Playtest Operations Producer
Riot Games · Shanghai
Riot Games was established in 2006 by entrepreneurial gamers who believe that player-focused game development can result in great games. In 2009, Riot released its debut title League of Legends to critical and player acclaim. As the most played video game in the world, over 100 million play every month. Players form the foundation of our community and it’s for them that we continue to evolve and improve the League of Legends experience.
We’re looking for humble but ambitious, razor-sharp professionals who can teach us a thing or two. We promise to return the favor. Like us, you take play seriously; you’re passionate about games. We embrace those who see things differently, aren’t afraid to experiment, and who have a healthy disregard for constraints.
That's where you come in.
As a Playtest Operations Producer on the Unpublished R&D Product, you will take ownership of playtest operations, coordinate cross-functional teams, and ensure the effective execution of research activities. You will proactively identify operational risks, resolve blockers, and drive alignment across stakeholders to keep playtests on track. When responsibilities are unclear, you will take initiative to establish accountability, facilitate decisions, and ensure appropriate ownership is assigned. Through structured coordination, sound judgment, and proactive problem-solving, you will help deliver efficient, reliable, and well-organized playtests.
You will report to the Sr Manager, China Studio Insights team.
Responsibilities:
- Own the operational planning and execution of assigned playtests and research studies, managing schedules, dependencies, resources, and deliverables from intake through closeout.
- Coordinate participant recruitment, screening, scheduling, communication, and compensation across local and international research activities, partnering with external vendors as needed.
- Prepare, operate, and maintain the Shanghai playtest lab, including device configuration, recording equipment, audiovisual systems, basic networking, and onsite troubleshooting.
- Partner with researchers to translate study objectives and participant requirements into operational plans, ensuring session readiness, effective execution, and a positive participant experience.
- Coordinate with China-based and global stakeholders to align schedules, manage regional handoffs, communicate operational constraints, and support cross-regional research activities.
- Track project milestones, operational risks, open issues, and dependencies; proactively resolve blockers and escalate decisions when necessary to maintain study progress.
- Manage research operations vendors and partners, coordinating scopes of work, timelines, deliverables, communication, and issue resolution.
- Improve research operations processes through documentation, equipment and inventory management, standardized workflows, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Required Qualifications:
- 2+ years of professional experience in research operations, project coordination, production, or project management.
- 1+ years of hands-on experience operating computer labs, audiovisual systems, or comparable technical environments.
- Experience coordinating projects or operational activities involving multiple stakeholders, schedules, dependencies, and deliverables.
- Experience developing and maintaining project plans, schedules, documentation, and tracking systems.
- Familiarity with project management frameworks and tools such as Agile, Scrum, Jira, Miro, or Notion.
- Experience coordinating participant-facing activities, research sessions, events, or comparable operational programs.
- Professional fluency in written and spoken English and Mandarin, including the ability to communicate and interpret operational information across both languages.
- Ability to travel internationally for business, including meeting applicable documentation and travel requirements.
Desired Qualifications:
- Experience supporting user research operations, playtests, participant recruitment, or research study coordination.
- Familiarity with participant sampling, audience definitions, recruitment incidence rates, or quantitative research methodologies.
- Experience with customer relationship management platforms, participant databases, or recruitment communication tools such as Salesforce.
- Experience troubleshooting computer hardware, audiovisual equipment, basic networking, or IT systems in a laboratory or event environment.
- Experience using scripting or automation tools such as Python or PowerShell to improve operational efficiency.
For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise and a collaborative spirit that prioritizes the delight of players. We will look at your past studies and experience, but for this role, we also look for dedicated people with a personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this is the role for you!