Judge Academy Judge Program Manager Nicolette Apraez is Joining Wizards of the Coast

Judge Program Manager Nicolette Apraez has accepted an offer from Wizards of the Coast to join their team as a Game Producer for Studio X, focusing on their Universes Beyond sub-brand. For those unfamiliar with Universes Beyond, think Magic meets Warhammer! Magic meets The Lord of the Rings! The game system we all know and love is expanding into other story realms and Nicolette gets to be a part of the team making that all come together. More information on Universes Beyond here.

Nicolette has been with Judge Academy since its very beginnings in 2019, and helped shape the company into the international education community hub you all are a part of today! Selected for her breadth of experience, quick wit, and strength in the face of adversity, Nicolette was foundational to Judge Academy from the very start. While her team here at Judge Academy is going to miss her dearly, we’re also all super excited for Nicolette and we wish her the absolute best! (Honestly, we may all be a little jealous of how cool this job sounds, but that’s for another time!)

What is this going to mean for Judge Academy? During this time of transition, Judge Academy will be accepting applications to fill the newly open role of Magic Judge Program Manager. Communications Champion Samantha Harr will be acting as the interim Program Manager, holding down the fort as we adjust to our new team structure.

 

 

To learn more about the expectations of the role and whether you might be a good fit, please explore the following job description: 

 

Text Version:

Job Title: MTG Judge Program Manager
Department/Group: Community Team
Location: Remote
Travel Required: Up to 10% Travel
Reports to: Tim Shields
Position Type: Full Time
Salary: $50,000+ per year

At Judge Academy, we believe gaming is important. Games change lives. Games connect people. Games build friendships. And, most importantly, games build communities.

A community can grow and evolve into something special for everyone who’s a part of it. But, just like a gaming community needs a caring and thoughtful leader (such as a JA Judge) to help it grow, Judge Academy needs someone to coordinate and lead our various Champions for Magic and other games.  Here’s where you come in!

As the Program Manager, you’ll manage a team of Champions all working to best serve their specific segment of judges or members. While the Champions focus on the creation of content, engagement, and overall needs for their assigned group, you’ll be ensuring that Judge Academy creates a cohesive and fulfilling experience for all members.

Roles and Responsibilities

  • Continue Developing MTG Level/Certification system emphasizing event facilitation and fun
  • Continually work with publishers to identify certification and community management needs
  • Drive the overall vision for community and member engagement for Judge Academy
  • Audit and evolve content creation processes, style guides, and policies on a continual basis
  • Onboard, train, develop and manage Champions 
  • Oversee and enforce a unified content production and initiatives calendars for all champions 
  • Approve and manage budgets/spending for Community Team
  • Hold weekly meetings for the Community Team, as well as weekly 1-on-1s with each Champion
  • Handle escalated customer service issues for members
  • Manage relationships and agreements with external contractors

Qualifications and Skills

  • 4-year degree or equivalent experience in business administration/management or related field 
  • large toolkit of project management skills, technical proficiency, and passion for continuous improvement
  • Experience leading large teams towards a common goal
  • Confidence meeting deadlines and working in a fast-paced and highly dynamic environment
  • Experience managing budgets
  • Strong empathy for gamers, judges, TOs and publishers alike, acknowledging their different motivations, needs, and desires
  • Preferred – PMP®, PMI-SP®, CAPM®, or similar Certification

 

Brush up your resume and cover letter and submit them to the following email with the Subject line “Program Manager Application” if the Magic Judge Program Manager role sounds right for you: questions@judgeacademy.com