Program Manager, Business Operations (Bilingual Japanese & English)

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.

About the role: We’re looking for a bilingual, growth-minded professional with a passion for brand, business, and operational excellence to join the CPEO (Chief Product & Experience Officer) Office as a Program Manager, Business Operations. The CPEO Office partners with the Chief Product & Experience Officer to strengthen organizational capabilities that empower the Product & Experience Organization to unleash quality, creativity, and integrity at scale. In this role, you’ll help shape and operationalize key processes that drive our business forward - starting with intellectual property and royalty management. You’ll build new workflows, develop documentation, and support training programs under the guidance of the Director, CPEO Office. In addition, you’ll manage organizational cadences, research market opportunities, support other projects/tasks under CPEO, and collaborate with stakeholders across the U.S., Europe, and Japan to ensure alignment and impact.

What you’ll do:

• Collaborate with CPEO, Director of CPEO Office, Accounting Controller, and Legal Counsel in London and Seattle to assess royalties for emerging use cases by analyzing governing agreements and historical interpretations, ensuring accurate and timely reporting.
• Serve as the first point of contact for business teams regarding new use cases of the Pokémon IP and their implications on royalty reporting.
• Track and manage all open royalty-related items using a project management tool, supporting CPEO in overseeing royalty operations to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
• Develop comprehensive documentation covering IP details, royalty arrangements, governing agreements, historical context, reporting requirements, etc., and create training resources for business teams.
• Participate in calls with Corporate Planning and Accounting teams in a group company in Japan, using Japanese for meetings, documents, and emails.
• Offer flexible support to CPEO on priority initiatives and ad-hoc tasks, such as researching emerging opportunities and creating presentation materials, to ensure organizational objectives are met.
• Travel to the Seattle office several times a year to work closely with key stakeholder teams.

What you’ll bring:

• 4+ years of experience in program/project management, operational process standardization/optimization in a rapidly evolving organization, or equivalent roles within multinational or culturally diverse environment.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field or a demonstrated equivalent level of applicable experience.
• Near-native/fluent level of verbal and written communication skills in English and Japanese, with ability to create clear, compelling presentations and documentation.
• Working knowledge of business models, contracts, and financial concepts, combined with strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Proven ability to build and operationalize business processes from scratch, creating clarity and structure in unstructured environments.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills to manage multiple tasks and deliver high-quality outcomes, with keen attention to detail.
• Ability to manage senior leadership-level communications and stakeholder relationships.
• High learning agility and willingness to grow while contributing to the long-term success of the brand.
• Experience in IP portfolio management, business consulting, financial planning, or operational process improvement preferred; exposure to entertainment, media, or global IP-driven industries is a plus.

Base Salary Range: For this role, new hires generally start between £59,000.00 - £70,300.00 per year. The full range is £59,000.00 - £89,000.00 per year. This range is applicable for the labor market where the role is intended to be hired. The final base salary is directly related to the candidate’s qualifications and professional experience uniquely.

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 this learning to continue delivering a unique Pokémon experience.

What to expect:

• An innovative culture driven by impact, delivering meaningful outcomes.
• Company events that celebrate the spirit of Pokémon.
• Competitive cash-based compensation programs.
• 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/MX Employees: Pension Employer Contributions.
• Fitness reimbursement.
• Commuter benefit.
• LinkedIn learning.
• Comprehensive relocation package for certain roles.
• 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. The Pokémon Company International is committed to the inclusion of all qualified applicants for consideration in our job application process. If you require reasonable accommodation to complete a job application, pre-employment testing, or a job interview, or to otherwise participate in the hiring process, please contact the Talent Acquisition team at accommodationrequest_ta@pokemon.com.