Customer Service Manager

Customer Service Manager

The Customer Service Manager leads Paizo's customer service operations, overseeing a team of Customer Service Leads and Customer Service Representatives. Reporting to the Director of Ecommerce, this role is responsible for ensuring exceptional customer experiences across all support channels including telephone, email, forums, and in-person interactions. The Customer Service Manager sets departmental strategy, develops policies and procedures, manages escalations, coordinates with cross-functional teams, and upholds Paizo's reputation for industry-leading customer service. This position also oversees forum moderation and community support initiatives in partnership with other public-facing departments like Marketing and Licensing.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Operations

• Manage the day-to-day operations of the Customer Service team, providing direction to Customer Service Leads and Representatives
• Schedule team personnel to ensure coverage during core business hours
• Prioritize tasks and allocate resources to meet departmental objectives
• Establish and maintain KPIs and SLAs for customer service performance
• Review issue trends and develop plans to reduce frequency, severity, and impact of recurring problems
• Develop and document customer service best practices, policies, and procedures
• Establish training programs and ensure consistent onboarding for new team members
• Train Customer Service Leads in escalation handling and team coordination

Escalation & Issue Resolution

• Serve as the final escalation point for complex or sensitive customer issues
• Handle and resolve top-level customer service issues in a timely and professional manner
• Document ongoing issues and maintain records of customer interactions requiring management attention
• Coordinate with other departments to resolve systemic issues affecting customers

Forum Moderation & Community Support

• Work with Marketing to oversee moderation of the Paizo forums, directing efforts to maintain a positive community environment
• Establish and communicate moderation guidelines and policies
• Review moderation documentation to identify trends and recommend improvements
• Coordinate with employees on forum or moderation issues as they arise
• Communicate with the community about moderation efforts and policy updates

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Coordinate with the Warehouse and Sales teams on monthly order fulfillment, particularly during subscription fulfillment periods
• Work with the Tech team to identify and resolve system issues affecting customer service operations
• Partner with Marketing on customer-facing communications regarding sales, promotions, and business initiatives
• Coordinate with other departments to resolve product inventory trends and communicate product delays
• Collaborate with Ecommerce and Operations on subscription system management and order processing issues
• Participate in cross-functional meetings to advise on customer service impacts and requirements

Reporting & Administration

• Prepare reports on customer service metrics, trends, and team performance for the Director of Ecommerce
• Identify yearly budget needs for customer service operations
• Process weekly timecards and manage overtime requests per established procedures
• Conduct mid-year and year-end performance reviews for direct reports
• Approve time off requests while ensuring adequate departmental coverage

Convention Support

• Work with the External Relationships team to coordinate customer service and retail functions at Paizo conventions and events
• Assist with opening and closing retail operations at events
• Interact with attendees and support registration and convention activities as needed
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Director of Ecommerce

Essential Job Skills

• Excellent leadership, communication, and decision-making skills
• Desire to help people and genuine enjoyment in customer interactions
• Ability to maintain a friendly and professional attitude in high-stress or difficult situations
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and priorities in a dynamic environment
• Robust computer skills (MS Office, email, webforms, social media platforms) and ability to learn new systems quickly
• Ability to read, write, speak, and understand English at a high level of competence
• Ability to maintain confidential information
• Ability to pass a background check
• Ability to travel for work (up to a week at a time) for conventions

Supervisory Responsibility

This position directly supervises Customer Service Leads and Customer Service Representatives. The Customer Service Manager is responsible for scheduling, performance management, training, and professional development of all team members.

Location

The position is currently 100% remote. Candidates must be a resident of the state of Colorado, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, or Washington State. Candidates may also be located in Canada.

Education and/or Expertise

• 4+ years of experience in a customer service role
• 2+ years of experience supervising employees
• 2+ years of forum moderation or community management experience (Nice to Have)
• High school degree or equivalent required; associate degree, customer service certification, or equivalent experience preferred
• Experience with trouble ticketing software (FreshDesk, ZenDesk, Jira, or similar) preferred
• Strong interest in games of all types, including card games, board games, video games, and roleplaying games
• Experience working in a union environment preferred (Nice to Have)

Job Benefits

• Health Insurance: 100% paid medical, dental, and vision for employee and immediate family
• 11 Paid Holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King's Birthday, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus / Indigenous People's Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and the following Friday
• Flexible Hours: All employees work from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Pacific time, with the remaining hours worked at your convenience over the week
• Personal Time: 40 hours per year (prorated based on start date)
• Vacation: Accrue 80 hours of vacation pay per year, plus 8 hours per year of service, up to 160 hours annually
• Sick and Safe Leave: 24 hours of Sick and Safe Leave upon date of hire, plus accrue up to 120 hours per year
• Additional time off provided for civic duty (voting, jury duty) and bereavement
• Retirement: Access to company 401k with matching
• Employee Copies: Paizo employees can get one free copy of most every product Paizo produces
• Employee discount on paizo.com
• Bonus eligible

Pay Band

• The salary range for this position is $55,000 - $65,000 per year

Applicant Information

If you're interested, please apply at https://paizo.com/paizo/careers

Equal Opportunity Statement

Paizo provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to Race, Religion, Color, Age, Sex, Sexual orientation, Gender identity, Gender expression, National origin, Ancestry, Citizenship, Marital status, Physical disability, Mental disability, Medical condition, Genetic characteristic or information, Political affiliation, Military and veteran status, Pregnancy, Breastfeeding or related medical condition, Union status, or any other basis in violation of applicable federal, state or municipal law.

About Paizo

Paizo, Inc. is the publisher of the award-winning Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, and Pathfinder Tales novels, as well as board games and accessories. The world of Pathfinder, in which players take on the role of brave adventurers fighting to survive in a world beset by magic and evil, is currently translated into eight languages, and has been licensed for video games, comic books, graphic novels, toys, and apparel. Paizo.com is also a leading online hobby retail store, offering tens of thousands of products from a variety of publishers to customers all over the world.