Chess.com

Lead player experience by conducting user research and synthesizing insights to improve products with senior leadership and cross-functional teams. | Proven track record in product improvement through deep user understanding, AI-native skills, strong empathy, and passion for chess community. | About You First off, you care deeply about chess and the people who play it. You've got real experience with the game, and our mission genuinely matters to you. You know our products well, or you'll dive in hard to get there, and you can't use them without noticing the moments where a real person would get stuck, confused, or quietly give up. You'd rather watch one real player struggle through a flow than read ten dashboards about it. You believe a funnel chart tells you where players drop, but only watching a real human hit that wall tells you why, and makes you care enough to do something about it. You think from first principles, you get curious before you get to solutions, and you have a gift for getting a stranger to tell you what they're actually feeling. This role exists to make our products serve real people, not just experiment metrics. You are the company's clearest window into the actual human experience of using Chess.com, and your job is to keep that experience honest, felt, and acted upon across the whole organization. You'll work closely with senior leadership, including the CEO and CGO, and it's on you to figure out how to reach into product, design, data, research, and community to drive change. The breadth is the point. You'll stand up and lead the function, managing a small, hands-on team directly and extending your reach far wider through the people you influence, not just the ones who report to you. What you'll do Get inside the experience of real players. Spend real time watching actual players, and people who aren't players yet, use our products. Not the hypothetical user in a planning doc, the real person sitting there delighted or lost. You do this work yourself, and just as importantly you get other leaders and teams doing it too, because nothing replaces seeing it with your own eyes. Close the loop, don't just generate insight. Find the friction, get it to the people who own the surface, and then go back and watch real players hit the improved flow to confirm it actually got better. You're accountable for the outcome, not just the writeup. A complete loop, observe to fix to re-observe to share, becomes the template the rest of the org can copy. Make sure every kind of player has a seat at the table. Cover the full journey, from chess aware and chess curious to chess player, chess improver, and chess community member, so we don't sharpen the experience for one group while quietly breaking it for another. Keep a living roster of real, memorable players across that journey that product and marketing teams can picture, point to, and literally talk to when they need a gut check. Turn signal into action across the company. Synthesize what you see into concrete, undeniable findings and get them in front of the right owners. Pull from every channel, support tickets, app reviews, forums, and social, and connect the dots into themes the company can act on, sharing what's net-new rather than what's already known. Spread the mindset. This is not a solo function. Get leaders, PMs, and anyone who shapes the product to watch real players themselves, because a person who has personally seen a player get stuck makes different decisions forever after. You are the evangelist for player empathy company-wide. Own the experience. You're the company's advocate for the real player. You won't ship the fixes yourself, you partner with the PMs and engineers who do, but you bring findings that are concrete and impossible to ignore and stay on it until the product is genuinely better. How you reach into each team to make that happen is yours to shape. Lead and grow the function. Stand it up and manage a small team directly, turning strategy into clear objectives. This stays a hands-on role, you'll do the research yourself as much as you lead it, not manage from above. Set the bar through your own work, and raise the people around you, your direct team and the wider group you shape through influence. Use AI to move fast. Record and analyze interviews with AI, surface patterns across hundreds of sessions, and build rough prototypes that make a problem, or a fix, tangible. You bring working artifacts into the conversation, not just decks. Preferred Skills A track record of changing products through deep user understanding. Whether over many years or a few high-impact ones, you've done user research, product discovery, or design work that actually changed what got built. We care more about judgment and hunger than years on a resume. A bias for watching over assuming. You'd rather sit with one real user for an hour than debate in a conference room, and you know how to keep an interview low-pressure so people behave like they normally would. AI-native. You already use AI daily to analyze research, find patterns, and prototype. Working artifacts are how you think, not an afterthought. First-principles thinker with real empathy. You want to understand why before jumping to solutions, and you can get a stranger to open up about what they're genuinely feeling without leading them there. High-velocity, work-out-loud communicator. You operate primarily in writing across many time zones, and you can move from a detailed friction point in one thread to an exec-level takeaway in the next without becoming a bottleneck. Comfortable with both qualitative and quantitative signal. You can read a funnel to know where to look, then go find out why. You don't need to be a data scientist, but you respect the numbers and build on them. A builder of influence across the whole company. You create alignment by making the player's experience impossible to ignore, and you find your own ways into the functions where you can drive the most change. You've managed or closely mentored a small team, or you're ready to step into it. You lead by setting the bar with your own work, not just directing others. You love chess and care deeply about our mission, and about players at every level, from a confused first- timer to a serious improver to a die-hard community member. If you're light on Chess.com specifically, you make up for it by diving in hard before you ever walk in the door: using the app thoroughly, forming sharp opinions, and interviewing your own network. About the Opportunity We are 100% remote (work from anywhere!) US time zone overlap. Most of this role's key stakeholders are across the US. While we are flexible with your location, we would require clear and substantial overlap with both Eastern and Pacific hours. You can learn more about us here: https://www.chess.com/article/view/how-chess-com-virtual-team-works-together https://www.chess.com/about

Manage and create engaging social media content to grow and engage the audience. | Requires proven social media management experience, content creation skills, and cultural sensitivity for French-speaking communities. | About Us Chess.com is one of the largest gaming sites in the world and the #1 platform for playing, learning, and enjoying chess. We are a team of 600+ fully remote people in 60+ countries working hard to serve the global chess community. We are here to support 200M+ chess players worldwide with the best possible product, content, and tools to serve the community! We are a tech company. A gaming company. A content company. And we do it all with passion and commitment to the game. Above all we prize our mission-driven, flat, life-celebrating, no-corporate culture, and we look forward to meeting you and learning more about what you can bring to the team. About You The Social Media Manager is responsible for applying the voice, content, and daily operations of Chess.com's official French social media channels. This role involves developing and executing a content strategy that drives engagement, grows our audience, and authentically represents the brand within the global chess community. The ideal candidate is deeply immersed in chess culture and social media trends, possesses a proven ability to create compelling content, analyze performance data, and foster a vibrant online community. What you'll do • Manages the day-to-day operations of Chess.com's official French social media channels across various platforms (e.g., X/Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, etc.). • Develops, produces, and publishes original, high-quality content that engages new and existing audiences. • Actively monitors and engages with conversations, trends, and key creators within the global chess community to ensure Chess.com's presence is timely, relevant, and authoritative. • Analyzes and reports social media performance data and audience insights to inform content strategy and optimize for engagement, reach, and growth. • Collaborates with marketing, content, and events teams to plan and execute social media campaigns that support company-wide initiatives. • Communicates with members seeking support or raising issues on social media. • Identifies emerging platforms across relevant countries, regions and languages, and pilots new content formats by anticipating algorithm shifts, leveraging new tools, and adapting to platform updates. Preferred Skills • Proven results by managing social media channels, preferably in the gaming, entertainment, or tech industry. • Demonstrated ability to create timely, and highly engaging content (memes, viral videos) that aligns with internet culture and brand voice. • A sense of humor. This one’s so important, it gets its own bullet point. • Proficiency with basic photo and video editing software (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, CapCut). • Deep understanding of content strategy, platform algorithms, and best practices for major social media platforms. • Excellent communication and collaboration skills suitable for a fully distributed, remote team environment. • A high sense of ownership, accountability, and a commitment to continuous learning. • Strong cultural awareness and sensitivity, with the ability to adapt content and messaging to French speaking communities while respecting cultural nuances. About the Opportunity • This is a full-time or contract opportunity depending on your location • We are 100% remote (work from anywhere!) • There is a slight preference for candidates in EMEA timezones for business alignment purposes - You can learn more about us here: • https://www.chess.com/article/view/how-chess-com-virtual-team-works-together • https://www.chess.com/about

Lead design and optimization of cloud-native services using Kubernetes, Terraform, and GitOps, develop high-performance distributed systems, and improve infrastructure reliability and scalability. | 5+ years managing large-scale cloud-native distributed systems with expertise in Kubernetes, Terraform, GitOps, Golang, observability, and incident response. | Description: • Lead the design and optimization of cloud-native services using Kubernetes, Terraform, and GitOps tools like ArgoCD • Develop high-performance integration patterns and manage scalable, distributed systems handling extensive data volumes • Dive into Golang and TypeScript codebases to identify and resolve performance bottlenecks at scale • Optimize infrastructure and application code to achieve aggressive performance and reliability targets, with a focus on chess programming at the bits level • Work closely with development teams to refine cloud service integration architectures and implement best practices • Monitor and enhance system reliability and performance through effective collaboration and innovative solutions • Participate in incident response for critical infrastructure issues, ensuring rapid resolution and minimal downtime • Drive improvements in infrastructure reliability, scalability, and operational efficiency • Utilize Terraform and Kubernetes to manage and scale our cloud infrastructure, ensuring robust, automated deployment processes Requirements: • 5+ years of experience managing and scaling large-scale, cloud-native distributed systems • Deep understanding of Kubernetes, Terraform, and GitOps practices • Expert in observability practices and ability to support incident response / on call • Extensive experience in high-performance service development with Golang • Proven ability to profile and optimize applications for high throughput and reliable operation • Strong knowledge of distributed systems design, failure modes, and robust architectural principles • Experience with data modeling and indexing strategies to support efficient service operations • Demonstrated experience improving system reliability and performance through deep code-level and architectural analysis • Excellent written and verbal communication skills • Experience working in globally distributed teams Benefits: • 100% remote (work from anywhere!)

Manage programmatic ad operations and ad delivery across web and mobile applications, maintain Google Ad Manager campaigns and reporting, troubleshoot ad delivery issues, and ensure a premium ad experience. | Advanced experience in programmatic ad technology, Google Ad Manager expertise, strong analytical skills, ability to independently manage ad delivery operations, and excellent communication skills. | About Us Chess.com is one of the largest gaming sites in the world and the #1 platform for playing, learning, and enjoying chess. We are a team of 600+ fully remote people in 60+ countries working hard to serve the global chess community. We are here to support 200M+ chess players worldwide with the best possible product, content, and tools to serve the community! We are a tech company. A gaming company. A content company. And we do it all with passion and commitment to the game. Above all we prize our mission-driven, flat, life-celebrating, no-corporate culture, and we look forward to meeting you and learning more about what you can bring to the team. About You You’re a digital ad operations expert with advanced experience in programmatic ad technology, digital ad delivery and troubleshooting and reporting analysis. You are also well-versed in Google Ad Manager platform. You understand how to prioritize user experience while optimizing the delivery, yield and performance of our ad sales efforts. You are passionate about owning projects from start to finish, delivering results at a high level and having a voice in the direction of our success. You are excited about the opportunity to work at chess.com! What you'll do • Reporting to the VP of Digital Ad Sales, you will manage programmatic ad operations and ad delivery across web and mobile applications on chess.com. • Oversee and maintain Google Ad Manager as it relates to ad campaigns, protections, yield partners and reporting as well as being knowledgeable in pricing rules, experiments, inventory and delivery tools. • Be directly responsible for monitoring daily programmatic activity on web and mobile by maintaining daily pacing reports, ad quality, and discrepancies as well as running data analysis and/or ad inspection tools to identify opportunities and issues. • Be able to independently maintain the necessary reporting structure that ensures transparency into ad delivery stability as well as catch issues and/or opportunities. • Manage programmatic open market accounts (SSPs, DSPs) across prebid, TAM and OB to ensure top performance and troubleshoot issues. This includes managing ads.txt files and general health of programmatic buying pipes. • Maintain a premium ad experience by working with our ad quality vendor and customer support teams to prevent and block bad ads. • Work with internal and external teams to maintain a premium ad experience for our users. • Take ownership in your role and be able to work independently and effectively understanding the goals of the monetization but more importantly the end user. Preferred Skills • Strong digital media background and reporting analysis skills • In-depth knowledge of the programmatic landscape across digital ad formats, connection types, and platforms. Specific experience with display and interstitial format on web and mobile apps is required. • Strong knowledge of Google Ad Manager including campaigns set up, reporting, protections and yield partner connections. • Ability to use ad inspector and delivery tools to troubleshoot ads such as bid filtering, creative inspection, charles sessions, etc. • Analytical and quantitative analysis skills specifically leveraging ad manager and internal reporting tools. • Skills to make independent decisions affecting the daily operations and management of ad delivery • Able to adapt quickly between multiple tasks and priorities while maintaining focus, efficiency, and composure in a fast-paced environment. • Strong written and verbal communication skills • Self-motivated, detail-oriented, passionate • Chess player • Lifelong learner About the Opportunity • This is a full-time opportunity • We are 100% remote (work from anywhere!) • Open to applicants across all time zones within the Americas. --- You can learn more about us here: • https://www.chess.com/article/view/how-chess-com-virtual-team-works-together • https://www.chess.com/about

Manage programmatic ad operations and delivery across web and mobile platforms, oversee Google Ad Manager campaigns and reporting, troubleshoot ad delivery issues, and maintain premium ad experience. | Experience with programmatic ad operations, Google Ad Manager expertise, strong analytical skills, ability to manage multiple priorities, and excellent communication skills. | Ad Operations Manager Marketing & Growth Remote About Us Chess.com is one of the largest gaming sites in the world and the #1 platform for playing, learning, and enjoying chess. We are a team of 600+ fully remote people in 60+ countries working hard to serve the global chess community. We are here to support 200M+ chess players worldwide with the best possible product, content, and tools to serve the community! We are a tech company. A gaming company. A content company. And we do it all with passion and commitment to the game. Above all we prize our mission-driven, flat, life-celebrating, no-corporate culture, and we look forward to meeting you and learning more about what you can bring to the team. About You You’re a digital ad operations expert with advanced experience in programmatic ad technology, digital ad delivery and troubleshooting and reporting analysis. You are also well-versed in Google Ad Manager platform. You understand how to prioritize user experience while optimizing the delivery, yield and performance of our ad sales efforts. You are passionate about owning projects from start to finish, delivering results at a high level and having a voice in the direction of our success. You are excited about the opportunity to work at chess.com! What you'll do • Reporting to the VP of Digital Ad Sales, you will manage programmatic ad operations and ad delivery across web and mobile applications on chess.com. • Oversee and maintain Google Ad Manager as it relates to ad campaigns, protections, yield partners and reporting as well as being knowledgeable in pricing rules, experiments, inventory and delivery tools. • Be directly responsible for monitoring daily programmatic activity on web and mobile by maintaining daily pacing reports, ad quality, and discrepancies as well as running data analysis and/or ad inspection tools to identify opportunities and issues. • Be able to independently maintain the necessary reporting structure that ensures transparency into ad delivery stability as well as catch issues and/or opportunities. • Manage programmatic open market accounts (SSPs, DSPs) across prebid, TAM and OB to ensure top performance and troubleshoot issues. This includes managing ads.txt files and general health of programmatic buying pipes. • Maintain a premium ad experience by working with our ad quality vendor and customer support teams to prevent and block bad ads. • Work with internal and external teams to maintain a premium ad experience for our users. • Take ownership in your role and be able to work independently and effectively understanding the goals of the monetization but more importantly the end user. Preferred Skills • Strong digital media background and reporting analysis skills • In-depth knowledge of the programmatic landscape across digital ad formats, connection types, and platforms. Specific experience with display and interstitial format on web and mobile apps is required. • Strong knowledge of Google Ad Manager including campaigns set up, reporting, protections and yield partner connections. • Ability to use ad inspector and delivery tools to troubleshoot ads such as bid filtering, creative inspection, charles sessions, etc. • Analytical and quantitative analysis skills specifically leveraging ad manager and internal reporting tools. • Skills to make independent decisions affecting the daily operations and management of ad delivery • Able to adapt quickly between multiple tasks and priorities while maintaining focus, efficiency, and composure in a fast-paced environment. • Strong written and verbal communication skills • Self-motivated, detail-oriented, passionate • Chess player • Lifelong learner About the Opportunity • This is a full-time opportunity • We are 100% remote (work from anywhere!) • Open to applicants across all time zones within the Americas. --- You can learn more about us here: • https://www.chess.com/article/view/how-chess-com-virtual-team-works-together • https://www.chess.com/about