Director AVP Gaming Business

About the Role

Our client, a listed mobile entertainment company, is hiring a Director / AVP – Gaming Business to run the commercial and operating heart of its cloud gaming platform, as second-in-command to the EVP – Gaming. This is a global role based in Bangalore. The platform is live in India through direct-to-consumer and retail channels, scaling into Europe, and building a global B2B pipeline with telecom operators, ISPs, and device and platform partners across MENA, Africa and South-East Asia. The person owns the P&L across all three motions, builds the business cases behind every major decision, drives the partner pipeline from first conversation to signature, and carries the narrative to boards, investors and partners.

The scope spans strategy, commercial, product and execution. It combines the judgement of a business head, the cross-functional reach of a chief of staff, and the discipline of a programme lead. A given week might involve building a market-entry model, presenting to an operator's leadership team, unblocking a launch across engineering and content, and writing the board note that follows.

The role sits close to the work. The team around it is small and senior, and the person will often be building the model, writing the deck and sitting in the negotiation themselves, which is also what makes this the fastest way to learn the business end to end and to earn a wider mandate. Structure and team are built as the business scales. The charter is still taking shape, so the role will suit someone energised by an open brief and comfortable setting their own priorities as the business grows.

Scope & Working Pattern

• Global remit, based in Bangalore. India is the proving ground; Europe, MENA, Africa and South-East Asia are the expansion markets.

• Partner and market engagement across multiple time zones, with regular international travel for operator meetings, market visits and industry events.

• Sustained intensity around launches, market entries and partner milestones, working to partner and market timelines rather than fixed hours.

• A small core team and a limited support structure. The remit will expand as the business grows, and the role is expected to absorb new areas as they emerge rather than wait for them to be staffed.

What You'll Do

Business & P&L

• Own the platform's P&L across direct-to-consumer, retail and partner channels – revenue, cost-to-serve, margin and growth targets.

• Build the business cases behind major decisions: pricing and tier architecture, market entry, content investment, and hardware and infrastructure spend.

• Model unit economics from first principles and stress-test them – subscriber economics, device and subscription attach, acquisition and retention cases, scenario planning.

• Own the India consumer business as the reference market, and convert the evidence it generates – cohort behaviour, activation, retention, channel performance – into decisions and into the proof points that carry global partner conversations.

Global B2B & Partnerships

• Drive the international B2B pipeline from first conversation to signature – telecom operators, ISPs, device and platform partners across MENA, Africa, South-East Asia and Europe.

• Structure the commercials: opportunity sizing, revenue share and minimum guarantee models, bundling constructs, take-or-pay, and the deployment economics behind each market.

• Lead senior-level pitches to operator product, digital and partnership leadership, and to OEM, platform and retail partners.

• Translate product capability into market-specific propositions – tier design, packaging and pricing against local ARPU benchmarks.

Program & Execution

• Own cross-functional program end to end – market launches, operator integrations, product and hardware releases – holding timelines across engineering, content, marketing and operations.

• Run the operating cadence: business reviews, goal setting and tracking, and the follow-through that closes open items.

• Step into unowned areas, build the structure they need, and hand them on as the organization matures.

Narrative & Representation

• Build and carry the business narrative for boards, investors, partners and internal leadership.

• Produce the material personally – business cases, pitch decks, board notes and partner proposals – with clarity and precision.

• Represent the business externally at industry forums and partner engagements, and deputise for the EVP – Gaming across commercial, product and operational matters.

What We're Looking For

• 8–14 years across general management, business development, product management or strategy – in gaming, OTT, consumer subscription, consumer devices or consumer technology, with international exposure.

• Demonstrable ownership of a P&L or a significant revenue line, with accountability for the number rather than advisory involvement.

• Experience building and closing B2B or B2B2C partnerships across markets – revenue share, minimum guarantees, bundling and take-or-pay constructs.

• Strong business case and financial modelling capability – able to build a case from first principles and defend it under scrutiny.

• Exceptional communication and storytelling – able to take a complex commercial position and make it persuasive to a board, a partner or a team.

• Track record of driving cross-functional programs to closure without direct authority over every contributor.

• Comfort operating with a small team and limited support – someone who produces the work rather than delegating it.

• Sufficient product and technical literacy to engage credibly with engineering on trade-offs, scope and sequencing.

Nice to Have

• Exposure to cloud gaming, streaming infrastructure, or hardware-plus-subscription business models.

• Experience selling to or partnering with telecom operators, ISPs or device makers internationally.

• Chief of staff, business operations or corporate strategy experience alongside line ownership.

• Experience in emerging markets – India, MENA, Africa or South-East Asia – and an understanding of ARPU-led pricing.

• Familiarity with content or game licensing commercials.

• Exposure to direct-to-consumer, marketplace or retail channel distribution.

You'll do well in this role if you:

• Have range – able to move between a financial model, a partner pitch and a product discussion in the same day.

• Take high ownership – treat gaps as yours to close rather than escalate, and are comfortable doing the work yourself.

• Have resilience under pressure, and the composure to hold a position in negotiation.

• Are comfortable with ambiguity and an evolving charter, with the instinct to create structure where none exists.

• Are collaborative and equally credible in an engineering room and a commercial one.

What You'll Get

• Flexi work hours.

• Industry-best insurance coverage.

• Employee stock options.

• Leave entitlements.

Please note: This position is for one of Playdawn's clients, and successful candidates will be hired directly by the client, not by Playdawn.

Our client is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. They are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, or other protected characteristics. They believe that diversity fuels innovation and creativity, and they strive to create an environment where everyone can thrive and contribute to shared success.