Playtest Operations Producer - Global Research Operations

As a Playtest Operations Producer on the Global Research Operations team, you'll embody a producer mindset – owning the outcome of each playtest, resolving unowned issues, and coordinating across lanes to remove blockers before they impact research. If ownership is unclear, you’ll take initiative to drive resolution until proper delegation is established. This role values proactive decision-making, structured coordination, and a bias toward accountability. You will also work across our portfolio of live and new products, supporting researchers by driving coordination and facilitation of playtesting labs and research studies, and ensuring that players have a voice in our products. You will interact directly with players by recruiting, screening, scheduling, and paying honorariums. In the playtest lab, you will help by checking players in, setting up, configuring playtest devices, and operating the recording equipment. Additionally, you’ll proactively identify and pursue new opportunities that increase the efficiency and effectiveness of user research operations. Through direct collaboration with playtesters and researchers, you will contribute significantly to enhancing Riot’s ability to listen to and serve players around the world. This role would be an excellent fit for someone interested in deepening their understanding of user research and research operations, while actively engaging in meaningful and practical contributions. You will report into the Manager of Game Production on the team. Note: This is a hybrid role requiring on-site presence at the Los Angeles campus several days a week, with the potential for on-site evening and/or weekend work. Responsibilities: • Serve as the primary producer for assigned playtests, ensuring operational execution, coordination, and accountability • Demonstrate a strong ownership mentality – coordinate across partners, anticipate risks, and resolve unowned blockers before they escalate • Recruit, screen, and engage players via email, phone, or vendor relationships for a variety of local and international research studies and playtests • Facilitate playtest labs effectively, operating and troubleshooting playtest lab equipment (PCs, mobile devices, recording equipment, networking, streaming) to ensure data is collected efficiently and effectively • Manage deployment of shared team resources across multiple research and playtest studies and improvement initiatives within the Global Research Operations team, while prioritizing lab schedules to maximize lab utilization across product and game teams • Identify and resolve potential issues or obstacles, and advocate for continuous process improvement of various inter-team and cross-functional workflows • Understand the bigger goals of the organization and translate how you and your team can contribute to achieving them through effective prioritization and alignment • Support the team by facilitating and participating in decision-making, removing roadblocks, managing distractions, and maintaining documentation for scope and processes • Autonomously work toward goals and lead yourself or a small team to complete straightforward projects and objectives, ensuring clear focus and execution • Drive forward progress on research, playtest, and project sprint commitments via work and capacity planning, estimations, velocity tracking, and proactive backlog refinement • Organize and run productive meetings; facilitate quality note-taking and ensure action items are driven to resolution • Work alongside researchers to ensure best practices are protected and integrated continuously into research, playtests, and improvement projects • Keep stakeholders consulted and informed on progress and bought into discussions as needed to ensure research an