Production Director

Sega; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Sports Interactive in London is seeking a Production Director to lead how we deliver Football Manager, turning creative ambition into high-quality, annually delivered games.

Reporting to the Development Director, you will manage a large production organisation, align plans with senior leaders, ensure delivery standards, and balance scope, quality and timelines across a complex multi-year roadmap.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of modern game development, production methodologies and delivery practices.
• Knowledge of Agile and iterative development approaches, production tools and planning frameworks.
• Understanding of modern game development pipelines, technical dependencies and QA practices.
• Commercial awareness and understanding of production decisions impact on quality and business objectives.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve the Studio's production strategy, delivery frameworks, production organisation and delivery output, ensuring delivery is on time and to a consistently high standard.
• Lead, develop and hands-on mentor a large, multi-layered production team creating clear accountability and high performance across the function.
• Establish and uphold high standards of planning, delivery, quality and execution across the Studio.
• Provide leadership and advice to senior stakeholders, ensuring difficult decisions are made early and delivery risks are surfaced proactively.

Skills

Game development knowledge

Agile methodologies

Delivery planning

Commercial awareness

Job description

Studio Overview

We are Sports Interactive

The studio behind: Football Manager.

Founded in 1994, Sports Interactive became a wholly owned subsidiary of SEGA Europe in 2006. Based at the Here East technology hub in Stratford, East London, the SI team continues to expand as we bring our titles to an ever-growing audience across an increasing variety of platforms.

To support our growth, we welcome the opportunity to connect with passionate people with the drive to match our ambitions and initiative to realise your individual potential.

Job Title: Production Director

Team: Production

Reporting into: Development Director

Working Model: Hybrid 2-3 days

Location: Here East, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, E15 2GW

Position Overview

We're hiring a Production Director to lead and evolve how we deliver Football Manager.

This is a newly created leadership role with a clear mandate to improve quality, predictability and delivery across our annual, multi-SKU release model. Working closely with the Senior Leadership Team, the wider Studio and SEGA Development Services, you will bring clarity, accountability and consistency to how we plan and deliver our games.

You will be responsible for turning creative ambition into high-quality, annually delivered games across a complex, multi-year roadmap, providing clear direction on what is and is not achievable within an annual development cycle.

Our release model brings real pace, complexity and pressure, set against a studio that balances significant legacy complexity with high future ambition. We need someone who understands the trade-offs this creates, sets a pace of urgency without chaos, remains calm under pressure, and is comfortable making difficult decisions early to protect quality and delivery outcomes.

Reporting to the Development Director, you will lead a large, multi-layered production organisation with responsibility for delivery standards, operating rhythm and execution across the Studio. Working closely with leaders across Technology, Design, Art & Animation, you will ensure ambition, quality and delivery remain in balance.

You will be supported by the Senior Operational Readiness Manager, who will partner with you to strengthen planning, forecasting, risk management and operational readiness across the Studio.

Key Responsibilities

• Production Leadership
  • Own and evolve the Studio's production strategy, delivery frameworks, production organisation and delivery output, ensuring delivery is on time and to a consistently high standard.
  • Lead, develop and hands-on mentor a large, multi-layered production team creating clear accountability and high performance across the function.
  • Establish and uphold high standards of planning, delivery, quality and execution across the Studio.
  • Provide leadership and advice to senior stakeholders, ensuring difficult decisions are made early and delivery risks are surfaced proactively.
• Delivery & Execution
  • Drive clarity, accountability and realism across planning and delivery within the context of an annual release cycle.
  • Sustain a pace of urgency without chaos, keeping momentum high and delivery controlled across multiple moving parts.
  • Champion quality, predictability and delivery excellence, balancing scope, quality and timelines to achieve successful outcomes.
  • Manage multiple priorities, dependencies and delivery risks, ensuring issues are identified and addressed early.
  • Bring clarity around what is and is not achievable, making informed trade-off decisions where required.
• Stakeholder & Studio Leadership
  • Partner with creative, technical and commercial leaders to ensure plans are ambitious, achievable and aligned to the game vision, grounded in data and evidence rather than optimism
  • Build strong relationships with Heads of Department, the Senior Leadership Team and external partners to maintain alignment and resolve competing priorities.
  • Communicate clearly and effectively at all levels of the organisation, influencing decisions and building confidence in delivery plans.
• Continuous Improvement
  • Work closely with operational partners to evolve the Studio's approach to planning, forecasting and risk management.
  • Drive improvements to production practices, operating rhythms and delivery methodologies.
  • Champion the adoption of appropriate tools, reporting and ways of working to improve quality, predictability and team effectiveness.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Knowledge

• Strong understanding of modern game development, production methodologies and delivery practices, ideally within annual release cycles, live service or other high-cadence environments.
• Knowledge of Agile and iterative development approaches, production tools and planning frameworks.
• Understanding of modern game development pipelines, technical dependencies and quality assurance practices.
• Commercial awareness and an understanding of how production decisions impact quality, player outcomes and business objectives.

Sk