Director, Corporate Communications at The Pokémon Company International, Bellevue, WA

Director, Corporate Communications at The Pokémon Company International in Bellevue, WA. Contract. $200,000 to $299,000 a year. Apply with swipeandhired.

Get to know The Pokémon Company International

The Pokémon Company International manages the Pokémon property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing and marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment, and the official Pokémon website. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children’s entertainment properties in the world.

Learn more online at corporate.pokemon.com and pokemon.com.

Get to know the role

Job Title: Director, Corporate Communications

Job Summary: The President’s Office (equivalent of the CEO Office) is seeking a Director, Corporate Communications to lead and elevate TPCi’s corporate communications function. This role will shape how TPCi communicates internally and externally. Based in Bellevue, Washington, this leader will:

• Lead internal corporate communications: Enhance the channels, formats, and operating rhythms that connect Pokémon employees across regions to TPCi’s mission, vision, business priorities, and values. Drive employee engagement, organizational alignment, and clarity through thoughtful and impactful communications.

• Build the corporate brand externally: Define and manage how TPCi presents itself externally as a company – including corporate reputation, employer brand, social impact narrative, and business storytelling – distinct from Pokémon product and brand marketing and consumer communications.

• Lead crisis communications: Partner closely with People, Legal, Marketing, and PR to strengthen crisis communications readiness and lead coordinated response efforts that protect TPCi’s reputation, credibility, and stakeholder trust.

This role will lead a small team in Bellevue and London and report to the Chief of Staff and Head of Corporate Development. The position will work in in close partnership with the President and the Executive Leadership team, while collaborating cross-functionally with leaders across Marketing, PR, Legal, People and other business functions.

• FLSA Classification (US Only): Exempt

• People Manager: Yes

What you’ll do

This role is responsible for four key areas:

Internal Corporate Communications Leadership ( Majority focus)

• Develop, Deliver, and Execute Strategy: Define and execute the internal communications strategy and enhance the channels, formats, and operating rhythms — including all-hands meetings, leadership cascades, and written and visual communications — that connect Pokémon Producers across regions to TPCi’s mission, vision, business priorities, and values. Partner directly with the President, executives, and business leaders to translate strategic priorities into messages that resonate with and mobilize employees, not just inform them.

• Operations & Quality: Establish the editorial standards, governance, and operating rhythm that enable the function to deliver high-quality, on-time work at scale. Implement review processes, measure performance, and continuously iterate to improve impact.

• Pokémon Japan Partnership: Work with The Pokémon Company, Japan PR team to ensure consistent global employee messaging where appropriate.

External Communications Leadership

• Corporate Brand & Storytelling: Own how TPCi presents itself externally as a company — across corporate brand, employer brand, social responsibility narrative, and business storytelling, distinct from Pokémon brand and product marketing. Ensure messaging across owned channels is consistent with company leadership and reflects TPCi’s mission, vision, and values.

Crisis Communications Leadership

• Readiness & Response: Lead crisis communications planning and response. Partner with People, Legal, Marketing/PR, and the executive team to establish protocols, decision-making frameworks and messaging approaches that enable clear, timely and coordinated communication during critical events for both internal and external audiences. Build the readiness, not just the response.

Team & Leadership

• Build the Team: Recruit, develop, and lead a small, high-performing team across Bellevue and London. Set a clear quality bar, provide ongoing coaching, and build a scalable function to support our growing global communications needs.

The Impact you’ll make

Within 3 months — Listen, Diagnose, Earn Trust

• Business Immersion and Understanding of Historical and Business Nuances: Build a strong working understanding of TPCi’s business, the Pokémon franchise, the global organization, and the Pokémon ecosystem that has contributed to its global success. Develop a clear view of what the President, executives, and key business leaders need from corporate communications, including the historical, business, and organizational nuances that shape decision-making and how TPCi operates.

• Honest Diagnostic: Deliver a fact-based assessment of where current corporate communications platforms, channels, processes, and team capabilities are strong, weak, or missing — with a recommendation on the few priorities to address first and why.

Within 6 months — Set the Strategy, Deliver Quick Wins

• Strategy & Roadmap: Land a corporate communications plan, approved by the President’s Office, covering internal, external, and crisis — with clearly defined outcomes (not just activities), a year-one roadmap, and the metrics by which progress will be measured.

• First Platform Upgrades: Deliver the first round of meaningful improvements to internal channels and the hybrid all-hands format, with measurable change in employee reach, engagement, or comprehension — not just a refreshed look.

• Crisis Readiness Pressure test and stand up a clear, practical crisis communication plan. Define playbooks, who makes decisions, and how issues get escalated by aligning with People, Legal, Marketing/PR, and executives.

Within 12 months — Build for Scale, Show the Outcomes

• Team Built for 2027 and Beyond: Plan, design, and build the Corporate Communications Team and operating model for scalable, global impact with clear and consistent editorial standards, governance, and defined quality bar.

• Demonstrated Outcomes: Show measurable progress on the year-one strategy, resulting in stronger employee engagement and message comprehension internally, sharper corporate and employer brand presence externally, and demonstrated crisis communication readiness through at least one real or simulated event. At the one-year mark, success should be defined by the impact achieved and organizational value created by the corporate communication team, not simply by the volume of activities or communication delivered.

• Build to Scale: Using year one results and learnings, build the next three-year plan that supports where TPCi aims to be across the three areas: internal, external, and crisis communications.

What you’ll bring

• Seasoned Communications Leader (12+ years): -Demonstrated experience leading and executing comprehensive corporate communications strategies (internal and external) for a dynamic, diverse, multinational organization in significant growth or transformation.

• Global Leadership (5+ years): Proven ability to lead and guide teams to elevate their skills and capacity through operational efficiency and effectiveness across diverse locations and cultures. International work experience a plus.

• Platform Builder — Takes Communications to the Next Level: Proven track record of taking corporate communication platforms, channels, and capabilities meaningfully beyond where you found them. You don’t just steward what exists — you redesign, modernize, and elevate it. We are looking for someone who will leave our communications materially stronger than they are today.

• From Ideas to Execution Plans: Generates strong communication ideas and translates them into detailed, executable plans — with clear sequencing, owners, milestones, and success measures. Your contribution does not stop at the concept stage.

• Outcomes Over Outputs: Operates with a sharp distinction between activity produced (emails sent, town halls produced) and impact achieved (perception, behavior, alignment, and engagement actually moved), using data to know the difference.

• Operational Leader — Quality and Efficiency in Balance: Runs a communications operation that delivers high-quality work at the pace the business demands. Has great judgement when deciding between quality vs speed with intentionality, rather than defaulting to slow-and-pretty or fast-and-sloppy.

• High Quality Bar with a Clear Sense of “Done”: Knows what good looks like across writing, design, narrative arc, and execution, and will not ship below that bar. Articulates quality standards to the team up front, rather than reacting after the fact.

• Tenacious Change Agent: Brings deep commitment and persistence to drive change through ambiguity, competing priorities or resistance. Focuses on making progress and delivering results, not just communicating a change.

• Business Leader Operating from the President’s Office: This team sits in the President’s Office and operates with an enterprise-wide perspective, rather than focusing primarily on People/HR communications, where internal communication function often resides. We are seeking a leader with strong cross-functional business acumen who naturally connects Finance, Marketing, Brand, Legal, Product, and operating functions across TPCi. This role should be experienced in understanding President (CEO) and executives’ priorities and translating them into effective communications at the enterprise level.

Technical Skills:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, SharePoint, and content/analytics tools is required. This role is expected to operate hands-on as needed, directly contributing to the development of communication materials, including documents, presentations, and video content.

• The ability to independently develop and deliver high-quality communication products - without reliance on contractors or agencies- is essential.

• Proficiency in graphic design and presentation development tools is a plus.

Base Salary Range: The target range is $200,000 - $299,000 per year. This range is applicable for the labor market where the role is intended to be hired. The final base salary is directly related to the candidate’s qualifications and professional experience uniquely.

#LI-MK1 #LI-Hybrid

How you’ll be successful

• Passion for Pokémon: Develops an understanding of the Pokémon brand, the impact it has on our people, culture, business, fans, and communities, and applying that knowledge and passion to everything you do.

• Challenging the Expected: Approaches challenges with curiosity and creativity, embracing the possibility of failure as an opportunity to learn something new, develop innovative ideas, solve complex problems and identify unique opportunities.

• Integrity and Respect: Demonstrates integrity and respect by leading with empathy, listening to others, seeking out different perspectives, and taking personal responsibility for decisions, actions, and results.

• Dedicated to Quality: Takes ownership to maintain and promote high standards, looks for new ways to learn and improve, and embraces a growth mindset to seek and apply feedback from others in an effort to continuously improve.

• Building Relationships: Develops and strengthens relationships, adopting a “team first” mentality and working collaboratively to solve problems and meet shared goals.

• Delighting Customers: Listens and understands the interests and needs of our customers and stakeholders, making them feel heard and important, and embracing these learnings to continue delivering a unique Pokémon experience.

What to expect

• An innovative culture driven by impact, delivering meaningful outcomes.

• Company events that celebrate the spirit of Pokémon.

• Competitive cash-based compensation programs.

• 100% employer-paid healthcare premiums for you.

• Generous paid family leave.

• Employer-paid life insurance.

• Employer-paid long and short-term income protection insurance.

• US Employees: 401k Employer Matching.

• UK/IRE/MX Employees: Pension Employer Contributions.

• Fitness reimbursement.

• Commuter benefit.

• LinkedIn learning.

• Comprehensive relocation package for certain roles.

• Hybrid work environment.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this role. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Employees may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed. For roles in the United Kingdom, candidates will need the right to work. In some cases, and for some roles, the Company may be able to arrange a visa. For roles in Ireland, this role requires candidates to have the right to live and work in the Republic of Ireland. However, we welcome applications from all nationalities and may consider supporting an employment permit application, in appropriate and suitable cases.

The Pokémon Company International is committed to the inclusion of all qualified applicants for consideration in our job application process. If you require reasonable accommodation to complete a job application, pre-employment testing, or a job interview, or to otherwise participate in the hiring process, please contact the Talent Acquisition team at [email protected].