Manager, HR Strategic Projects & Operations

Team Name:

Job Title:Manager, HR Strategic Projects & Operations

Requisition ID:R028284

Job Description:

Job Title:             Manager, HR Strategic Projects & Operations

Reporting To:     CPO, Blizzard

Department:      Human Resources

Location:             Irvine, CA (Hybrid, 3 Days In Office) OR Remote

 

Your Mission

We’re looking for a highly organized, action-oriented Manager, HR Strategic Projects & Operations to help drive high-impact people, culture, and HR initiatives across Blizzard. This is a program- and project-management-first role for someone who knows how to create structure, keep work moving, manage stakeholders, and turn ideas into executed plans.

Reporting to the CPO, you’ll partner across HR, Centers of Excellence, Internal Communications, Legal, Labor, and business teams to deliver projects that improve how we work and how employees experience Blizzard. You’ll manage complex, cross-functional workstreams, build clear project plans, track risks and dependencies, prepare executive-ready materials, and ensure teams stay aligned and accountable. You will manage key programs and coordinate team members, setting priorities, providing direction, and developing capabilities to meet business objectives.

The ideal candidate can zoom out to understand the strategy, then zoom in to drive the details. You bring strong project management fundamentals, good judgment, comfort working in HR and culture-related spaces, and a roll-up-your-sleeves mindset. You don’t wait for perfect direction—you clarify the goal, build the plan, pull the right people together, and get things done. You determine how to deploy available resources to meet schedules and goals, establish effective operating practices, and make sound tactical decisions within established objectives.

In this position, no two days will be the same, but you will consistently focus on driving clarity, alignment, and execution across these key areas:

• Lead HR projects and programs from intake through execution, ensuring clear scope, milestones, owners, risks, decisions, and success measures.
• Drive cross-functional alignment across HRBPs, COEs, Communications, Labor, Legal, People Analytics, Talent, Compensation, and HR business partners.
• Keep projects moving by tracking dependencies, surfacing risks early, solving problems, and holding teams accountable to commitments.
• Develop executive-ready materials, including project updates, decision documents, presentations, and concise summaries that help leaders act.
• Support change management by creating clear communications, leadership materials, rollout plans, and feedback loops.
• Own and operationalize key programs, workstreams and operating rythms end to end.
• Recommend and implement improvements to departmental procedures, program governance, and ways of working.
• Jump in where needed to unblock work, complete project tasks, and help the team deliver—no task is too small when it moves the work forward.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality, privacy, and compliance standards when working with HR data and sensitive employee information.

Your Profile

• 8+ years of experience in project management, program management, operations, consulting, or HR-related project delivery.
• Strong project and program management discipline, including scoping, planning, governance, milestone tracking, risk management, stakeholder management, and execution.
• Proven ability to drive work forward in ambiguous, fast-moving environments with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Excellent communicator who can synthesize complex information into clear updates, executive-ready materials, and actionable next steps.
• Strong PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and project tracking skills; able to translate ideas, data, timelines, and decisions into polished, useful materials.
• Comfortable working in HR, culture, talent, employee experience, or organizational initiatives; HR experience is helpful, but strong PM capability is essential.
• Relationship-oriented and able to build trust quickly across teams, functions, and leadership levels.
• Highly proactive, detail-oriented, and self-directed—someone who sees around corners, follows through, and closes loops.
• Low-ego, hands-on operator with a true “get things done” mindset.
• Exercises discretion and sound judgment when working with confidential projects, employee data, and sensitive business topics.
• Demonstrated ability to project manage across teams, influence peers and senior leaders, and align individual or team goals with established business objectives.

Bonus Points:

• Experience supporting HR, talent, culture, employee experience, change management, or organizational transformation initiatives.
• Experience influencing without authoriy, leading program teams, or developing operational processes in an HR or people-focused environment.

 

Your Platform 

Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and StarCraft®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard, which was acquired by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment experiences. Blizzard Entertainment has created some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and genre-defining games over the last 30 years, with a track record that includes multiple Game of the Year awards. Blizzard Entertainment engages tens of millions of players around the world with titles available on PC via Battle.net®, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. 

Our World 

Activision Blizzard, Inc., is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™ and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet! 

Our ability to build immersive and innovative worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment.  We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered! 

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners. 

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply. 

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to [email protected]. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics. 

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!  Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company.  You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $89,280.00 - $165,168.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.