Senior Manager, Partner Sourcing

PlayStation Studios is establishing a new Partner Sourcing Team that will support our studios with identifying, negotiating and managing outsourcing and co-development partners.

As this is the inaugural Partner Sourcing role, we are looking for a skilled individual with extensive experience to establish this team, collaborate with business stakeholders to build processes and help us advance the Partner Sourcing strategy.

This role requires strong vendor management skills and a solid understanding of the game development process and co-development best practices. This highly collaborative individual will have a proven track record for building successful partnerships and brings an extensive partner network.

This role will report into the Head of Development Strategy for PlayStation Studios.

The team’s goals will be to:

• Enhance the outsourcing and co-development capability across our portfolio of studios.
• Achieve sustainable deals that deliver on quality, pricing and crucial collaboration between PlayStation Studios and external partners.
• Develop a long-term strategic view of PlayStation Studios’ outsourcing and co-development needs.
• Continuously improve our internal processes working to streamline interactions with central functions, such as IT, Information Security, Legal and Finance.

PlayStation Studios takes a non-mandated sourcing approach that supports our studios’ creative autonomy.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide central outsourcing and co-development expertise to the studios.
• Promote best practices for continuous improvement, chairing a forum of outsourcing managers across the studios.
• Support studio outsourcing managers with vendor selection, negotiation, due diligence and onboarding.
• Increase the volume and efficiency of outsourcing and co-development, facilitating cross-organization efforts and negotiate scalable agreements.
• Build sustainable, symbiotic relationships with key vendors.
• Use studio forecasts to create strategic mid-to long-term roadmaps for planned engagements.
• Work with stakeholders across PlayStation Studios, including studios, internal service teams, Finance, IT, Information Security and Legal.
• Establish and maintain a vendor database (costs, contracts, availability and scorecards). This may include implementing new tools and systems.
• Develop a risk mitigation strategy across the studio portfolio.
• Ongoing responsibility for supplier relationship management, contract renewals and performance reviews; own the resourcing lifecycle key interaction points.
• Maintain a good awareness of partner performance across the portfolio, promoting good development partners internally, and assisting studios with performance issues.
• Proactively keep well-informed of industry trends and undertaking market research.

QUALIFICATIONS 

• 10+ years’ experience in game development, with at least 5 years in outsource/co-development management in a large organization.
• Deep knowledge of game development cycles and dependencies.
• An established and existing partner industry network in the AAA space.
• Knowledgeable and up to date on the partner landscape and trends.
• Strong business acumen to negotiate terms and deals.
• Experience working with Legal to get contracts drafted.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, ability to build strong working relationships, demonstrate diplomacy and level with people of different backgrounds and cultures (internally and externally).
• Organizational skills and patience in new and challenging scenarios where processes need to be established.
• Tactful and cooperative in complicated situations.
• Ability to drive a culture of continuous service improvement.
• Facilitation experience.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written skills.
• Quantitative analytical skills.

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