Lead Producer

Stellar Entertainment Software Ltd; Guildford; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible hybrid working

Holiday accrual

International AAA game projects

Cutting-edge hardware access

Discretionary bonus

Private healthcare incl. dental and 'I

Pension

Life assurance

Employee assistance program

Team incentives and social events

Job summary

The Studio in Guildford, UK is seeking a Lead Producer to own production across a major project, leading a team of Producers and driving team wellbeing, processes and pipelines.

You will mentor producers, manage budgets and collaborate with designers, engineers and artists to deliver high-quality AAA experiences. This is a hybrid role with on-site collaboration and leadership responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as Lead Producer with AAA title experience.
• Strong background in game production, project management, or developer management.
• Solid understanding of Agile and Scrum methodologies.
• Excellent people management and client-facing skills.
• Experience mentoring/line-managing Producers.
• Experience owning production budgets and resourcing decisions.
• Awareness of competitive landscape and production quality standards.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, across audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of Producers across multiple workstreams.
• Own production pipeline strategy end-to-end and align resources accordingly.
• Collaborate with designers, artists and engineers to refine game features and plans.
• Oversee daily stand-ups and progress tracking for the team.
• Break projects into milestones with clear expectations and deadlines.
• Create and maintain project plans and progress reports for leadership.
• Identify risks early and establish mitigation strategies.
• Represent production in publisher and stakeholder discussions.
• Facilitate sprint planning and ensure agile processes are followed.
• Monitor project metrics to drive continuous improvement.
• Own budget and headcount decisions in partnership with leadership.

Skills

Lead Producer

Agile

Team leadership

People management

Budget ownership

Client management

Mentoring

Communication

Cross-functional

Tools

Jira

Trello

Monday

Unity

Unreal Engine

Job description

The Studio

We are a video game development studio with offices in Guildford, UK and Utrecht, Netherlands. Sitting within the heart of thriving communities of game developers and publishers, we focus on quality and excellence, and our partners and players are always at the front of everything we do.

Games are not just about gameplay. We believe in the importance of balancing every single aspect of a game that you, as a player will interact with; what you see, how you play and how it makes you feel.

It couldn't be a more exciting time to join us on a new, unannounced game where we are continuing to push both player experience and quality in the creation of this AAA experience.

The Role

We're looking to strengthen our team with a dynamic, enthusiastic, and adaptable Lead Producer to take ownership of production across the game, leading and developing a team of Producers, and driving team wellbeing, production processes and pipelines. You'll be a natural problem solver, anticipating challenges before they arise and devising creative solutions to deliver outstanding gaming experiences.

Lead Producers at Stellar are pivotal in shaping how projects are run, setting the standard for production excellence and mentoring the wider Producer team. We're looking for a strong communicator who can inspire teams to embrace a collaborative approach throughout the development cycle. This is a highly visible role that requires excellent relationship-building and client management skills, working closely with cross-discipline teams and senior stakeholders.

As a Lead Producer in the Stellar team, you will:

• Champion the creative vision of the game, ensuring alignment with overall project goals.

• Lead, mentor and support a team of Producers, providing guidance on best practice, workload and career development.

• Be a market expert that’s up to date with competitor titles and can share in-depth critiques of their strengths and weaknesses. You will understand what looks ‘great’ in our chosen genres and help us to create titles that stand out.

• Own the production pipeline strategy end-to-end, ensuring teams across multiple workstreams are properly aligned and resources are effectively allocated.

• Collaborate with designers, artists, and engineers to refine game features and execution plans, all while maintaining and promoting the vision of the game.

• Oversee daily stand ups, encouraging clear communication and progress tracking.

• Break our projects down into manageable milestones, demonstrating clearly the expectations and deadlines.

• Create and maintain project plans, schedules, and progress reports for senior stakeholders and leadership.

• Be able to quickly identify risks (in your own as well as wider strategies) and establish mitigation strategies throughout the project lifecycle.

• Act as the primary point of contact for senior internal leadership and external partners, representing production in publisher and stakeholder discussions.

• Facilitate sprint planning and reviews; ensure processes are followed for agile methodologies.

• Monitor and analyse project metrics to drive continuous improvement and optimise development processes.

• Own budget and resourcing decisions for the project, partnering with leadership to prioritise scope and headcount.

Requirements

What we’re looking to see on your CV:

• Proven experience as a Lead Producer (or equivalent), having shipped multiple full game lifecycles, ideally on AAA titles

• A strong background in game production, project management, or developer management within the games industry

• Solid understanding of game development methodologies (Agile, Scrum)

• Strong people management and relationship-building skills, with experience in client-facing roles and external meetings

• Demonstrated experience mentoring, coaching or line-managing other Producers

• Experience owning production budgets and resourcing decisions

• A sharp eye on the competitive landscape, with a clear understanding of what 'good' looks like in current titles

• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to clearly convey concepts and project status to varied audiences

• The ability to motivate and align teams across departments

• Exceptional organisational and multitasking skills

• Strong creative instincts and a passion for the gaming landscape

• Familiarity with project management tools (e.g., Jira, Trello, Monday) and game engines (e.g., Unity, Unreal Engine)

Bonus points if you have;

• Experience in managing hybrid working teams or projects.

• Experience presenting to senior leadership or publisher partners.

Benefits

What you can expect from us:

• Flexible hybrid working (we work 3 days per week on-site)
• Holiday Accrual Scheme
• International AAA game projects;
• Access to cutting-edge hardware;
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• Private Healthcare Plan incl. Dental and Eye care
• Pension Plan
• Life Assurance
• Employee Assistance Programme - Wellness Support
• Regular Team Incentives and Social Events

We’re on an important journey with our teammates, candidates and industry partners to tackle barriers to equality and promote diversity, inclusion and accessibility across the markets we work in. If you need any support during the interview process or any feedback on our processes, please let us know.