---
title: 'Project Manager at thatgamecompany'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/project-manager-thatgamecompany-shanghai-r3cbzgrfe5ja'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-02'
---

# Project Manager at thatgamecompany

- **Company:** thatgamecompany
- **Location:** Shanghai, China
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-06-22
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-02
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/thatgamecompany/dc055d90-650c-4fba-99e8-0c4ce1727e3f/application

**Skills:** Program management, Project management, Strategy consulting, Business operations, English, Chinese (Mandarin), Feishu, Lark, Notion, Asana, Corporate governance, Compliance workflows

> Serve as the operational backbone for TGC's China business by driving cross-functional programs, building operational systems, and enabling leadership. The role involves managing special projects, designing program infrastructure, and providing strategic support through data analysis and stakeholder alignment.

## Job description

## About the Role

We're looking for a Senior Program Manager to serve as the operational backbone of TGC's China business. This is not a conventional PM role — you'll sit at the intersection of strategy and execution, driving cross-functional programs, building operational systems, and enabling the leadership team to move faster on what matters. You'll work cross-functionally and across business units, managing both recurring operational rhythms and high-impact special projects. If you thrive in ambiguity, love building systems from scratch, and get energy from making complex things run smoothly.

## What You'll Do

Cross-Functional Program Management (~40%)

- Lead and coordinate special cross-functional collaboration projects
- Drive cross-team projects involving multiple business units and external partners
- Own project timelines, stakeholder alignment, risk tracking, and delivery
- Translate strategic intent into actionable workstreams with clear owners and milestones

Program Infrastructure & Process Design (~35%)

- Run and continuously improve the weekly cross-functional alignment session — agenda, facilitation, documentation, and follow-through
- Build and maintain program management infrastructure: project tracking systems, SOPs, decision logs, knowledge bases
- Design and document cross-functional workflows to improve collaboration efficiency across teams
- Support strategic initiatives by coordinating across internal and external stakeholders as needed

Strategic Support & Analysis (~25%)

- Consolidate operational data to surface insights for leadership decision-making
- Prepare briefing materials, status reports, and strategic documents for cross-team alignment
- Track and analyze the execution health of China programs — flag risks early, propose solutions
- Serve as an information hub: ensure the right people have the right context at the right time

## What We're Looking For

Must Have

- 5–8 years of experience in program management, project management, strategy consulting, or business operations — ideally in gaming, tech, entertainment, or creative industries
- Bilingual fluency in English and Chinese (Mandarin) — daily work involves both languages across global and local teams
- Proven ability to drive cross-functional projects involving multiple teams with competing priorities
- Systems thinker — you don't just manage tasks, you build frameworks that make the next 100 tasks easier
- Exceptional written and verbal communication — you can write a crisp executive summary and facilitate a room of senior stakeholders
- Comfortable with ambiguity — this role is being built from the ground up; you'll define it as much as execute it

## Nice to Have

- Experience working in a cross-cultural environment (e.g., US-China, global teams with HQ outside China)
- Familiarity with corporate governance or compliance workflows in multi-unit organizations
- Experience with project management tools (Feishu/Lark, Notion, Asana, or similar)
- Background in gaming or interactive entertainment
- Experience supporting C-level or VP-level leadership

## About thatgamecompany

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: thatgamecompany is an independent game studio dedicated to creating timeless, emotionally resonant interactive entertainment that inspires human connection worldwide.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Privately Held; last reported funding round in 2022 with $160M investment)
- **Headquarters**: Santa Monica, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2006 (founded on May 15, 2006)
- **Founders**: Jenova Chen, Kellee Santiago

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Video games / Interactive entertainment
- **Target customers**: B2C – broad audience of all ages and backgrounds; mobile, console, and PC gamers
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “Create timeless entertainment that makes positive change to the human psyche worldwide.”

## Products & Services
- **[flOw (2007)](https://thatgamecompany.com/our-history/)**: A downloadable game originally a Flash title, remade for PlayStation Network with enhanced visuals and multiplayer. Focuses on intuitive, meditative gameplay.
- **[Flower (2009)](https://thatgamecompany.com/our-history/)**: A PS3 title where the player controls the wind to guide petals through landscapes. Evokes emotions of tranquility and wonder. Inducted into the Smithsonian’s permanent collection.
- **[Journey (2012)](https://thatgamecompany.com/our-history/)**: Award-winning PS3 game about a pilgrim crossing a desert towards a mountain. Known for its anonymous multiplayer cooperation and emotional storytelling.
- **[Sky: Children of the Light (2019)](https://thatgamecompany.com/our-history/)**: Free-to-play mobile/console/PC game (spiritual successor to Journey). Players explore magical realms, fly using capes, and meet other players. Available on iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Windows. Reached 100 million installations by May 2021. Chosen as Apple’s iPhone Game of the Year 2019.
- **Upcoming fifth game (in development)**: Described by founder Jenova Chen as “like a theme park” and “the most ambitious game I have built.”

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue – $17.8M (estimated 2025 data); Total Funding – $36.1M per LinkedIn (prior rounds) **plus** a $160M investment announced in March 2022 (with Pixar co-founder Edwin Catmull as advisor). (Sources conflict slightly; the $160M appears to be a later, larger round not reflected in the LinkedIn summary)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Benchmark (led Series A), Capital Today (led Series B), Edwin Catmull (advisor, former Pixar co-founder). Past partners include Sony Computer Entertainment (initial contract for three PlayStation Network games).
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 16% YoY to ~198 employees; operates across 15 countries; Sky continues to expand platforms (Windows early access April 2024); active job postings: 24 (yearly trend +4.3%). Announced a new game jam (“thatgamejam”) in June 2025 focused on creativity and emotion.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Unique emotional design philosophy**: Games are designed by first mapping out desired player emotions rather than mechanics, creating experiences rarely found in mainstream gaming.
- **Artistic credibility and legacy**: flOw, Flower, and Journey are critically acclaimed and exhibited in museums like the Smithsonian. The studio is recognized as a pioneer of art games.
- **Broad accessibility**: Games are intuitive, controller-friendly, and designed to be enjoyed by people of all ages and cultures.
- **Long-term relationship with a passionate community**: Sky has a dedicated player base with millions of installations, supported by live operations and regular content updates.
- **Creative autonomy**: The company prioritizes innovation over blockbuster financial pressure, enabling risk-taking on emotionally rich projects.

## Strategic Focus
- **Expanding Sky: Children of the Light** – continued platform releases, live content, and regional brand growth (e.g., dedicated brand managers for Indonesia, China).
- **Developing the next-generation title** – described as “the most ambitious” yet, with a theme-park-like scale.
- **Deepening AI and machine learning capabilities** – open positions for Senior Machine Learning Engineer and Full-stack Engineer (AI application focused) indicate investment in AI-driven gameplay or operations.
- **Fostering internal creativity** – initiatives like thatgamejam encourage experimentation across the studio.
- **Strengthening global presence** – operating in 15 countries with localized teams for publishing, support, and marketing.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: The studio describes itself as “compassionate, creative” and values “integrity and personal growth within an environment of intense collaboration and experimentation.” Employee rating on LinkedIn: 4.2/5.0 (11 reviews), with Culture score 4.3, Work-Life 4.2, Compensation 4.2, Career 4.1.
- **Remote/Hybrid/Office Policy**: Not explicitly stated in provided sources, but headquarters in Santa Monica, California is a physical studio. The company previously planned a second studio in SF Bay Area (cancelled due to COVID) and now operates distributed across 15 countries, suggesting flexible/remote options are possible.
- **Notable Perks & Engineering Culture**: Emphasis on “making magic” and pushing artistic boundaries; tech stack includes Kubernetes, Docker, Prometheus, Protobuf, Tableau, microservices, and GitHub. Employees come from top entertainment/tech companies (Pixar, Blizzard, Riot Games, Amazon, Unity, etc.), indicating a high-caliber peer group.
- **Growth Opportunity**: With 24 active job postings (including Engineering, AI, Art, Marketing, Data) and a yearly hiring trend +4.3%, the studio is expanding. Roles such as Senior Data Analyst, Senior Machine Learning Engineer, and 3D Environment Artist signal opportunities to work on flagship products.
- **Mission-driven work**: Opportunity to contribute to games that aim to make a positive impact on players’ lives and expand the emotional range of the medium.

## Sources
1. [thatgamecompany.com – Official Site, About, Careers, News](https://thatgamecompany.com/)
2. [thatgamecompany Careers Page](https://thatgamecompany.com/careers/)
3. [LinkedIn Company Profile for thatgamecompany](https://www.linkedin.com/company/thatgamecompany)
4. [Wikipedia – thatgamecompany](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ThatGameCompany)
5. [thatgamecompany – Our History](https://thatgamecompany.com/our-history/)

## Other roles at thatgamecompany

- [Project Manager, Creative Services (Contract)](https://feeny.ai/job/project-manager-creative-services-contract-thatgamecompany-united-states-tqfbbstq3rcm) — United States
- [Senior Engine Programmer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-engine-programmer-thatgamecompany-united-states-bthpk0sccwmr) — United States
- [IT Support Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/it-support-specialist-thatgamecompany-los-angeles-s9mfzmmxp6a9) — Los Angeles, CA
- [Staff Systems Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-systems-software-engineer-thatgamecompany-united-states-2xspsxd4nkfa) — United States
- [Game Engine Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/game-engine-engineer-thatgamecompany-shanghai-b7ge525n3wyc) — Shanghai, China
- [3D Character Artist (Mid-Senior)](https://feeny.ai/job/3d-character-artist-mid-senior-thatgamecompany-united-states-hnr65zscpf8x) — United States
- [Build Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/build-engineer-thatgamecompany-united-states-188c9cwh2mnb) — United States
- [Technical Game Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-game-designer-thatgamecompany-shanghai-gm4tx8xkhkr4) — Shanghai, China
- [UGC & Creator Community Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/ugc-creator-community-specialist-thatgamecompany-shanghai-sfsxkhkb70sp) — Shanghai, China
- [IP & Experiential Marketing Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/ip-experiential-marketing-manager-thatgamecompany-shanghai-sqyjzh1vnj0e) — Shanghai, China