Youtube preview bouton play youtube
Careers

Live operations manager

They are at the crossroads between production management and production teams. A live operations manager is a professional with multiple responsibilities turned towards the optimisation of the monetisation of the online game as the creation of an event through the management of the game’s updates.

Live Operation Manager job description
Last update
Level of studies: master’s degree
Recommended high school specialisation: Scientific or Economic
Employability: Good
Beginner salary: € 1,800
Salary after experience: € 5,000
Mobility: Good
ROME code : H2502
FAP code : D6Z80
"This profession is a mix between two sectors: the first being e-sport (focused on live competitions), and the second being tech (but this is linked to PandaScore). It is first and foremost about team management and project management."
Pandascore logo Laurent Cazanove
Laurent Cazanove
Live Operations Manager at Pandascore

The responsibilities of a live operations manager

Daily, a live operations manager will take care of various responsibilities, such as:

 

  • Analysing game performance and suggest improvements
  • Coordinating and managing with the production, marketing and monetisation teams with events, video game animations for its release and during its exploitation
  • Following up on online game updates, for example, by defining new features, fixing bugs, etc.
  • Controlling the quality
  • Optimising online monetisation
Métier recherché, le live operations manager réalise le suivi des mises à jour du jeu en ligne. Il définit aussi de nouvelles fonctionnalités
It is a sought after job, and a live operations manager keeps track of online game updates. They also define new functionalities.

What skills do they need to master?

To work in this position, a live operations manager must have many skills and good practices. They know :

  • Ways to monetise an online video game
  • Operational marketing
  • Video game culture
  • Project management and management, analysis and market research
  • Management
Le live operations manager veille à optimiser la monétisation en ligne
A live operations manager ensures the optimisation of online monetisation.
"Relationships and organisation are prerequisites for any management and project management position. As I worked with a large team of freelancers, mastering topics like recruiting and onboarding new employees was key. Finally, PandaScore being above all a "tech" company, my background in software engineering was a big plus, and a fluent level of English is compulsory."
Pandascore logo Laurent Cazanove
Laurent Cazanove
Live Operations Manager at Pandascore

The qualities to have

While several skills are required, so are certain qualities. Being a live operations manager means having a personality that shows:

  • Diplomacy
  • Rigour
  • Curiosity
  • Analysis
  • Initiative
  • Autonomy

Which high school diploma must they take?

At this level, a company will ask that its future employee has a master’s degree. They need a high level of education because the position is high-responsibility. Therefore, in high school, you’ll need to choose between a technical high school diploma specialising in the science and technology of management and management (STMG) or a general high school diploma specialising in economic and social or digital sciences and computer sciences.

After, an education in business or engineering school is possible, for example, getting an MBA in a school specialising in video game careers.

The school to consider for this career

Our G. Business school allows you to become a live operations manager. At the heart of our campus, located in Lyon and Paris, we offer quality education based on project-based pedagogy. Whether in bachelor’s degree in video games and esport management or an MBA in marketing, communication and digital transformation of video games, you will do projects either alone or with others during the five years, all the while constantly evolving in the world of gaming.

Our management school offers all the means to learn the fundamentals of marketing, communication, monetisation, business, loyalty strategy, etc.

Your education with us will be supplemented by internships, meetings, masterclasses, events, etc.

How to do a live operations manager internship?

Doing an internship in a company is the best way to familiarise yourself with your future work environment. This is why we have chosen to demand that the student does an internship at the end of the year of study (from high school diploma +1 to master’s degree).

For the first two years, the internships last two months each. It is three months in the third year. Then, six months at the end of the first year of an MBA and the last year is done via a work-study placement or through an internship or fixed-term contract.

Thanks to all of our partner companies and the professionals involved, we regularly offer internship offers.

In addition, it is possible to find the perfect offer on traditional sites like Jooble, Glassdoor or more specifically like Welcome to the Jungle.

The salary of a live operations manager

All over the world, the annual salary of a live operations manager is relatively high. In Canada, for example, it is $ 80,000 on average ($ 47,000 for the lowest).

In France, some salaries go up to 60,000 euros, but can start at 20,000 euros. With a salary as high as 132,000 dollars, the United States is on the top of the podium. The average salary is $ 83,000.

Le salaire d'un live operations manager est plutôt élevé que ce soit en France ou au Canada
The salary of a live operations manager is relatively high whether in France or Canada

Which companies can you work in?

Often, it is the well-established video game companies that employ a live operations manager. Ubisoft regularly searches for these profiles, for example, or even Gameloft

Les grandes entreprises du jeu vidéo recherchent ce profil d'expert, à l'image d'Ubisoft
Large video game companies such as Ubisoft are looking for this expert professional.

Career developments

After you have become a live operations manager, it is possible to consider another position. Thanks to knowledge in marketing, project management, video games, becoming a production manager or even a producer is feasible.

"Working in a young start-up offers many possibilities, such as touring French LANs to offer data coverage to our partners (I have great memories of this). The main strong point will remain to have worked with a team of 25 freelancers of 8 different nationalities in 100% remote working! "
Pandascore logo Laurent Cazanove
Laurent Cazanove
Live Operations Manager at Pandascore

The advantages and disadvantages of this profession

It is one of those popular careers that have become widespread with the advent of online games. Like all careers, it has its advantages and disadvantages, namely:

Advantages:

  • Desired profession
  • A high salary, especially abroad
  • Coordinating an event for an online game from start to finish
  • Participating in improving game performance

Disadvantages:

  • Lower salary in France
  • Knowing how to manage pressure and stress
  • A sought after job, but few job offers
"The big advantage for an esports enthusiast will be to have their work calendar aligned with significant events in games and the competitive calendar: an update in a game can lead to new challenges in our daily life, launching a league or tournament creates high customer expectations, and the coverage of the biggest tournaments is a major topic of concern to us. The downside is that the most critical times for the business are during game hours. So you have to work most evenings and weekends. "
Pandascore logo Laurent Cazanove
Laurent Cazanove
Live Operations Manager at Pandascore

Is it possible to be a freelance live operations manager?

It is not uncommon for a live operations manager to work as a self-employed person. They can be a consultant and offer their services to a publisher. Choosing to exercise your profession in this way is to have guaranteed freedom. However, you will need a few years of experience to be able to do this. Knowing the issues and mastering the cogs and tools is mandatory when getting into the deep end alone. In addition, having a small network can help get your first contracts. Being a freelancer means being able to organise yourself well, being rigorous, having a commercial side, and knowing how to manage time effectively.

In summary

Résumé Live operations-manager

Live operations manager in video

Youtube preview bouton play youtube

How can you become a live operations manager?

You become a live operations manager after having completed a master’s degree. You’ll need a high level of study to be able to meet the publisher’s expectations. You have to understand monetisation and production, marketing and sales. It is a job with a reasonably broad outlook; we train future live operations managers at G. Business with our MBA in marketing, communication and digital transformation of video games diploma.