy and operations) and works closely with Activision COO, Head of Development and Head of COD Operations.

The Studio Strategy and Operations team is responsible for overseeing the operational and strategic aspects (studio dev resourcing management, investment, studio expansion, planning, etc) for all Activision studios (Infinity Ward, Treyarch, Sledge Hammer, High Moon Studios, Raven, Beenox, Toys for Bob, Shanghai Studio, Demonware). Among other things, the Studio Strategy and Operations Team also manages the organizational events such as game Green Light process, operational governance reviews, and Special Projects etc. The team collaborates with a wide range of functions across Activision Publishing functions and studios to develop operational processes/strategies and streamline information exchange, drive efficiency and creative insight to support our world-class games and drive studio business goals.

Associate Director, Studio Strategy and Operations
The Associate Director, Studio Strategy and Operations will play a pivotal role in working with Activision’s 9 world-class game studios and will report to the VP, Studio Studio Strategy and Operations.

The role will focus on studios’ resource planning, operational excellence, rhythm of business coordination, business reviews, and other key projects. The role will also support Head of Call of Duty Operations in developing business strategies, competitive analysis, and project managing strategic initiatives for studios. A great candidate will have the ability to think strategically at a global level and effectively develop key processes, procedures, and communications that facilitate planning and execution of key priorities.

This position requires extensive cross-group coordination at all levels, excellent communication skills (both written and verbal), and the ability to build internal/external relationships. The position also requires great leadership skills to onboard new analyst(s) as well as manage cross functional teams.

You will partner with our studios as well as our central studios organization to develop studio strategies around operational and resourcing issues, build the analytical support and documentation to align key stakeholders across the organization on the recommended path forward, and drive the execution of those strategies across multiple stakeholder groups within the organization.  We are looking for self-starters who can work in a rapidly changing gaming industry, tolerate ambiguity, and demonstrate problem-solving leadership with limited oversight.

Studio Strategy and Operations

• Drive studio game development resourcing strategy according to content slate (e.g., optimal teaming, outsourcing, best practice alignment, studio expansion)

• Lead resource planning for all nine Activision studios and interface with various levels of management across studios

• Manage analyst(s) to operationalize a monthly process to report/track long-range (3 year) studio resource planning and build ad-hoc analysis

• Leading cross-functional projects to develop strategic recommendations for Activision Executive Leadership Team on key investment decisions (international studio expansion, external dev resourcing, cutting-edge motion capture technology) the studios organization needs to make

• Manage cross studio HC movement in the system, escalation process and HC approval process

• Partnering with Finance to proactively monitor budgets

• Developing an analytical culture using historical and current operational data to drive predictive analytics for the studios

Strategic Initiatives

• Taking on individual projects as required by the business. For example: Developing long-term strategies for various parts of the organization, improving reporting, and forecasting to provide transparency into the business for other stakeholders, and drive recommendations with analytical rigor

• Being an agent of change who drives execution of cross-team projects to optimize organizational performance

• Supporting in developing, implementing, and monitoring strategies to achieve the organization’s long-term goals and objectives

• Ensuring processes are implemented across the studios organization. May be required to participate as a team member on highly complex projects which are at the utmost highest priority for the organization

Ideal Profile:

• Bachelor Degree; MBA strongly preferred

• Minimum of 6+ years in top management consulting, investment banking, corporate development, or project management/business operation

• Demonstrated success in developing new processes and/or improving existing ones

• Strong leadership; experience in people management and managing projects across departments, stakeholders, and cross functional teams

• Proven ability to summarize analyses and recommendations and present to executive leadership team is a must; proficiency with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint required

• Interest in driving companies towards operational excellence

• Excellent and persuasive communicator, capable of dealing with a wide variety of internal and external partners

• Strong attention to detail but ability to think, operate, and communicate at an executive level

• Strategic thinker but also able to operate on a tactical level to manage the day-to- day operations of the department; must be comfortable with all degrees of ownership

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and willingness to operate with reasonable flexibility

• Integrity, excellent judgment, and discretion

Our World

At Activision, we strive to create the most iconic brands in gaming and entertainment. We're driven by our mission to deliver unrivaled gaming experiences for the world to enjoy, together. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot™, Tony Hawk’s™ Pro Skater™, and Guitar Hero®. As a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and products, our “press start” is simple: delight hundreds of millions of players around the world with innovative, fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment experiences.

We’re not just looking back at our decades-long legacy; we’re forging ahead to keep advancing gameplay with some of the most popular titles and sophisticated technology in the world. We have bold ambitions to create the most inclusive company as we know our success comes from the passionate, creative, and diverse teams within our organization.

We’re in the business of delivering fun and unforgettable entertainment for our player community to enjoy. And our future opportunities have never been greater — this could be your opportunity to level up!

Ready to Activate Your Future?

Activision is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.