Director, Platform Engineering

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 Pokemon.com and on Facebook (facebook.com/pokemon), YouTube (youtube.com/pokemon), Twitter (twitter.com/pokemon), and Instagram (instagram.com/pokemon).

Get to know the role

• Job Title: Director, Platform Engineering
• Job Summary: This role is a key leader and customer advocate with responsibilities spanning across aspects related to building and maintaining tools, platforms, and services that are shared across TPCi engineering teams. They lead a team of engineers who will simplify and optimize engineering efforts while maintaining a high level of security, scalability, and reliability across the Tech Org. The Platform Engineering team is aligned with a larger service organization that includes Software Quality, Development Operations, Customer Service, Technical Program Management Office, and Data Engineering & Operations. This role will lead, build, and evolve a mission of establishing foundational technology that all product and engineering teams develop upon. This is an opportunity to actively create systems, automation, and establish standards that make the “right thing” the easiest thing to do for a global brand.
• FLSA Classification (US Only): Exempt
• People Manager: Yes

The impact you will make: 

Within 3 months

• Develop rapport and the foundation for trust within the Platform Engineering department. 
• Identify a path forward to establish relationships with key stakeholders and partners. 
• Establish the role the Platform Engineering Director plays in the larger service organization's leadership team. 
• Create a gap analysis identifying core strengths of the team and where opportunities for improvement exist. 

Within 6 months 

• Based on the foundation of TPCi's culture, create an environment within Platform Engineering that generates high engagement from team members and establishes a place where everyone can bring their best selves to their work.
• Map all stakeholders and partners to create clarity on how Platform Engineering should support product and engineering teams across TPCi.
• Contribute to the overall success of the larger service team's purpose and ability to deliver against TPCi's vision and objectives.
• Establish a plan for bringing best practices, tools, and processes to all partner teams that create a foundation for all teams to build upon.

Within 12 months 

• Create a clear roadmap for the technology foundation that allows the Platform Group, Tech Org, and TPCi to continue to meet the needs of our vision and objectives.
• Catalyze change across the organization leading to continuous reflection and improvement of processes, tools, and practices.
• Shape the impact and direction of the larger service team's leadership approach.

What you’ll do  

• Lead, manage, and develop teams of software engineers across multiple products.
• Collaborate with software engineering leadership - managers, directors, and principal engineers - to build and deliver on a long-term vision.
• Actively contribute to the direction and leadership across the larger service team that the Platform Engineering Team is part of.
• Recommend solutions which consider costs, business needs, and system impacts.
• Lead committees or projects to help define organization-wide standards, processes, and guidelines.
• Effectively collaborate with other disciplines within the Technology organization and across TPCi.
• Develop staff through coaching, provide timely performance feedback and assessments, and establish performance and development plans.
• Mentor current and future leaders, ensuring a constantly rising bar in technical excellence and professional growth.
• Drive a culture of change, excellence, and innovation which constructively challenges the status quo and leads to prudent experimentation.

What you’ll bring  

• Twelve+ (12+) years of relevant professional experience, plus five (5) years of people management experience or a demonstrated equivalent level of expertise.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field or a demonstrated equivalent level of applicable experience.
• Demonstrate leadership capabilities, both as a leader of teams and as a leaders of projects - dynamic, strategic, and resourceful.
• Be a skilled communicator who can comfortably work at different levels of the organization, adapting your communication style to the target audience.
• Experience in delivery of large-scale projects involving interaction with a broad spectrum of functions.
• Results oriented with a strong customer focus.
• Ability to work in a highly matrixed environment and identify, define, and resolve organizational issues.
• Have a growth mindset with the ability to adopt new practices and spearhead adoption with emphasis on quality and execution.

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 $202,000.00 - $239,400.00. The full range is $202,000.00 - $303,000.00. 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.