Release Manager, Game Content & Studios

RESPONSIBLITIES

This role demands someone who is a detail-oriented self-starter, great at prioritizing and organizing their deliverables, has exceptional communication skills and is a proven set of program management skills. You should excel at problem solving, breaking down complex issues into action plans and be willing to jump in to drive tasks to a successful conclusion. You should be comfortable working with partners at all levels both inside and outside of Microsoft and be able to influence at multiple levels from peers to Senior Management.

Communication/Relationship Management

• Act as the primary contact and intermediary between internal and external submission partners.
• Demonstrate accountability in fostering and maintaining strong and effective counterpart and global V-team relationships.
• Interpret and communicate submission results, provide frequent status updates, maintain scheduling and oversee all aspects of a successful certification pass.
• Be a willing student and teacher with your peers amidst a complicated business that is rapidly moving and constantly changing. Provide education to internal and external partners.
• Deliver tough messages diplomatically (i.e. failing results in certification, impact of slipping dates) and quickly drive toward solutions to problems.
• Positively influence publishers and Microsoft groups by planning for and effectively managing complex and mission-critical dates.
• Build and navigate a robust corporate network. Establish and maintain relationships with internal resources while seeking out opportunities to leverage knowledge when advocating for publishers.

Technical Expertise/Troubleshooting

• Troubleshoot and solve complex problems of a mid-level technical nature related to submissions and publishing.
• Understand technical details of each submission and communicate various aspects of the certification process to the associated publishers/developers and internal teams.
• Actively seek out opportunities to increase the breadth and depth of knowledge in relation to the business, process and operational needs.
• Demonstrate problem-solving abilities, particularly when confronted with time-sensitive and ambiguous issues that require collaborative evaluation and resolution.

Advocacy – Business Insight/Drive Results/Process Performance

• Drive change and efficiency with internal and external partners.
• Provide creative solutions to difficult problems under tight deadlines.
• Coordinate and review dozens of submissions per month while seeking to reduce the pass-fail ratio of our publishers’ submissions.
• Identify process improvements and define requirements for current and future tools and process needs.
• Provide compelling business rationale to Engineering, Platform, Certification etc. to successfully resolve publisher issues/requests and drive future improvements.
• Provide superior engagement documentation that enables business agility, deep business intelligence, knowledge sharing and improved submission quality.
• Consistently demonstrate the aptitude to proactively prepare publishers for submissions.
• Manage the integration of multiple diverse processes across functional teams into a seamless process that benefits publishers and across Microsoft.