Director, Operations - External Development

VALORANT is Riot’s take on a character-based tactical shooter (for more info on VALORANT - click here!). As we grow into a multi-game studio, multi-platform game, we need an Operations Director to manage and drive our strategic approach to the external development needed to meet the demands of our live game players’ experiences.

As a Director of Operations for External Development, you will partner with studio and discipline leaders to develop a holistic strategy for all of VALORANT Studio’s external development engagements via outsourcing, contingent workforce and SaaS. You will thoughtfully connect product teams to the right external partners for their needs, while maintaining and improving our outsourcing infrastructure and best practices for all disciplines. Your approach will ensure sustainable, cost-effective production without compromising quality. You will build meaningful and trusting relationships across internal and external teams and strive to make the external development experience truly world-class and engaging for all parties involved.

Responsibilities:

• Accountable for developing and executing VALORANT Studio’s outsourcing development strategy in direct support of studio goals
• Partner with leadership stakeholders to assess internal talent capabilities and identify current and future opportunities for external engagements
• Responsible for assessing the cost and capability of external teams and/or products
• Ensure Studio and BU leadership stakeholders are informed on the status, cost and quality of external engagements
• Hold all external development teams accountable to making and meeting team and product commitments
• Develop accountability rituals wherein teams plan and review commitments, celebrate successes, and identify opportunities for improvement
• Develop systems to ensure problems with delivery are regularly and quickly diagnosed and addressed
• Drive outsourcing processes around how to negotiate vendor contracts, forecast, budget, hire and scale staff
• Manage internal Production and Art Outsourcing staff, supporting them in the management and execution of outsourcing activities across our products
• Ensure that conflicts between outsourcing and internal development teams are resolved effectively
• Ensure psychological safety, healthy feedback culture and conflict management within the organization
• Partner with co-development studio leaders to assess holistic approach to staffing

Required Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in a dynamic professional environment such as games, tech, entertainment or media
• 5+ years of game development experience in leadership roles (Production, Art, Creative, Engineering etc.)
• 5+ years of experience working directly with outsourcing of Art, Animation, VFX, or Audio
• 4+ years of direct management experience
• Experience with various development methodologies and their applications (e.g. Agile, Waterfall, Live Service etc.)
• Deep knowledge of games, relevant gaming audiences, and the gaming industry
• Experience leading and functioning in ambiguous, collaborative environments with team members of several levels and disciplines
• Experience maintaining excellent working relationships with regional stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability in product management and using prioritization schemes
• Experience translating product vision into operating strategy and organizational design
• Experience overseeing contracts, budgets, negotiations, and vendor relationships
• Experience managing direct reports from multiple disciplines (Production, Art etc.)
• Knowledge of fundamental game art craft skills

Desired Qualifications:

• 15+ years of experience in a dynamic professional environment such as games, tech, entertainment or media
• Deep knowledge of games, relevant gaming audiences, and the gaming industry

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about the experiences of players, this could be the role for you!

Our Perks:

Riot has a focus on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy, in addition to other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.

Riot Games fosters a player and workplace experience that values teamwork embodied by the Summoner's Code and Community Code . Our culture embraces differences as a strength, and our values are the guiding principles for how we approach work. We are committed to putting diversity and inclusion (D&I) at the center of everything we do, and promoting a fair and collaborative culture where Rioters treat one another with dignity and respect. We encourage you to read more about our value of thriving together and our ongoing work to build the most inclusive company in Gaming .