Player Development Manager Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

We're looking for a Business Development Manager to drive growth for our Player Support and Quality Assurance divisions and broader co-development services across the San Francisco Bay Area and wider North American market. This role focuses on expanding partnerships and revenue primarily across our player support and QA capabilities, while also touching on our full suite of game production services including Game Development, Art Production, Localization, Localization QA, Game Audio, Datasets, and IT services — serving console, PC, and mobile game developers, depending on end client needs.

You'll be the face of our Bay Area presence, building relationships, creating proposals, and developing new business opportunities with both domestic and international clients across the full game production lifecycle.

This position is ideal for someone who combines commercial acumen with a deep understanding of player support operations and quality assurance, alongside the wider co-development landscape.

Sales & Account Growth Lead business development for player support and QA services — including live operations support, helpdesk solutions, functional testing, compliance, and certification — alongside our co-development capabilities spanning Game Development, Art Production, Game Audio, Localization, Localization QA, Datasets, and IT. Build and maintain relationships with producers, QA leads, operations managers, and development leads across major and indie studios — identifying opportunities to expand engagement beyond player support and QA into broader production partnerships.

Market Development Identify new opportunities by tracking emerging trends in live service operations, quality assurance, player experience, and game production pipelines. Expand our client base across the Bay Area and into key global markets, positioning our studio as a full-service partner for game developers at every stage of production.

Client Consultation Conduct detailed discovery sessions to understand project needs, scope player support, testing, and operational requirements, and develop tailored proposals. Where relevant, surface opportunities to support clients with complementary co-development services — from art production and game audio to localization and IT — ensuring they understand the full value of our capabilities.

Collaboration Partner with our player support, QA, co-development, and global BD teams to deliver cohesive, integrated client solutions that draw on the breadth of our service offering.

Strategic Planning Develop go-to-market strategies for new services and technologies across player support, QA, and co-development verticals. Provide feedback to internal teams to enhance offerings and competitiveness in the Bay Area and global markets.

Performance Management Own your revenue targets across all service lines, manage forecasting, and maintain an active CRM pipeline reflecting opportunities in player support, QA, co-development, localization, and beyond.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in business development, sales, or operations within the games or entertainment industry (preferably player support, quality assurance, live operations, co-development services, or localization)
• Proven track record of managing client relationships and closing deals in creative or technical service environments
• Strong understanding of player support operations and QA workflows — from ticketing systems and helpdesk management through to functional testing, compliance, and certification pipelines
• Familiarity with game co-development services and production workflows across disciplines such as art, localization, game audio, and IT
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
• Proficiency with CRM tools and MS Office/Google Workspace
• Self-driven, organised, and comfortable managing projects end-to-end
• Passion for video games and player experience

• Existing network of contacts among QA leads, operations managers, producers, or game developers in the Bay Area and abroad
• Experience working in or selling to AAA, AA, or mobile game studios
• Background in player support operations, QA management, live service, or post-production coordination
• Exposure to selling or delivering services across multiple disciplines (e.g. player support + QA, localization + QA, art + game audio)
• Familiarity with player support platforms and QA tooling (e.g. Zendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud, JIRA, or similar)

Benefits

• Competitive basic salary
• Working with people creating cutting edge interactive entertainment
• Excellent OTE with % based commission package
• Group pension scheme and death in service benefit
• Dynamic and entrepreneurial culture
• Video games focused environment
• The opportunity to work with video games pioneers creating cutting edge interactive entertainment

Who we are

Side (formerly PTW) is a global video game development and services provider, offering technical and creative solutions to many of the largest developers and studios around the world.

Founded in Japan in 1994, Side has grown to become a global force in the video games industry, with over 40 studios in 15 countries worldwide and offices across North America, Europe, South America, and Asia.

Our industry-leading services include codev, art production, localization, audio production, quality assurance, localization QA, player supportcommunity management, and datasets. For more information, visit www.side.inc