Director, Partner Success

Team Name:

Job Title:

Director, Partner Success

Requisition ID:

R027748

Job Description:

Blizzard Entertainment creates iconic worlds and epic entertainment experiences for millions of players around the globe. Behind every launch, every update, and every piece of content delivered through Battle.net is a team that makes it possible for our game teams and platform to move together as one. That team is Partner Success.

We are looking for a Director, Partner Success to lead the team that serves as the connective tissue between Blizzard’s game teams and the Battle.net platform. Partner Success Managers are elite technical program managers who partner with game teams and Battle.net teams to launch PC, console, and mobile content across the Battle.net ecosystem, from alphas and betas to global launches, while owning the end-to-end relationship and integration journey that makes those launches successful.

In this role, you will own the holistic studio-to-platform partnership. Your team is the primary point of contact for game teams, responsible for ensuring integrations are scoped, recommending platform features and integration paths, and shepherding every release from intake through launch. You will set the standard for how game teams experience Battle.net.

You will lead integrations in close partnership with the Solutions Architects (SAS) in Platform Integrations. Where your team owns the studio relationship,  the SAs serve as the engineering arm: the first line of engineering support, the integration point of contact for technical execution, and the providers of white-glove engineering support. Together, your two functions form the backbone of healthy, reliable integrations across the platform.

This role reports to the Senior Director, Platform Operations, Battle.net & Online Products.

Responsibilities

• The responsibilities below are split into two groups: those you own directly as the Director, and those your team of Partner Success Managers owns day-to-day under your leadership.
• Director Responsibilities
• Build and Lead a Healthy & Effective Team: Lead, mentor, and grow a small team of Partner Success Managers. Recruit and retain top talent, set clear goals, coach toward growth, and cultivate an inclusive environment where people do the best work of their careers.
• Own Senior Partner & Stakeholder Relationships: Serve as the senior point of contact for Blizzard game team and Battle.net leadership. Build executive trust, set the tone for how the platform partners with game teams, and step in on the highest-stakes or most sensitive partner situations.
• Set Integration Direction with Solutions Architects: Partner with Solutions Architect leadership to define how integrations are scoped, prioritized, and delivered. Align the two functions, resolve cross-team blockers, and hold overall accountability for healthy, durable integrations.
• Shape Release Roadmaps & Platform Strategy: Maintain a forward-looking, portfolio-level view of release roadmaps for game team and platform leadership. Use the insight your team gathers from owning game team relationships to inform platform feature and integration strategy.
• Ambassador for the Platform: Represent the Battle.net platform to the game teams, and represent their needs back to the platform. Advocate for solutions that serve players, game teams, and the long-term health of the ecosystem.
• Manage Organizational Complexity: Navigate competing priorities, ambiguity, and many simultaneous launches across the portfolio. Bring structure and clarity to the team and its partners where others see chaos.
• Drive Change & Develop Work Systems: Identify gaps in how the team and its partners operate, and build the processes, tools, and systems that scale. Lead change thoughtfully and bring others along.
• Nurture a Healthy Development Environment: Champion the practices, communication, and culture that allow game teams and the platform to collaborate effectively and ship with confidence.

Partner Success Team Responsibilities

• Own Day-to-Day Game Partner Relationships: Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned game teams. Build trust, understand each team's goals and constraints, and ensure Battle.net consistently shows up as a reliable, value-adding partner.
• Shepherd Game Team Requests Through Development: Champion game team requests by pushing them through the platform intake process, then shepherd each request through development. Track dependencies, manage progress, and report back to game teams so they always know where their requests stand.
• Plan and Execute Partner Initiatives: Apply traditional technical program management craft to plan and execute the initiatives driven by partner requests. Define schedules, milestones, dependencies, and risks, and drive cross-functional execution from kickoff through delivery.
• Plan Integrations with Solutions Architects: Partner directly with the Solutions Architects to ensure integrations are scoped, recommend platform features and integration paths, and plan deprecations for assigned game teams.
• Drive Game Launch Release Management: Manage release management across alphas, announcements, betas, and global launches. Own launch punchlists, readiness checks, and cross-team dependencies to a high bar of operational excellence.

Requirements

• 10+ years of technical program management, partner management, or operations experience, including significant experience leading and growing teams.
• Demonstrated success owning complex, cross-functional programs from intake through delivery in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
• Experience partnering with engineering and technical teams; sufficient technical fluency to collaborate effectively with engineers and represent integration considerations to game teams.
• A track record of building and managing strong relationships with senior stakeholders and partner teams.
• Strong understanding of release management and launch operations for software, games, or live-service products.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate between technical and non-technical audiences and to influence without authority.
• Proven ability to establish process and structure (intake, prioritization, roadmaps, and reporting) that scale across many partners.
• Comfort with ambiguity and a bias toward action; able to make sound decisions with incomplete information.
• Experience managing competing priorities across multiple concurrent launches or initiatives.
• Passion for games and for delivering great experiences to players.
• Pluses
• Experience in the games industry or with live-service platforms.
• Familiarity with platform integration concepts, developer/partner ecosystems, or studio-to-platform technical workflows
   

Your Platform

At Blizzard Entertainment, we pour our hearts and souls into everything we create. Best known for iconic game universes including Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and StarCraft®, we’ve been creating genre-defining experiences for millions of players around the world for more than 30 years. Hard work, iteration, and polish go into the Blizzard “secret recipe,” but the most important ingredients come from talented people who share our vision.
 

Our World

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., a division of Activision Blizzard and part of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment experiences. Blizzard has created some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games over the last 30 years and engages tens of millions of players around the world with titles available across console and PC platforms.

Our ability to build immersive and innovative worlds is enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to create a culture where everyone can thrive while connecting players through epic entertainment. We provide a comprehensive benefits package that supports physical, emotional, and financial well-being.
 

The videogame industry is fast-paced and continues to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be adjusted as needed to support our games and our players.
 

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about shaping the future of games. Not sure you meet every qualification? Let us decide. Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups are less likely to apply unless they meet every requirement—when in fact, they often do. We are committed to building diverse, inclusive teams and strongly encourage you to apply.

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!  Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company.  You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $157,410.00 - $291,250.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.