Lead Publishing Producer

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

Job summary

HellaGoodAudio in Irvine, CA is seeking a senior publishing/Live Ops leader to drive production and live service initiatives for North American markets. You will coordinate with development, platform, QA, and operations to maintain service stability, orchestrate major updates, and optimize player engagement and monetization.

The role requires 7+ years in live service game production or related fields, with strong KPI analysis skills, incident response experience, and a proven ability to manage

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.

Responsibilities

• Lead publishing execution across pre-launch, launch, and live service phases, aligning with product goals, player needs, and NA market expectations.
• Act as a technically fluent publishing producer to identify and drive resolution of production, service, and Live Ops issues with development, platform, QA, and operations teams.
• Oversee Live Ops at strategic and operational levels, focusing on service stability, incident response, content readiness, and retention/monetization optimization.
• Translate business, player, and operational needs into clear production requirements for timely decisions during live service situations.
• Own production schedules, milestones, issue follow-up, and cross-functional coordination for scope-accurate delivery across initiatives.
• Identify risks early and implement mitigation plans to reduce player impact and business disruption.
• Drive major updates, events, hotfixes, and lifecycle initiatives aligned with global content roadmaps.
• Improve workflows by establishing scalable processes, reporting structures, escalation paths, and communication frameworks.
• Partner with data, marketing, platform, QA, community, and development teams for cohesive execution and high-quality experiences.
• Present KPI trends, incident learnings, production risks, and actionable recommendations to leadership.
• Manage external partners or studios as needed, ensuring alignment with goals and standards.
• Represent NC America’s publishing and Live Ops needs in global planning discussions.
• Foster accountability, ownership, urgency, and continuous improvement across publishing and Live Ops.

Skills

Live Ops

Publishing

Cross-functional leadership

Incident response

KPI analysis

Data-driven decisions

Stakeholder communication

Project coordination

Team collaboration

Tools

Build/Release

Backend ops

Platform certification

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