The Opportunity
SIDE's Shanghai Audio team delivers dialogue and voice production for international clients, from indie mobile games to AAA console titles, as well as technology and digital media projects, in English and other localised languages.
We are seeking an Operations Manager to lead and develop the Shanghai audio production team, oversee the successful delivery of multiple projects, and continually improve how the operation works.
You will work with experienced project managers and engineering specialists, as well as newer colleagues who benefit from clear guidance and structured development.
The role is broadly split between team leadership and operational coordination, and senior oversight of project delivery. Project managers carry out most detailed project execution; you will review progress, anticipate risk, handle complex escalations and become more hands-on when workloads require it.
What You Will Do
Lead, Coach and Develop the Team
- Lead day-to-day production operations, provide direction to project managers and support effective collaboration with audio and engineering colleagues.
- Take line-management responsibility for production team members, including monthly one-to-ones, performance expectations, KPIs, coaching, mentoring and development.
- Build and improve training, onboarding and team workflows, helping newer colleagues become effective while enabling experienced people to work with autonomy.
- Run regular project stand-ups and team meetings, maintain open communication, address performance or operational issues and represent the team to senior management.
Oversee Project Delivery and Client Relationships
- Oversee projects from initial client brief, scope and quotation through budgets, schedules, resources, milestones, quality and final delivery.
- Guide project managers across multiple concurrent assignments; identify delivery risks, adapt plans, remove blockers and step into complex, high-profile or high-volume work when needed.
- Manage client relationships and expectations, communicate progress and changes clearly, and resolve difficult issues or explain necessary pushback decisively.
- Coordinate freelancers, directors, voice talent, external vendors, other SIDE service lines and teams at other SIDE locations.
Maintain Commercial and Operational Standards
- Prepare or review initial quotations, manage scope and cost changes, and consider pricing structures, budgets and project margins.
- Carry out first-pass reviews of client/vendor contracts and talent agreements, flag issues and work with Legal, Finance and senior management on decisions requiring approval.
- Ensure accurate project administration, weekly status reporting and timely escalation of risks; improve delivery processes, quality and efficiency.
- Support a professional, safe and welcoming working environment, ensuring adherence to company security, confidentiality, health and safety, HR and IT procedures.
What You Will Bring
- Strong project-management experience, including planning, prioritisation, budget control, managing multiple stakeholders and resolving complex delivery issues.
- Proven ability to lead, mentor and develop people, with sound judgement when managing both experienced specialists and more junior team members.
- Relevant project or production experience in games, audio, entertainment, film, animation, technology, broadcast, commercials, post-production, game development or a creative agency. Direct games-industry experience is not essential.
- Experience managing multiple project budgets in excess of £50,000 each.
- Fluent spoken and written Mandarin Chinese and professional English, with the ability to work confidently with local colleagues and international stakeholders.
- Excellent client-facing communication, strong organisation, commercial awareness, adaptability and the ability to take ownership independently or as part of a team.
- Confident use of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel; familiarity with functions such as SUMIFS and COUNTIFS is advantageous.
- Ability to work onsite at our Shanghai location five days per week.
Additional Strengths
- Japanese-language skills are a bonus, not a requirement.
- Direct dialogue, voice-over, localisation or specialist audio-production experience would be useful, alongside the transferable sector experience described above.