VP Marketing

Category and Company:

"Casual" gaming is the hottest and fastest growing segment of the video games industry, itself the most rapidly growing category in all of entertainment. New, more widely appealing game experiences have attracted diverse new demographics to play and pay, but the industry is under monetizing relative to traffic and hours spent playing. PlayFirst believes that the future will be defined by extending high quality branded experiences with online presence and social game play. We seek a stellar marketing executive excited to lead fundamental change in this dynamic category.

PlayFirst is the leading publisher focused exclusively on casual games. Committed to building shared casual game experiences around lasting original brands, PlayFirst games are rich in game play, story and character. PlayFirst works with talented internal and external developers to bring mass market games to multiple platforms, including PC, Mac, mobile, handheld and console. The company’s portfolio includes the world-renowned Diner Dash® franchise, as well as top-selling games such as Wedding Dash™, Chocolatier®, and Dream Chronicles™.

Founded in 2004, PlayFirst is funded by Mayfield Fund, Trinity Ventures, Rustic Canyon Partners and DCM. For more information, visit www.playfirst.com and www.dinerdash.com.

Job Description:

We seek an expert consumer internet marketer with extensive traditional product and brand marketing experience to manage marketing initiatives throughout the organization. The successful candidate is a seasoned marketing professional with strong general management talent who enjoys a healthy mix of strategy and tactics and a blend of supervisory, mentorship, and individual contribution duties. This key position sits on the executive committee and reports directly to the CEO.

We are an 80+ person startup that loves the small company feel but has its sights set on big revenue growth. PlayFirst execs are not just experts, they are do-ers. They write code or copy, design products, negotiate deals, and book their own travel. They manage small teams of smart people and set high expectations. They love where they work, are passionate about what they do, and couldn’t imagine it any other way.

Our future VP Marketing is a big picture thinker able to conceptualize and engage across multiple channels and initiatives, taking into account game franchise lifecycles, consumer lifecycles, and overall brand and corporate strategies. As a web company we are afforded the privilege of nearly instant feedback with large numbers of consumers. We are interested in someone who not only comes to this position with deep experience and sharp instincts but someone who identifies and asks the right questions. The successful candidate is informed by data but always striving to further test, refine and learn, looking at results of the last experiment not as an answer but as a way of refining the next question.

Responsibilities:

The Vice President of Marketing will oversee the following marketing functions:

Strategy: Quickly become an expert in casual game market dynamics and a confident contributor to strategic planning and product green light sessions.
Customer Acquisition: Bring expert knowledge in growing traffic to PlayFirst online properties via customary as well as innovative, ‘out-of-the-box’ marketing strategies.
Brand: We seek someone who understands the rare value and wild potential of our beloved “Diner Dash” brand, and who is excited and qualified to move it beyond casual games to become an even greater mass market phenomenon.
Product Marketing: Assist product designers/managers in creating a world-class online experience and an industry-shaping portfolio of interactive entertainment products. Take those products to market in the most effective, efficient and innovative ways on our web site as well as via indirect online and retail channels. Test effectiveness of product marketing strategies and relentlessly optimize.
Research: Understand and evangelize our current and potential consumer audiences by overseeing a wide variety of research techniques including surveys, focus tests, 1:1 play tests, metrics-driven internal alpha and external beta tests, and free/paid third party research.
Corporate Communications: Work to ensure our communications, PR, and event strategy supports key product and corporate objectives.
Staff Management: Be a great manager to your team, helping them grow in their careers and become more expert in their areas of focus. Grow your team strategically and in alignment with the rest of the organization.

Requirements:

Deep experience in online customer acquisition and retention, with a proven track record of personally contributing to significant user growth of one or more web properties.
Previous exposure to and comfort with managing the other responsibilities listed above.
Proven ability to manage a marketing team of 4+ people to quantitative goals
Strong analytical and written/verbal communication skills
Proven ability to embrace both the big picture and the details with strong project and people management skills
High sense of accountability and integrity
Organized self starter with a can-do attitude and an entrepreneurial spirit
10 years of marketing experience, at least 5 years in a leadership role
Four year college degree with strong office application software skills
Prior experience in the video game industry is NOT a requirement, but a demonstrable passion for consumer entertainment is.

Preferred:

Marketing MBA from a top program
Entertainment marketing experience
Experience in the video games industry is a nice-to-have, but not required.

Benefits:

Core benefits include: health, dental, vision, life/disability, flexible spending accounts, 401(k) and stock options. PlayFirst is located in the heart of the financial district (1 block from BART) and offers great fringe benefits, including generous paid time off, 10 company holidays, yoga, chair massage, snacks, refreshments, and company-wide "playdates" to test each of our games during the development process.

To apply for this position, please email your resume in a standard Word or PDF document to jobs@playfirst.com and please include the exact job title in the subject line as above.