New 
Business Development Manager, Gaming Content and Studios
 Microsoft | |
 United States, Washington, Redmond | |
 Mar 10, 2025 | |
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OverviewAs part of the Gaming Content and Studios organization (GC&S) the First Party Business Development (1PBD) team is a group of diverse, dedicated business development experts who contribute significantly to the success of 1st Party Content and Studios (1PCS) by supporting existing and future software development for the 1PCS games portfolio. We are seeking a Business Development Manager (BDM) to represent Microsoft's business needs through developing and managing relationships and supporting deal negotiations with the global videogame development community and content partners. In this role, the BDM will: Help to identify game development studios, game concepts, licenses and characters that support Microsoft's global interactive entertainment content strategy and production needs across Microsoft's hardware, software and services; Contribute to providing consistent world-class business development service to the 1PCS teams in support of existing franchises, such as Starfield, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom, Halo, Gears of War, Forza, etc., as well as original games that have not yet been announced.
ResponsibilitiesResponsibilitiesCustomer and Partner FocusDevelop and maintain positive working relationships with internal and external business and technical partners within the industry.Develop an understanding of the business and strategy of 1PCS partners and apply this understanding in the execution of deals/plans. Partnership StrategySupport senior colleagues in identifying, evaluating and articulating partnership opportunities for internal 1PCS partners. Examples include support to help: Identify and evaluate new concepts, content providers, IP holders and other potential partnerships in the connected entertainment sector (games and entertainment).Organize pitch meetings where external partners respond to requests for proposals from 1PCS or present original proposals to request funding and publishing support to develop and release new games.Develop potential partner lists to help 1PCS stakeholders meet high-priority game development needs across all functions (engineering, art, production, etc.).Support the due diligence process in collaboration with senior management, during which the 1PBD team will evaluate the production, design and market viability of a proposed product and the external partner's ability to deliver on their proposal.Understand the gaming and entertainment industry, including technology and competitive trends, through research (reading industry research reports, attending internal/external conferences, gathering subject matter expert/mentor feedback, leveraging internal and third-party resources, talking directly with partners, etc.). Be able to consolidate related information into reports to share with the 1PBD team, to inform senior management's communication to the broader GC&S organization and for distribution to key stakeholders.Collaborate across internal partner teams, such as finance and marketing to help gather data and materials for project planning (such as P&L and forecast development), and the contract management and legal teams to help draft, negotiate, approve and sign agreements. Be able to align with and gain buy-in from these key stakeholders NegotiationSupport senior team members through the various deal stages (e.g., Strategic Approval, Approval to Negotiate, Final Go-no-go) by contributing to materials and analyses for executive reviews, deal approval meetings, etc.Support senior team members throughout the deal process by tracking deal issues, supporting operational tasks, and escalating as appropriate. Deal Management/GovernancePrepare deals for execution by reviewing contract content and structure for consistency and accuracy, as well as communicating issues to deal owners. Partner ManagementSupport senior team members who are the primary points of contact for studios inside the 1PCS organization. Regularly meeting, managing, and tracking BD needs for the supported studios. Provide business development support for studios/partners outside the 1PCS organization. Attend tradeshows to meet new and existing partners for 1PCS to consider. | |