Senior Analyst, Studio Strategy and Operations

ACTIVISION PUBLISHING, INC.; Santa Monica (CA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) with Company match

Paid holidays and vacation

Job summary

Activision Publishing, Inc. is seeking a Senior Analyst for Studio Strategy and Operations in Santa Monica to lead resource planning, operational excellence, and cadence of business reviews across Call of Duty studios.

You will synthesize large datasets, inform budgeting decisions, and drive efficiency in a fast-paced gaming environment. The role requires strong Excel/PowerPoint skills, stakeholder collaboration, and comfort with ambiguity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, economics, finance, or a related field.
• Professional experience in Management Consulting, Investment Banking, Corporate Finance/Strategy, or transferable Business Operations role.
• Exceptional proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint, with a keen eye for detail and a proven ability to navigate, analyze, and accurately synthesize quantitative data with minimal oversight.
• Comfortable using AI tools to support research, analysis, problem-solving, and drafting.
• Ability to build trust-based stakeholder relationships and effectively collaborate across numerous parties.
• Comfort with ambiguity; strong judgment and ability to make well-informed decisions – displaying both high IQ and EQ.
• Demonstrated success in developing new processes and/or improving existing ones.
• Strong interest and passion for Call of Duty and gaming as a whole.
• Integrity, excellent judgment, and discretion.
• Resides in or willing to relocate to Los Angeles, California (Santa Monica)

Responsibilities

• Resource planning for Activision’s Call of Duty studios, including long-term planning for future titles across internal and external development teams.
• Act as the studio-matter expert and key point of contact for select studios, building resource plans, monitoring budgets, and solving problems for studio stakeholders.
• Maintain monthly process to collect, actualize and forecast studio resource planning and build ad-hoc analyses to support development initiatives; articulate budget variances to senior leaders.
• Support the development and delivery of accurate and timely business updates to senior leadership and studio leads.
• Partner with Studio Finance to assist in quarterly, annual, and long-range planning processes.
• Develop an analytical culture using historical and current operational data to drive predictive analytics for the studios.
• Taking on individual projects to optimize organizational performance and drive execution of cross-team initiatives.
• Identify areas of over- and under-investment in key disciplines of the business.
• Ensure processes are implemented across the studios’ organization.

Skills

Excel

PowerPoint

AI tools

Stakeholder management

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in business, economics, finance, or related field

Job description

Job Title: Senior Analyst, Studio Strategy and Operations

Requisition ID: R028132

Job Description: The Team The Studio Strategy and Operations team is a critical part of the broader Call of Duty development organization (inclusive of studios, production management, publishing ops, studio strategy and operations) and works closely with Activision’s COO, Head of Development and Head of Production, among other executive stakeholders. We are versatile, flexible and strategic hustlers passionate about content and creative talent. We take pride in proactively discovering opportunities to help our teammates do their best work and championing studio initiatives in the dynamic world of gaming. The Studio Strategy and Operations team is responsible for overseeing strategic and operational aspects (studio resourcing management, investment levels, future title planning, studio expansion, etc.) for all Activision studios (Infinity Ward, Treyarch, Sledgehammer Games, High Moon Studios, Raven Software, Beenox, Shanghai Studio, Digital Legends, and others). Among other functions, the Studio Strategy and Operations team also manages important organizational events such as game greenlight processes, operational governance reviews, and special projects. The team partners closely with a diverse array of functions across Activision Publishing — from game studios to central teams — striking a dynamic balance between involvement in game development and high‑level, long‑term strategic planning.

The Mission

The Senior Analyst, Studio Strategy and Operations will play a pivotal role in working with Activision’s world‑class game studios and will report to the Manager, Studio Strategy and Operations. The role will focus on studios’ resource planning, operational excellence, rhythm of business coordination, business reviews, and other key projects. A great candidate will have the ability to build, analyze, and maintain large datasets to inform planning decisions, support strategic initiatives, and drive operational efficiencies. Furthermore, this role requires a candidate who is strong at synthesizing unstructured input, such as stakeholder discussions and meetings, into clear, usable data (i.e., estimating the cost of building a new Call of Duty map by having multiple discussions with game developers and producers). This position also requires extensive cross‑group coordination at all levels, excellent communication skills (quantitative, written and verbal), and the ability to build internal/external relationships across the global franchise, as this team is positioned at the intersection of development studios (i.e., studio heads, executive producers, studio operations, etc.), corporate stakeholders (i.e., corporate finance, external business development, human resources, etc.), and executive leadership. We are looking for self‑starthun who can work in a rapidly changing gaming industry, tolerate ambiguity, and demonstrate problem‑solving leadership with limited oversight. This role is based in our Santa Monica office and follows an onsite work schedule of four days per week. Work arrangements may change at the company's discretion to meet business needs. Priorities may change in a fast‑paced environment such as ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following key responsibilities:

Key Responsibilities

• Resource planning for Activision’s Call of Duty studios, including the long‑term planning for future Call of Duty titles across internal and external development teams
• Operating as the studio‑matter expert and key point of contact for select studios and helping build resource plans, monitor budgets, and solve challenging problems for our studio stakeholders
• Maintain monthly process to collect, actualize and forecast studio resource planning and build ad‑hoc analyses to support development initiatives; articulate budget variances to senior leaders
• Support the development and delivery of accurate and timely business updates to senior leadership and studio leads
• Partner with Studio Finance team to assist in quarterly, annual, and long‑range planning processes
• Develop an analytical culture using historical and current operational data to drive predictive analytics for the studios

Strategic Initiatives

• Taking on individual projects as required by the business (past example: reviewing and analyzing in‑game player engagement data to identify trends and optimize investment levels into select game modes)
• Being an agent of change who drives execution of cross‑team projects to optimize organizational performance
• Supporting in developing, implementing, and monitoring strategies to achieve the organization’s long‑term goals and objectives
• Identify key areas of over‑ and under‑investment in key disciplines of the business
• Ensuring processes are implemented across the studios’ organization. May be required to participate as a team member on highly complex projects which are of the utmost highest priority for the organization

Player Profile

• Bachelor's degree in business, economics, finance, or a related field
• Professional experience in Management Consulting, Investment Banking, Corporate Finance/Strategy, or transferable Business Operations role
• Exceptional proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint, with a keen eye for detail and a proven ability to navigate, analyze, and accurately synthesize quantitative data with minimal oversight
• Comfortable using AI tools to support research, analysis, problem‑solving, and drafting
• Ability to build trust‑based stakeholder relationships and effectively collaborate across numerous parties
• Comfort with ambiguity; strong judgment and ability to make well‑informed decisions – displaying both high IQ and EQ
• Demonstrated success in developing new processes and/or improving existing ones
• Strong interest and passion for Call of Duty and gaming as a whole
• Integrity, excellent judgment, and discretion
• Resides in or willing to relocate to Los Angeles, California (Santa Monica)

Our World

At Activision, we strive to create the most iconic brands in gaming and entertainment. We’re driven by our mission to deliver unrivaled gaming experiences for the world to enjoy, together. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot™, Tony Hawk’s™ Pro Skater™, and Guitar Hero®. As a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and products, our “press start” is simple: delight hundreds of millions of players around the world with innovative, fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment experiences. We’re not just looking back at our decades‑long legacy; we’re forging ahead to keep advancing gameplay with some of the most popular titles and sophisticated technology in the world. We have bold ambitions to create the most inclusive company as we know our success comes from the passionate, creative, and diverse teams within our organization. We’re in the business of delivering fun and unforgettable entertainment for our player community to enjoy. And our future opportunities have never been greater — this could be your opportunity to level up.

Research shows that women and members of other under‑represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply. We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.

Rewards

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance; 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others; If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $94,580.00 - $174,988.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process.

In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.