NOTE: This job is no longer available!
Technical Program Manager
at Popcap
Seattle, WA
The Senior Technical Program Manager will participate in all aspects of Platform Services and the game development’s software development life cycle, from architecture through launch and continued iterations. This person will work extensively with producers, game developers and testers, operations engineers and others to get products & technologies out to customers.
Responsibilities:
Collect product and business requirements, writing functional specifications
Contribute to Platform architecture planning and design
Drive the development schedule from design to release
Track features and release dates for various projects across multiple platforms and communicate plans to the appropriate audiences
Make appropriate tradeoffs to optimize time-to-market
Work closely with cross-functional teams focused on game development, web design, software development, operations, and business planning
Clear communication of goals, and ability to anticipate bottlenecks
Balance business needs versus technical constraints, and provide escalation to management as needed
Manage internal/external release co-ordination and planning
Identify, develop and communicate release plans and set delivery expectations with key stakeholders. Update and communicate release status
Central point of contact for all technology aspects of a given release
Required Skills/Personal Requirements:
Must have excellent product and project management skills, demonstrated technical aptitude, great analytical skills, and the ability to resolve conflicts, set priorities, and escalate when appropriate.
The PM must possess a solid understanding of software development, service oriented architectures, and IT infrastructure.
Hands-on experience with agile software development methodologies.
Possess exceptional customer relationship skills including the ability to discover the true requirements underlying feature requests, recommend alternative technical and business approaches, and lead engineering efforts to meet aggressive timelines with optimal solutions.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills coupled with an ability to confidently negotiate at all levels within the organization.
Must be an independent problem solver who can leverage multiple teams to solve complex problems.
Education and/or Certifications:
BS in Computer Science and/or related field and experience
PopCap Games (www.popcap.com) is the worldwide leader in casual video games: fun, easy-to-learn, captivating games that appeal to everyone from age 6 to 106 and are available anytime, anywhere. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of more than 500 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver, B.C., Dublin, Seoul, and Shanghai. Its games have been downloaded over 1.5 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship title, Bejeweled, has sold more than 50 million units across all platforms. Constantly acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap’s games are played on the Web, social platforms, desktop computers, myriad mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod, iPhone, iPad and more), popular game consoles (such as Xbox and DS), and in-flight entertainment systems. PopCap has been one of the most innovative companies in the video game industry since its inception a decade ago. Pioneering new game mechanics, sales models, and platforms ranging from mobile devices to online and location-based games of chance, PopCap is the only video game provider in the world with leading market share across the entire spectrum.