APAC Localization Manager, Pokémon GO

The Pokémon GO team is looking for an APAC Localization Manager to lead the localization of all player-facing Pokémon GO communications across APAC. This includes the communications that help players discover, understand, and engage with the game, its content, events, campaigns, and broader brand experience across in-game and external channels.

You will own the quality and operational health of this work from intake and prioritization through translation or transcreation, linguistic review, in-context quality assurance, stakeholder approvals, and launch readiness. You will ensure every deliverable is accurate, culturally appropriate, on brand, and ready for its intended market, while bringing clarity and predictability to a fast-moving, multi-language live-service environment.

You will partner closely with Product Marketing, Product Management, Game Design, Creative Production, Community, Social, Direct Marketing, Communications, Production, regional teams, and external language partners. You will also use advanced AI tools and thoughtfully designed workflows to improve scale, speed, and consistency, while maintaining rigorous human review, confidentiality, IP standards, and the quality expected of Pokémon GO.

What you will do

Lead APAC localization strategy and operations. Own the end-to-end localization program for all player-facing Pokémon GO communications in APAC. Define how work is scoped, prioritized, resourced, routed, reviewed, approved, and delivered across languages and markets.

Own localization quality. Set and uphold standards for linguistic accuracy, terminology, tone of voice, cultural relevance, brand consistency, and in-context quality. Ensure localized communications faithfully convey player value while feeling natural and appropriate in each market.

Manage the localization lifecycle. Drive projects from early intake and source-readiness through translation or transcreation, review, linguistic QA, stakeholder approvals, final delivery, and post-launch follow-up. Maintain clear ownership, timing, dependencies, and escalation paths throughout.

Partner with global and regional stakeholders. Work closely with Product Marketing, Product Management, Game Design, Creative Production, Community, Social, Direct Marketing, Communications, Production, regional teams to plan localization early, clarify requirements, and ensure localized materials are ready for each market's launch.

Enable culturally relevant communications. Bring a strong understanding of APAC market and language contexts into planning and review. Identify when direct translation is insufficient and guide appropriate transcreation, adaptation, or market-specific considerations without losing the intent of the global communication.

Manage language partners and resources. Oversee external localization vendors, linguists, reviewers, and other partners. Set clear briefs and expectations, monitor quality and delivery performance, resolve issues quickly, and help allocate resources across overlapping priorities.

Build scalable localization systems. Create and maintain the glossaries, style guides, reference materials, workflow documentation, QA processes, and knowledge systems that make localization more consistent, efficient, and resilient as the business scales.

Improve process visibility and launch readiness. Establish practical tracking and reporting for localization status, blockers, missing inputs, unresolved quality issues, owners, and release risk. Give stakeholders a clear view of readiness and help teams make timely decisions.

Leverage advanced AI tools and workflows. Use approved AI capabilities to accelerate content analysis, terminology and consistency checks, workflow coordination, quality control, knowledge management, and other high-friction tasks. Build repeatable AI-enabled processes while applying sound judgment around accuracy, confidentiality, IP, brand standards, and human review.

Drive continuous quality improvement. Analyze recurring issues, root causes, vendor performance, and stakeholder feedback. Turn learnings into concrete process, tooling, and training improvements that reduce avoidable errors and improve both quality and speed.

Coordinate approvals and protect the brand. Ensure localization work follows relevant brand, legal, licensing, and approval requirements. Partner with internal and external stakeholders to surface risks early and maintain the standards expected in a highly collaborative IP environment.

Support broader office operations and cross-functional administrative needs. Contribute to occasional cross-functional operational initiatives in the Tokyo office, including support related to Legal, Procurement, Partnerships, and other business functions as needed.

What you will need

2+ years of experience in localization program management, international content operations, marketing communications localization, or related disciplines.

Experience managing end-to-end localization workflows for multiple languages and markets, including intake, translation or transcreation, review, linguistic QA, approvals, and delivery.

Experience supporting consumer-facing communications in a fast-moving environment, ideally within mobile gaming, live-service products, entertainment, technology, or another global digital business.

Demonstrated ability to lead complex cross-functional programs involving global and regional teams, product and marketing stakeholders, creative partners, and external vendors.

Strong command of localization quality practices, including linguistic accuracy, terminology management, style guidance, cultural adaptation, and in-context validation.

Experience managing localization vendors, freelancers, or language-service partners, with the ability to set clear expectations, assess quality, and resolve delivery issues constructively.

Hands-on experience using AI-powered tools to improve localization operations, quality assurance, workflow efficiency, or knowledge management, together with sound judgment around accuracy, confidentiality, IP, brand standards, and human review.

Excellent project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage overlapping launches, identify risks early, and create clarity across multiple dependencies and stakeholders.

Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate precise recommendations and influence decisions without direct authority.

Business-level proficiency in both English and Japanese is required. Fluency in every APAC language is not required; success in this role depends on building reliable localization, review, and quality-management systems with language experts and regional partners.

Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.

Plus if

You have worked on a mobile, free-to-play, or live-service game with a frequent content and event cadence.

You have experience managing localization across multiple APAC languages and markets, including Japan.

You have worked with a translation management system, CAT tools, localization QA tools, or workflow and asset-management platforms.

You have built or scaled glossaries, style guides, linguistic asset libraries, quality frameworks, or knowledge systems that improved consistency and efficiency.

You have built or scaled AI-enabled localization workflows, automation, or quality-control processes that improved team speed, decision quality, or error prevention.

You have experience working with major entertainment or licensed IP, especially in highly collaborative approval environments.

You understand Pokémon GO, its community, and the broader Pokémon franchise.

You have additional proficiency in one or more APAC languages.

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概要

『Pokémon GO』では、APAC地域におけるプレイヤー向けコミュニケーションのローカライゼーションを推進するマネージャーを募集しています。ゲーム内外のチャネルを通じ、プレイヤーがゲームやそのコンテンツ、イベント、キャンペーン、さらにはブランド全体の体験に出会い、理解を