The Opportunity:
Kidlandia seeks a talent Project Manager to lead software development and implementation for an exciting
venture-backed consumer products and entertainment startup. We seek a driven individual who seeks to get
in on the ground floor of a company redefining a major consumer market. The ideal candidate with have
cross-functional skills in client management, software development, and UI.
Kidlandia targets the white-hot personalization market and provides major retailers and media companies a
solution to their need for a personalization strategy. Personalized gifts alone are $27B market, and
personalization is growing share across multiple consumer categories. The company has a proven first product
that kids love, deals with many of the biggest names in retail and media, and an unparalleled opportunity to
grow its list of uniquely personal and entertaining product offerings. Working with talented artists, writers,
and game designers, the Project Manager will optimize and expand the website and software platform.
The Team:
Kidlandia’s culture is creative and entrepreneurial. The founder and CEO, Brian Backus, has been illustrating
maps and fanciful monsters since he was a child. Brian, a serial entrepreneur and former Producer at Disney, is
a 17 year veteran of digit media. He holds an MFA from USC Film School, and a BA and MBA from Harvard.
Kidlandia’s talented team includes engineers and artists with leadership experience at creative companies
including Electronic Arts, Disney, Viacom, and Broderbund among others. Funders and Advisors include successful
two venture firms and media entrepreneurs and experts chosen for their ability to directly address specific
company needs. A portion of company stock is set aside for the benefit of charities serving the educational and
health-related needs of children.
The Role:
The Project Manager reports directly to the CEO, and will serve as the primary architect and driver of
Kidlandia’s product development, including design specification, scheduling, budget, and managing the
release schedule. In addition, the position includes an active role in client management and design.
Responsibilities:
• Develop and manage the product release schedule
• Own the design specification
• Work closely with engineering, art, and merchandising
• Ensure that distribution partners are fully supported
• Work with partner character IP owners (licensors) to access art assets
• Because this is an early-stage startup, the role requires flexibility and cross-functional skills (wearing “many hats”).
Qualifications:
• 3+ years of relevant experience required, with media and internet background preferred
• An impressive track record of managing software releases
• Organized and detail oriented
• Positive, optimistic attitude, high degree of intrinsic motivation and ability to operate with high energy and flexibility
• Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills
• Exemplary analysis and problem solving skills
• Ability to work independently and manage priorities as well as work well in teams
• Comfortable in a dynamic startup environment and industry
• BA/BS degree required
The Company:
Kidlandia, Inc
(www.kidlandia.com) is a San Francisco media
startup whose mission is to inspire, educate, and delight children and their families through products
that put the child in the product story. The first product, personalized kingdoms, harnesses the power
of map imagery as a way to convey rich meaning. The product line began as commissioned works of illustrated
art in 2004, and developed into a software platform. Within weeks of the software launch (June 2009), the
Company secured a distribution partnership with one of the world’s premier retailers, and many more
partnerships are signed or in the pipeline. The company works with both its own characters, and with top
licenses.
Next Steps:
Please send your CV to jobs@kidlandia.com. We will review every resume, and will contact you if there is a match.