2k Games

Senior Manager, Creative Strategy and Planning, Core Games

2k Games$123K — $170K *
Consumer Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8+ years of experience in creative strategy or brand planning within the gaming industry.
  • Expert-level skills in co-authoring franchise-level positioning and creative platforms.
  • Exceptional storytelling and presentation abilities, simplifying complex ideas into actionable plans.
  • Strong conflict resolution experience, effectively managing diplomatic tensions between business and creative teams.
  • Deep passion for gaming with comprehensive knowledge of major franchises and player nuances.

Responsibilities

  • Directly author franchise positioning and strategy frameworks for marketing and studio teams.
  • Maintain strategic continuity through long development cycles for effective creative platforms.
  • Manage a diverse portfolio, balancing new titles with established IPs to maximize impact.
  • Craft concise, actionable creative briefs from complex business objectives for internal teams and agencies.
  • Serve as the strategic liaison, ensuring alignment among marketing teams, creative departments, and studio cultures.
  • Address deviations from brand strategy, asserting the need for course corrections when necessary.
  • Leverage knowledge of media consumption to inform and adapt creative strategies based on player engagement.
  • Oversee the workflow for assigned franchises, aligning stakeholders on brand roadmaps.

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance coverage.
  • 14 paid holidays per year and flexible vacation time (15 to 25 days).
  • Up to 10 paid sick days and parental leave.
  • Wellbeing programs and mental health support.
  • Family planning support through Maven and commuter benefits.
  • Reimbursement for fitness-related expenses.
Full Job Description
What We Need

The Senior Manager, Creative Strategy and Planning is a lead practitioner and "maker" within the Creative Strategy pillar. Reporting to the Director, this role is responsible for the hands-on development of fundamental strategic assets that guide a diverse portfolio of 2K's most iconic "tattoo worthy" franchises. You will act as the primary strategic peer to Creative Directors (CDs), co-authoring foundational assets that serve as the "North Star" for both global marketing campaigns and the game development studios themselves. This position is not just a bridge to agencies, but a tactical anchor that ensures "soulful," high-impact creative direction remains consistent from early pre-production through multi-year launch campaigns.

A core component of this role is partnering directly with Creative Directors (CDs) as a strategic peer to co-author and draft franchise positioning, creative platforms, and franchise-level architectures. This position serves as the primary tactical bridge between Business Units (BUs), internal creative teams, and external agencies-personally translating "cold" business objectives into soulful, high-impact creative direction. The Senior Manager must be a master of "social gymnastics," navigating a multiverse of brands and studio cultures while managing diplomatic tension between business requirements and creative integrity.

What You Will Do

Strategic Co-Authoring, Portfolio Architecture Strategic & Long-Term Architecture
  • Foundational Strategy: Directly author and draft franchise positioning and strategy frameworks that serve as foundational documents for both Marketing and the Studio teams.
  • Long-Cycle Stewardship: Maintain strategic continuity over long development cycles, ensuring the creative platform remains relevant from announcement to launch.
  • Portfolio Balance: Simultaneously manage a diverse portfolio, balancing massive tentpole "new" titles with the maintenance and growth of existing, legendary IP.
  • Creative Briefing: Write and refine concise, compelling creative briefs that translate complex business objectives into actionable direction for internal teams and agencies.

The "Tactical Bridge" & Conflict Resolution
  • Multi-Stakeholder Alignment: Act as the strategic liaison between various marketing teams, internal creative departments, and unique studio cultures
  • Diplomatic Tension: Manage the delicate balance between rigorous business requirements and the creative integrity of the studio's vision, facilitating resolution when goals diverge.
  • Strategic Anchor: Flag when tactical execution deviates from the co-authored brand strategy, having the courage to course-correct high-level stakeholders.

Media Lens & Creative Resonance
  • Apply a deep understanding of the gaming category to ensure creative platforms fit how players discover and engage with the ever changing gaming landscape.
  • Inform creative development through the lens of modern media consumption and channel intent, ensuring creative platforms are "built to fit" how players actually discover and engage with content.
  • Partner with Insights and Marketing Tech teams to validate co-authored strategies through data, making hands-on adjustments to positioning as market conditions evolve.

Project & Stakeholder Liaison
  • Manage the day-to-day strategic workflow for an assigned portfolio of franchises, ensuring all stakeholders (BU, Studio, Agency) remain aligned on the brand roadmap.
  • Present co-authored strategies and positioning to internal stakeholders to gain alignment and drive execution.
  • Contribute to the evolution of standardized creative strategy templates and best practices to scale the "Maker" culture within the pillar.

Who We Think Will Be A Great Fit
  • Situational Adaptability: Adapting approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different franchises, studio cultures, and creative challenges.
  • Action Oriented: Readily taking on challenges, with a focus on producing high-quality strategic work products.
  • Strategic Mindset: Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough, authored strategies for IPs that may not launch for several years.
  • Persuades: Using compelling arguments and high-quality drafts to gain the support and commitment of others, especially during moments of "diplomatic tension."
  • Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others (Creative Directors, BUs, Studios, Agencies) to meet shared objectives.
  • 8+ years of experience in creative strategy, brand planning, or communications strategy, specifically within the gaming industry
  • Expert-level craft in co-authoring franchise-level positioning and creative platforms alongside high-level creative leadership.
  • Passionate Gamer: Deep knowledge of core gaming franchises, marketing playbooks, and the nuances of the core player base.
  • Strong ability to inform creative through a deep understanding of media consumption habits
  • Demonstrated experience in conflict resolution and managing "diplomatic tension" between business and creative stakeholders.
  • Excellent storytelling and presentation skills, with the ability to simplify complex concepts into actionable plans.

The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $123,000 and $170,000 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 and eligibility to participate in our 401(K) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program.Regular, full-time employees are also eligible for a range of benefits at the Company, including: medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage; 14 paid holidays per calendar year; paid vacation time per calendar year (ranging from 15 to 25 days) or eligibility to participate in the Company's discretionary time off program; up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year; paid parental and compassionate leave; wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support; family planning support through Maven; commuter benefits; and reimbursements for fitness-related expenses.

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.

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About 2k Games

2K Games is an American video game publisher based in Novato, California. The company was founded in January 2005 by Take-Two Interactive, and is best known for publishing the NBA 2K series of basketball games. Other popular franchises published by 2K Games include the Borderlands series, the BioShock series, and the Mafia series. The company has also published several licensed games based on popular movies and TV shows, such as The Walking Dead and WWE.
Learn more about 2k Games
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