Lead Publishing Producer

Adweek; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Adweek in Irvine, CA is seeking a publishing and Live Ops leader to own publishing execution across pre-launch, launch, and live service phases, ensuring alignment with product goals and North American market expectations.

You will act as a technically fluent publishing producer, driving resolution of production and Live Ops issues with development, platform, QA, and operations teams, and will oversee live operations for stability, rapid incident response, and content readiness.

Qualifications

• Relevant experience in game production, publishing, Live Ops, or technical program/production management.
• Ability to operate in fast-paced live service environments and respond quickly to issues.
• Strong understanding of the North American game market and live service conditions.
• Experience with cross-functional teams (development, engineering, QA, operations).
• Ability to translate technical issues into clear production plans and communications.

Responsibilities

• Lead publishing execution across pre-launch, launch, and live service phases.
• Identify, prioritize, and drive resolution of production, service, and Live Ops issues with cross-functional partners.
• Oversee Live Ops at strategic and operational levels for stability and rapid incident response.
• Translate business and player needs into production requirements for timely decisions during live service.
• Own production schedules, milestones, and cross-functional coordination for scope-accurate delivery.
• Identify risks early and implement mitigation plans to minimize player impact and business disruption.
• Drive major updates, events, hotfixes, and lifecycle initiatives aligned with content roadmaps.
• Improve workflows with scalable processes, reporting structures, and escalation paths.

Skills

Game production

Live Ops

Cross-functional collaboration

KPI analysis

Incident response

Job description

Responsibilities

• Lead publishing execution across pre-launch, launch, and live service phases, ensuring alignment with product goals, player needs, and North American market expectations.
• Act as a technically fluent publishing producer who can identify, prioritize, and drive resolution of production, service, and Live Ops issues in close partnership with development, platform, QA, and operations teams.
• Oversee Live Ops at both strategic and operational levels, with a focus on service stability, rapid incident response, issue escalation, content readiness, and continuous optimization of retention, monetization, and engagement.
• Translate business, player, and operational needs into clear production requirements, helping technical and cross-functional teams make timely decisions during live service situations.
• Own production schedules, milestone tracking, issue follow-up, and cross-functional coordination to ensure timely and scope-accurate delivery across publishing initiatives.
• Identify risks early across development, publishing, and live operations, and implement practical mitigation plans to reduce player impact and business disruption.
• Drive major updates, events, hotfixes, and lifecycle initiatives, ensuring seamless execution and alignment with global content roadmaps.
• Improve publishing and Live Ops workflows by establishing scalable processes, reporting structures, escalation paths, and communication frameworks for fast-moving service environments.
• Partner closely with data, marketing, platform, QA, community, and development teams to ensure cohesive execution and high-quality player experiences.
• Present KPI trends, incident learnings, production risks, and actionable recommendations to leadership in a clear and practical manner.
• Manage external partners or development studios as needed, ensuring alignment with product goals, service standards, and delivery expectations.
• Represent NC America's publishing, Live Ops, and technical service needs within global planning and decision-making discussions.
• Foster a culture of accountability, ownership, urgency, and continuous improvement across publishing and Live Ops functions.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in game production, publishing, Live Ops, or technical program/production management, preferably for online or live service titles.
• Proven ability to operate in fast-paced live service environments and respond quickly to production, service, player-facing, or technical issues.
• Strong understanding of the North American game market, player expectations, platform requirements, and live service operating conditions.
• Experience working directly with development, engineering, platform, QA, and operations teams to diagnose issues, define priorities, and drive practical solutions.
• Ability to translate technical issues into clear production plans, escalation steps, business impact summaries, and stakeholder communications.
• Expertise in Live Ops operations, KPI analysis, incident follow-up, and data-driven decision-making.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex cross-functional projects with multiple stakeholders across development, publishing, marketing, data, QA, and community.
• Experience building or improving production, publishing, and Live Ops processes across one or more titles.
• Strong analytical, organizational, ownership, and communication skills, with the ability to present complex information to leadership in a clear and actionable way.
• Preferred: hands-on experience or strong working knowledge in technical development, backend/service operations, build/release processes, platform certification, tools, or game systems development.

Irvine, CA pay range

$130,000 - $170,000 USD