Sr. Director Operations- Unpublished R&D Product

We’re looking for an experienced Sr. Director of Operations to join one of Riot’s ambitious new game teams. This role is for a seasoned leader with deep expertise in game development, especially PvE and live service titles, and a proven track record of scaling complex teams and systems. You're not just great at execution—you’re a strategic thinker, a builder of high-performing organizations, and a leader who brings clarity, accountability, and adaptability through all stages of development.

As the Sr. Director of Operations, you’ll be the operational architect of a cross-functional business unit, translating product vision into structured execution. You’ll define and drive the operational strategy across development and publishing, ensuring seamless collaboration, clear commitments, and efficient scaling from early R&D through launch and live service.

You’ll report directly to the Executive Producer and be a key member of the Product Leadership team, helping guide the game, the team, and the long-term business. 

Responsibilities:

Operational Strategy

• Define and evolve the operational strategy for an Unannounced Title, aligning teams to Riot’s long-term business goals and product strategy. 
• Translate strategic direction into actionable operational plans that guide team structures, rituals, and roadmaps. 
• Design and evolve scalable operational systems—including coordination frameworks, rituals, and tracking mechanisms—that ensure alignment between daily work and long-term goals. 
• Guide tradeoff decisions between quality, timeline, and cost, collaborating with product and discipline leadership to deliver player and business impact. 
• Establish cross-team mechanisms for clarity of deliverables, execution health, and delivery accountability across functions. 
• Anticipate and mitigate strategic risks in complex, multi-team environments while fostering a culture of accountability. 
• Capture and share operational lessons across teams to continuously improve practices and scale collective insight. 

Resourcing & Finance 

• Continuously assess team structure and talent capabilities to support evolving product needs, ensuring agility and adaptability across development phases.
• Partner with Finance to forecast budgets, manage OPEX, and support scenario planning. 
• Align hiring strategies, workforce planning, and headcount modeling with roadmap priorities and resource sustainability.

Leadership & Culture 

• Scale leadership capabilities across operations and production teams through coaching, performance management, and succession planning.
• Foster a culture of trust, feedback, and continuous learning, in partnership with Talent and Craft leaders.
• Monitor and refine organizational structures and rituals to align with product maturity and team needs.
• Lead engagement health efforts and empower high performance through clarity and coaching.

Execution 

• Lead project planning and execution rituals across teams, including milestone reviews, progress tracking, and follow-through.
• Synthesize cross-functional input into actionable communication and ensure delivery health through retrospectives and continuous improvement.
• Design and scale operational practices that align teams, challenge legacy systems, and support strategic delivery.
• Uphold compliance with internal standards and act as a resolution anchor for escalations, balancing clarity and empathy.
• Represent BU operational needs across Riot and build strong relationships with central teams, external vendors, and co-development partners.

Required Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in production, operations, or program within games, tech, or related creative industries.
• 8+ years experience in leading AAA game teams or similar software development projects, balancing strategic, analytical and solutioning skills.
• 5+ years of people management and leadership experience driving outcomes across all levels of an organization.
• Experience leading international development teams and managing external partners or vendors.
• Experience with software development methodologies and processes and an understanding of when to use or adapt each one.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience managing an international live service product with responsibility for delivery cadence, quality, and long-term engagement. This includes managing international development partners (internal and external.) 
• Experience leading internal and external game teams or products through the full game development lifecycle, from concept, pre-production, production to launch and live service. 

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this could be your role!

 

Our Perks:

Riot focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy and other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.

At Riot Games, we put players first. That mission drives every decision in our quest to create games and experiences that make it better to be a player. Whether you’re working directly on a new player-facing experience or you’re supporting the company as a whole, everyone at Riot is part of our mission. And just like in our games, we’re better when we work together. Our goal is to create collaborative teams where you are empowered to bring your unique perspective everyday. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to work, we’re looking forward to your application.

 

It’s our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.

Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:

• Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
• Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
• Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
• Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security.