Position Type:

Location(s):

Santa Monica, California

Date Posted:

Job ID:

134

For nearly 40 years, Naughty Dog has been crafting best-selling, critically acclaimed games that constantly push the boundaries of narrative, gameplay, and technology. Naughty Dog recently released The Last of Us Part II Remastered as well as a current generation remake of The Last of Us Part I for the PS5 . We're also proud to say that The Last of Us Part I is now available for the first time on PC. Currently, we’re busy at the kennel working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and The Last of Us Part II Remastered for PC and we'd love to find talented individuals to join us.

Naughty Dog games have long been lauded for their evocative, character-driven stories and attention to detail. We are committed to innovation within our games and as such have curated some of the top creative and technically innovative minds in the industry. We welcome diverse candidates and believe that a broad range of cultural and life experiences contribute to the overall well-being and success of the studio and the titles we craft together.

The Communications Team is the steward of the identity and reputation of Naughty Dog and its portfolio of best-selling, award-winning games. Our team’s area of responsibility encompasses all aspects of external and internal communications by ourselves or in partnership with our colleagues at Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE).

As the Senior Communications Manager, you will manage all public-facing communications and content for Naughty Dog and its games, including planning, execution, and reporting. Along with the Director of Communications and Content Manager, you will serve as the Naughty Dog representative and day-to-day contact working with our partners at SIE on marketing, public relations, events, promotions, and licensing campaigns from strategy development to execution. You’ll also be a driver of Naughty Dog’s owned-channel external communications, while serving as a key contributor to the Communications Team’s broader internal and external activities.

The position will require high levels of collaboration and communication across multiple stakeholders and cross-functional teams, all with potentially different objectives. This is a meaningful role with growth potential that reports to the Director of Communications. This position is ONSITE IN LOS ANGELES.

What you will do:

DRIVE

Serve as the day-to-day contact with the global SIE organization, partnering with counterparts across Marketing, Public Relations, Product Development, Licensing, Events, agencies, among others
- Collaborate with SIE counterparts to build and execute integrated marketing campaigns
- Evaluate incoming plans, creative, and content in tandem with Content Manager and Director; coordinate review and feedback to ensure they reflect and maintain studio interests, integrity, and align with the vision and theme of our games; ensure quality is reflected throughout
- Attend and participate in meetings and conference calls with SIE counterparts and other partners; lead meetings as assigned
- Proactively report back regularly to supervisor and, as appropriate, studio leadership on key areas, including strategic plans, project status, internal challenges, product updates, and issues
Act as the day-to-day contact with key stakeholders and leadership within the studio, triage updates and stakeholder needs to teams, and partner with the Director of Communications to ensure team goals and studio objectives are clearly communicated and actioned on in a timely and effective manner
- When needed, staff and assist with external and internal facing media opportunities as needs arise. Aid editorial team and production with asset creation and messaging as needed
- On occasion, own development and creation of messaging points for our spokespeople and IP. Work with the Director of Communications to ensure these align and compliment Naughty Dog’s overarching objectives for both our talent and our studio
- Monitor online discussions and events to ensure Naughty Dog is participating and represented, including responding opportunistically or reactively as the situation requires
- Develop a reporting process for internal teams including overall sentiment, engagement, measurement for tactics, and other community highlights showcasing our studio or IP, as requested
- Represent the voice of our community back to internal Naughty Dog and PlayStation conversations, providing status, feedback, and recommendations

MANAGE

Manage assigned projects through completion and build feedback loop
- Use existing project management processes and systems, such as Trello, to input and track requests and tasks; identify areas of improvement, new processes and tools in collaboration with production
- Anticipate challenges, troubleshoot problems, propose solutions, offer recommendations, oversee quality, ensure adherence to deadlines
- Perform research and due diligence to ensure best outcomes; ensure alignment with communicated strategies and objectives
- Set appropriate feedback and approval processes; keeps internal stakeholders informed
Manage and coordinate internal production and approval pipeline for a broad variety of assets including screenshots, video assets, blog posts, key art, marketing copy, messaging, etc.
Collaborate on owned channel communications for the Naughty Dog brand and game franchises across web, social media, video, livestream, and more
- Assist development of objectives and strategy with Director of Communications, Content Manager and Social Media Manager
- Strive to build long-term, sustainable plans and schedules based on communicated strategies and business goals
- Identify and capitalize on organic opportunities and trends; amplify and complement SIE-driven efforts with Social Media Manager
- Develop written content as needed to support plans
- Become an expert user of and leverage reporting and analysis tools, such as Khoros and Meltwater; adjust plans and content based on reporting and analysis of results

EXECUTE

Serve as a spokesperson for Naughty Dog and its games to community and media
Research, write, edit, and proofread content including messaging, scripts, presentations, media alerts, blog posts, social posts, biographies, reports, briefing documents, FAQs, and more
Monitor important online discussions and events to make sure Naughty Dog is participating and represented, including responding opportunistically or reactively as the situation requires
Proactively identify, pitch, and execute areas of opportunity where communication tools, messaging, frameworks, channels, or processes can be improved for Naughty Dog, game franchises, and the Communications Team
Take on additional tasks and responsibilities, as assigned

CONTRIBUTE

Collaborate with the Director of Communications to develop communications strategies and setting objectives for owned channels and opportunities for growth
Active contributor to the first-party PSS community of colleagues; identify and execute opportunities to demonstrate Naughty Dog and personal thought leadership
Assist supervision and coordination of junior members; encourage professional growth, motivate, and provide constructive feedback
Assist with internal communications and initiatives, executing broader Communications Team initiatives and programs

APPROACH

Brings high level of effort and quality to their own work; pushes for creative ideas; is purposeful and enterprising in problem-solving; embraces diverse trends, skills, specialties, and viewpoints
Displays behavior consistent with the Naughty Dog culture; upholds creative, ethical, and legal standards
Focused on continuous improvement and self-development, seeks feedback and incorporates it; is consistently ambitious in setting, tracking, and achieving professional growth goals
Accountable for self and the contribution of others to their projects; earns trust and respect from Leadership and peers
Listens, communicates, and collaborates openly to form strong relationships and rally others to achieve common goals
Proactively reports back to supervisor and others, as needed, on key areas, such as plans, project status, internal challenges, results, etc.

What skills you will use:

Minimum 8-10 years of relevant experience in communications, marketing, brand strategy, and/or related fields within the video game industry
Experience working at a AAA videogame developer is a plus
Excellent writing, grammar, and content-creation abilities across a variety of mediums including written and video
Strong interpersonal, verbal communication, and presentation skills; cultural sensitivity to work with a diverse, international team
Demonstrate initiative; proactive, roll-up-one’s- sleeves attitude and a strong work ethic; ability to work independently
Creativity and out-of-the-box thinking; unbridled curiosity, passion, and strong critical thinking skills
Excellent organization skills and attention to detail
Open and collaborative approach to their work; comfort in a fast-paced organization navigating ambiguity and change
Ability to work concurrently on and effectively prioritize a variety of projects. Adaptable and able to handle multiple tasks and priorities
Ability to objectively interpret player feedback and make actionable recommendations to the development and marketing teams
Software proficiency
Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, etc.), Slack, Google Drive, etc.
Current and emerging social media platforms and working knowledge of social tools for content management, listening, and analytics, such as Spredfast, Meltwater, Khoros, etc.
Project management software and platforms like Trello, Wrike, Microsoft Project, etc.

Sony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All persons will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender (including gender identity, gender expression, and gender reassignment), race (including color, nationality, ethnic, national origin), religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, disability, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, trade union membership or membership in any other legally protected category.

We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees, and embrace diversity. We encourage everyone to respond.

#LI-AB1

The estimated USA base pay range for this zone (Los Angeles area) is listed below. This role may be eligible for additional compensation packages that includes annual bonus and other incentive plans.

Please refer to our Candidate Privacy Notice for more information about how we process your personal information, and your data protection rights.

At SIE, we consider several factors when setting each role’s base pay range, including the competitive benchmarking data for the market and geographic location.

Please note that the base pay range may vary in line with our hybrid working policy and individual base pay will be determined based on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location.

In addition, this role is eligible for SIE’s top-tier benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, matching 401(k), paid time off, wellness program and coveted employee discounts for Sony products. This role also may be eligible for a bonus package.

The estimated base pay range for this role is listed below.

$143,000—$178,000 USD

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