Influencer Planning Manager

Why Sony Interactive Entertainment?

Sony Interactive Entertainment isn’t just the Best Place to Play — it’s also the Best Place to Work. Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is the company behind the PlayStation brand. As a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation, we’re part of a proud legacy of innovation and excellence. SIE is a dynamic technology company, delivering cutting-edge hardware and network services to more than 100 million people and an entertainment leader, home to some of the most beloved and recognizable intellectual properties (IP) in the world. Our role at SIE is to create and nurture the experiences under the PlayStation brand, a name synonymous with entertainment excellence and creativity.

Sr. Manager, Influencer Planning

San Mateo, CA (Collab)

The Sr. Manager, Influencer Planning is a strategic planning leader responsible for building and operationalizing PlayStation's global influencer planning framework across the portfolio of games, hardware, services, sponsorships, and brand campaigns.

Reporting to the Sr. Director, Marketing Partnerships & Activations, this role will define the influencer/creator plan & approach, portfolio prioritization, global/local planning processes, measurement frameworks, and investment recommendations that enable Influencer Partnerships & Activations to execute with greater clarity, consistency, and impact.

This role will work in close partnership with the Influencer Partnerships team, as well as Brand, Media, Studios, Social, PR/Communications, and local market teams. The role is designed to strengthen upstream planning while allowing the activation team to focus on creator relationships, campaign delivery, and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities:

Influencer Planning

• Develop and evolve PlayStation's global influencer planning framework across priority portfolio moments.

• Translate audience objectives, business priorities, and cultural opportunities into clear influencer strategies and recommendations.

• Define integrated approaches across paid, earned, creator advocacy, Playmakers, talent partnerships, events, sponsorships, and local activation.

• Establish consistent briefs, planning calendars, inputs, and decision-making frameworks across influencer workstreams.

Audience, Creator & Cultural Intelligence

• Build a consistent view of priority audiences, creator archetypes, communities, platforms, and cultural behaviors relevant to PlayStation.

• Identify emerging creator, gaming, entertainment, sports, youth culture, and platform trends, partnering with Insights and Analytics to translate them into actionable strategy.

Portfolio Prioritization & Investment Strategy

• Define where influencer support should be full-service, lighter-touch, locally led, agency-supported, or enabled through scalable playbooks.

• Develop investment and resource recommendations across priority initiatives, balancing business impact, cultural opportunity, audience reach, and available resources.

Global / Local Planning Model

• Build and maintain a global planning model that incorporates local market expertise and establishes clear roles, inputs, briefing expectations, and feedback loops.

• Drive global consistency while enabling local cultural relevance, platform nuance, and creator-market fit.

Measurement, Learning & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Define KPI, reporting, and learning frameworks that measure audience impact, cultural relevance, creator advocacy, engagement, efficiency, and business contribution.

• Translate campaign performance and learnings into future planning recommendations in partnership with activation leads, agencies, Analytics, and local markets.

• Serve as a strategic partner to cross-functional teams and senior leadership, providing clear recommendations on influencer opportunities, priorities, investment, and tradeoffs.

• Build tools, templates, AI-enabled workflows, and operating rhythms that improve speed, clarity, and scalability across the function.

Skills and Qualifications:

• 10-12+ years of experience in influencer marketing, creator strategy, talent partnerships, brand marketing, integrated marketing, entertainment marketing, or social-first audience strategy.

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, advertising, communications, business, or a related field; equivalent experience considered.

• Proven experience developing global influencer programs for major consumer brands, entertainment companies, gaming companies, studios, agencies, platforms, or technology brands.

• Deep understanding of the creator economy, social platforms, gaming communities, youth culture, talent/influencer models, and the behaviors shaping cultural relevance today.

• Strong strategic planning capability, including audience definition, portfolio prioritization, brief development, measurement frameworks, and investment recommendations.

• Experience building operating models, planning processes, playbooks, and cross-functional ways of working in complex matrixed organizations.

• Strong executive communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information into clear recommendations and persuasive exec-level presentations.

• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and partner effectively across Brand, Product Marketing, Studios, Local Markets, PR/Comms, Social, Media, Legal, Finance, Procurement, and agency teams.

• Strong analytical orientation with the ability to define KPIs, interpret campaign results, identify learnings, and translate data into future planning decisions.

• AI fluency or willingness to rapidly adopt AI-enabled workflows for cultural trend scanning, creator discovery, reporting, knowledge management, and planning efficiency.

• Highly organized, proactive, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities, confidential information, and high-visibility initiatives.

• Genuine passion for gaming, entertainment, creators, sports, youth culture, and the PlayStation brand.

At SIE, we consider several factors when setting each role’s base pay range, including the competitive benchmarking data for the market and geographic location.

Please note that the base pay range may vary in line with our hybrid working policy and individual base pay will be determined based on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location. 

In addition, this role is eligible for SIE’s top-tier benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, matching 401(k), paid time off, wellness program and coveted employee discounts for Sony products. This role also may be eligible for a bonus package. Click here to learn more.

The estimated base pay range for this role is listed below.$194,200—$291,400 USD

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Equal Opportunity Statement:

Sony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All persons will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender (including gender identity, gender expression and gender reassignment), race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, disability, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, maternity or parental status, trade union membership or membership in any other legally protected category.

We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees and embrace diversity. We encourage everyone to respond. 

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