Chief Operating Officer (COO)

TapBlaze is an independent mobile game studio based in Los Angeles, best known for Good Pizza, Great Pizza and Good Coffee, Great Coffee. With over 300 million downloads, our games are loved by players worldwide for their charm, humor, and unique gameplay. We’re fully self-funded and committed to remaining independent so we can focus on making great games and delivering value to our players, not shareholders.

We are entering our next stage of growth and are seeking a Chief Operating Officer (COO) to join our executive team and help scale our global operations, manage production pipelines, and ensure alignment between creative execution and strategic goals.

OBJECTIVES

Studio & Production Leadership

• Oversee the full lifecycle of game development and live operations across all titles;

• Maintain a pulse on team morale, dynamics, and capacity to ensure the right people are in the right roles;

• Help assess and recommend promotions, raises, bonuses, and performance improvement plans;

• Support recruiting and onboarding plans aligned with studio growth goals.

Business Strategy Execution

• Translate long-term company goals into short- and mid-term operational plans;

• Partner with CEO on growth strategy, roadmap prioritization, and key business initiatives;

• Monitor key performance metrics (DAU, ARPDAU, retention, monetization) to guide decision-making.

Global Operations & Team Coordination

• Oversee day-to-day operations of the studio across Los Angeles and Beijing;

• Implement and refine processes that enable efficient cross-office collaboration;

• Align international teams around shared objectives and communication workflows.

Risk Management & Compliance

• Anticipate and mitigate production, operational, and legal risks;

• Ensure compliance with platform policies (App Store, Google Play, Steam) and government regulations (COPPA, GDPR, CCPA, KISA, etc);

• Work with 3rd party compliance firms (i.e. ESRB) and attorneys to be aware of ever-changing privacy and cybersecurity landscape.

Operational Optimization

• Streamline workflows, improve production pipelines, and remove bottlenecks;

• Support recruiting, resource planning, budgeting, and vendor management;

• Build systems and practices (i.e. SOPs) that scale with the studio’s growth.

COMPETENCIES

• Strong understanding of mobile game KPIs (DAU, ARPDAU, retention) and monetization systems;

• Excellent organizational and communication skills; able to align creative, technical, and business teams;

• Knowledge of compliance, platform guidelines, and operational risk management;

• Passion for casual games and player-focused development;

• Great attention to details; you read the full job description; only with great attention to details can we be great - please mention "beauty is in the details" in your cover letter.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• 8+ years in mobile game production, product management, or studio operations, with at least 3 years in a senior leadership role.

• Proven track record shipping successful casual F2P mobile titles with live operations.

• Experience managing cross-functional teams and multiple concurrent projects, ideally across different geographic locations/time zones.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Los Angeles, CA: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work;

• Prolonged period of time sitting at a desk and computer.

The range for this role is $175,000 to $200,000 depending on experience, with the opportunity to earn an annual discretionary bonus.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY

As an equal opportunity employer committed to meeting the needs of a multigenerational and multicultural workforce TAPBLAZE recognizes that a diverse staff, reflective of our community, is an integral and welcome part of a successful and ethical business. We hire local talent at all levels regardless of race, color, religion, age, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability, and actively foster inclusion in all forms both within our company and across interactions with vendors and partners.

If this position caught your eye, send us your resume! For best consideration, include a cover letter in your application explaining why you would be a great fit.