Senior Manager, Paid Media Strategy

2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). Founded in 2005, 2K Games is a global video game company, publishing titles developed by some of the most influential game development studios in the world. Our studios responsible for developing 2K’s portfolio of world-class games across multiple platforms, include Visual Concepts, Firaxis, Hangar 13, CatDaddy, Cloud Chamber, 31st Union, HB Studios, and 2K SportsLab. Our portfolio of titles is expanding due to our global strategic plan, building and acquiring exciting studios whose content continues to inspire all of us! 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including sports, shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, casual, and family entertainment.

Our team of engineers, marketers, artists, writers, data scientists, producers, thinkers and doers, are the professional publishing stewards of 2K’s portfolio currently includes several AAA, sports and entertainment brands, including global powerhouse NBA®️ 2K,  renowned BioShock®️, Borderlands®️, Mafia, Sid Meier’s Civilization®️ and XCOM®️ brands; popular WWE®️ 2K and WWE®️ SuperCard franchises, TopSpin 2K25, as well as the critically and commercially acclaimed PGA TOUR®️ 2K

At 2K, we pride ourselves on creating an inclusive work environment, which means encouraging our teams to Come as You Are and do your best work! We encourage ALL applicants to explore our global positions, even if they don’t meet every requirement for the role.  If you're interested in the job and think you have what it takes to work at 2K, we encourage you to apply!

As a Paid Media Strategy Manager/Senior Manager, you will be responsible for developing strategic media playbooks that outline how we use paid media to reach and engage our audiences. These strategies will be grounded in the behaviour of our audiences and the external dynamics of our highly competitive industry.

You will work closely with 2K’s business units which are made up of Marketing, Commercial, Product, and GTM functions. On top of this you will be working with cross functional teams, including media (paid & owned), lifecycle marketing, marketing technology, and the global media agency.

Your role will involve conducting player research, analyzing data, and providing insights to drive media strategies that align with both marketing and commercial objectives. You will also have oversight into the paid media plans, ensuring they meet the strategy and are executed with excellence.

2K is looking for a strategic, insights-driven Manager/Senior Manager to join the Paid Media Strategy Planning team and play a key role in shaping global paid media strategies with a strong focus on the US market.

The role will have a number of key focuses:

• The Media team is a critical resource for media strategy, planning, execution, and reporting of all Paid Media campaigns. The role and function of the team is inherently collaborative and the team is deliberately spread out between key Marketing offices in Europe and US to facilitate this.

• We are looking for a candidate who has strong experience in media planning and a deep understanding of how media drives both brand and performance outcomes, as well as a strong understanding of media strategy development, and the ability to connect the dots across paid, owned, and lifecycle channels. 

• We require an individual that has excellent knowledge of the media industry, in the United States and globally, as well as the skills to develop cross media strategies and plans.

• This is a highly collaborative role – working with different cross-functional teams, global and regional, the candidate will lead the development of integrated media strategies that deliver against commercial and brand goals. 

• This person will be responsible for signing off on tactical proposals grounded in data. This involves the analysis of multiple data sets (commercial performance, off and online performance data, customer insights and trends) to deliver clear paid media recommendations. 

Media Strategy & Planning Development:

• Lead the development of global paid media strategies in collaboration with our media agency with a focus on the US market, aligning campaign objectives and player insights.

• Build clear, actionable media briefs for agency partners, setting the strategic direction and ensuring alignment with broader marketing goals.

• Ensure campaign strategies reflect regional nuances while adhering to global guidelines.

• Determine the most suitable media channels, platforms, and tactics for campaign implementation.

• Lead and contribute to our campaign learning agenda so that we can plan and execute our future media campaigns with objectivity, clarity, and effectiveness.

• Present to the wider business holistic Paid Media strategies, campaign strategies, and campaign reviews.

• Oversee wider paid media plans to ensure they follow the global media strategy, whilst helping to unblock and guide teams during campaign implementation.

Collaboration and Relationship Management:

• Serve as a trusted partner to 2K’s business units by turning brand strategies into effective paid media plans.

• Act as a liaison between internal teams and our global media agency, ensuring clarity, alignment, and momentum throughout planning and execution.

• Work closely with cross functional teams, and other stakeholders to ensure cohesive and integrated media strategies.

• Provide guidance to junior team members and contribute to a culture of continuous learning and collaboration.

• Work with marketing technology and analytics teams to maximize our in-house CDP capabilities.

• Work closely with creative teams to align messaging and media strategies, ensuring campaigns are cohesive and high-impact.

• Ensure the team is highly trained in media planning and analysis capabilities.

Research and Analysis:

• Conduct market research, competitive analysis, and consumer insights to identify target audience behaviours, media consumption habits, and market trends.

• Translate data from various sources into actionable insights that inform media decisions.

• Lead campaign post-mortems and performance readouts to extract insights and shape future planning.

Campaign Execution and Optimization:

• Oversee media implementation, using your experience to problem solve as necessary.

• Collaborate with media activation teams (internal/external) to optimize media investment and ensure campaigns are executed effectively.

• Monitor campaign performance, and provide insights and recommendations for ongoing optimization.

• Stay current on media trends, platforms, and innovations to continually bring fresh thinking into the planning process.

You have an analytical mind with an ability to distil complex projects into actionable items that can be distributed to team members. Clarity of thought is a must. You should have a holistic view of the entire user journey and the impact of interventions at various stages. You know how to zoom out to see the bigger picture, but you’re also comfortable getting into the weeds when needed. You're confident navigating cross-functional conversations, and you bring clarity and structure to complex challenges.

• 6+ years of experience in media strategy and media planning in the United States is mandatory. Agency experience is a plus but not required.

• Experience developing and leading holistic media strategies across multiple channels (digital, social, programmatic, TV, OOH etc). 

• Ability to analyze raw data, draw conclusions, and develop actionable recommendations.

• Excellent communication and presentation skills - ability to distill complex strategies into clear narratives for senior stakeholders.

• A collaborative, solution-oriented mindset with a proactive approach to problem-solving.

• Strong project management skills , comfortable working on multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.

• Experience in utilizing CDP capabilities in paid media campaigns is a plus but not required.

• Consistently exhibit natural curiosity and dynamism.

• Industry experience is a plus but not required.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to ensuring that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform their essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us if you need reasonable accommodation.

Please note that 2K Games and its studios never uses instant messaging apps or personal email accounts to contact prospective employees or conduct interviews and when emailing, only use 2K.com accounts.

The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $114,400 and $169,300 per Year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations. Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment. If hired, employee will be in an 'at-will position' and the company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation or benefit program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

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