Program Manager, Business Operations (Bilingual Japanese & English)

Get to know The Pokémon Company International

The Pokémon Company International manages the Pokémon property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing and 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 corporate.pokemon.com and pokemon.com.

Get to know the role

  • Job Title: Program Manager, Business Operations (Bilingual Japanese & English)
  • People Manager: No

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.

#LI-MW1 #LI-Hybrid

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 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 .

Back to blog
Ads

Common Interview Questions And Answers

1. HOW DO YOU PLAN YOUR DAY?

This is what this question poses: When do you focus and start working seriously? What are the hours you work optimally? Are you a night owl? A morning bird? Remote teams can be made up of people working on different shifts and around the world, so you won't necessarily be stuck in the 9-5 schedule if it's not for you...

2. HOW DO YOU USE THE DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS?

When you're working on a remote team, there's no way to chat in the hallway between meetings or catch up on the latest project during an office carpool. Therefore, virtual communication will be absolutely essential to get your work done...

3. WHAT IS "WORKING REMOTE" REALLY FOR YOU?

Many people want to work remotely because of the flexibility it allows. You can work anywhere and at any time of the day...

4. WHAT DO YOU NEED IN YOUR PHYSICAL WORKSPACE TO SUCCEED IN YOUR WORK?

With this question, companies are looking to see what equipment they may need to provide you with and to verify how aware you are of what remote working could mean for you physically and logistically...

5. HOW DO YOU PROCESS INFORMATION?

Several years ago, I was working in a team to plan a big event. My supervisor made us all work as a team before the big day. One of our activities has been to find out how each of us processes information...

6. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE CALENDAR AND THE PROGRAM? WHICH APPLICATIONS / SYSTEM DO YOU USE?

Or you may receive even more specific questions, such as: What's on your calendar? Do you plan blocks of time to do certain types of work? Do you have an open calendar that everyone can see?...

7. HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE FILES, LINKS, AND TABS ON YOUR COMPUTER?

Just like your schedule, how you track files and other information is very important. After all, everything is digital!...

8. HOW TO PRIORITIZE WORK?

The day I watched Marie Forleo's film separating the important from the urgent, my life changed. Not all remote jobs start fast, but most of them are...

9. HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A MEETING AND PREPARE A MEETING? WHAT DO YOU SEE HAPPENING DURING THE MEETING?

Just as communication is essential when working remotely, so is organization. Because you won't have those opportunities in the elevator or a casual conversation in the lunchroom, you should take advantage of the little time you have in a video or phone conference...

10. HOW DO YOU USE TECHNOLOGY ON A DAILY BASIS, IN YOUR WORK AND FOR YOUR PLEASURE?

This is a great question because it shows your comfort level with technology, which is very important for a remote worker because you will be working with technology over time...