Project Manager
Los Angeles, CA
Project Management Office /
Full Time /
Hybrid
Exploding Kittens is a leading game and entertainment company with a mission to inspire people to connect, laugh, and play fun games in the physical world. After initially seeking to raise $10K through Kickstarter, the Exploding Kittens campaign raised $8.7M in 30 days from 219,000 backers. To date, Exploding Kittens is the #1 most-backed project in Kickstarter history and has sold over 20 million games.
Started by former Xbox game designer Elan Lee and The Oatmeal’s founder Matthew Inman, Exploding Kittens and its family of games seek to reshape traditional game night into an entertaining person-to-person experience. Today, there are over 30 games available for purchase, an exclusive Exploding Kittens mobile game for Netflix subscribers, a free-to-play app, Kitty Letter, and an Exploding Kittens mobile app available iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch as well as an animated Netflix series titled ‘Exploding Kittens’ currently out now! Check it out and join us in the truly belly-aching laughs.
We are looking for a Project Manager to join our team and own the entirety of the product development cycle for our new projects. You will manage multiple new game projects at a time and serve as the primary point of accountability for gathering and maintaining scope, ensuring cross-functional alignment, setting and adhering to timelines, and upholding product standards. This role sits at the intersection of project management and product ownership, making it a great opportunity for someone with the agility to navigate creativity-driven projects and the chance to make a real mark on some of the most playful and unconventional products that bring joy to millions.
If you are an experienced project manager with a passion for physical products and the organizational skills to bring big ideas to life, we’d love to hear from you.
HOW YOU’LL CONTRIBUTE:
- Meet with cross-functional teams to gather product scope and align on goals; continue leading communication touchpoints throughout development to maintain clarity and alignment
- Determine product financial goals and collaborate with game developers, package designers, and production to spec out components, secure costing, and drive product decisions that meet both creative and business needs
- Document and regularly update project status, scope, and decision history; ensure resources are available and accessible across teams
- Create and manage project milestones, drive progress, and hold teams accountable to deadlines; adjust timelines when needed with minimal disruption to the overall schedule
- Identify risks to the timeline, scope, or cost early and take proactive steps to mitigate or escalate them with proposed solutions
- Review product samples at key stages, ensuring they meet company quality and brand standards; gather and track stakeholder feedback and approvals before final production
- Serve as the go-to leader guiding the product to its best and most aligned form, balancing creativity, practicality, and brand vision throughout development
WHAT WE NEED:
- 3+ years of project management experience in physical product development (e.g. consumer goods, packaging, toys, games, retail products) OR games (preferred)
- Strong understanding of how strict retail timelines impact project lifecycles and cross-functional workflows
- Proven ability to manage multiple complex projects at once in a fast-paced environment
- Excellent follow-through and highly organized with an extreme attention to detail
- Growth mindset: you learn fast, adapt quickly, and apply feedback without repeated reminders
- Low ego, calm under pressure, and collaborative across all levels and disciplines
- Proactive, independent, and able to identify problems and find creative solutions
- Excellent communicator, able to lead meetings, clearly present updates and ideas, and ensure alignment through well-managed documentation
- Based in Los Angeles, 3x a week
- Experience in Wrike, G-Suite Applications, Adobe Creative Suite, or similar software preferred
WHAT WE OFFER:
- Company paid medical, dental, and vision benefits for you and your family
- Flexible spending account options (medical, dependent care, transit)
- 401k with company matching
- Employee Equity Incentive program
- Flexible paid vacation
- Learning & Development allowance to invest in employee career growth
- Monthly wellness benefit + complementary wellness subscriptions
$70,000 - $80,000 a year
This salary represents a range for the position and will ultimately depend on the individuals’ qualifications and years of experience, location, and is subject to change.
Please apply directly at jobs.lever.co/explodingkittens. Make sure to include a PDF of your current resume along with a cover letter.
We believe that we become stronger and more competitive as a company by employing people with different backgrounds and experiences and from different cultures. As an Equal Employment Opportunity employer, we are committed to complying with all applicable laws providing equal employment opportunity to applicants and employees regardless of sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), race (including protected hairstyles such as dreadlocks, braids, and twists), religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), color, gender (including gender identity, gender expression and/or the fact that an individual is transgender, transitioning, or transitioned), color, ancestry, national origin, possession of a driver’s license, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information/trait/condition, marital or familial status, family care or medical leave status, registered domestic partner status, age, sexual orientation, military and veteran status, membership in military reserves, political affiliation, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law, ordinance, or regulation. We consider all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable local, state, and federal “ban the box” and “fair chance” laws.
