Senior External Development Manager

<p><strong>Who We Are</strong></p> <p>MAKE LIFE EPIC</p> <p>Founded in 1996, Firaxis Games is a world-renowned game development studio with an unwavering mission to “build games that stand the test of time”. The name Firaxis, a fusion of “fiery” and “axis,” communicates the company’s dynamic development process that results in the creation of ground breaking titles with unparalleled gameplay delivered to gamers around the world. Under the creative direction of industry legend Sid Meier, Firaxis has released dozens of hit games on multiple platforms and is recognized as an industry leader in game development.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>CORE VALUES:</p> <p>GAMEPLAY FIRST</p> <p>Let gameplay drive decision making</p> <p>BE ACCOUNTABLE</p> <p>Deliver great work for the studio, the team &amp; yourself</p> <p>PEOPLE FOCUSED</p> <p>Maintain an environment where people are happy</p> <p>EMBRACE ENTHUSIASM</p> <p>Find opportunities to contribute and collaborate</p> <p>WORK SMART</p> <p>Put effort where it pays off the most</p> <p><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p> <p><strong>What We Need</strong></p> <p>The Senior External Development Manager is accountable for the end-to-end management of external development partnerships at the project level. This role owns and drives the external development pipeline across all disciplines, ensuring partners deliver assets and content on schedule, within scope, and at the highest quality standards. The Senior External Development Manager establishes and evolves production practices that integrate external partner contributions with internal development teams while maintaining the flexibility to support internal production efforts as project demands shift.</p> <p><strong>What You Will Do</strong></p> <ul> <li>Partner &amp; Pipeline Management: Own the full lifecycle of external partnerships, including onboarding, offboarding, contracts, and invoices. Lead RFP creation and vendor outreach for new project requirements.</li> <li>Vendor Operations: Negotiate and align vendor scope, capacity, cost, and delivery expectations with project goals and budget. Manage IT onboarding and troubleshooting to ensure secure partner access to tools and systems.</li> <li>Production Oversight: Build and manage vendor production schedules and milestones. Track deliverables, monitor milestone health, and proactively mitigate risks related to schedule, budget, or scope drift.</li> <li>Process Improvement: Drive the continuous improvement of vendor workflows, documentation, and toolchains to increase efficiency and quality. Report on vendor KPIs and delivery trends to studio leadership.</li> <li>Internal Producti