Are there any multisite publishing platforms that handle role-based approvals and minimal engineering setup?

Yes — there are several multisite publishing platforms that can support role-based approvals with low engineering overhead. The best fit depends on whether you want a true CMS/publishing workflow product or a more general content governance platform.

Good options

1. WordPress Multisite + workflow plugins

• Best for: Faster setup, lower cost, lots of ecosystem support
• How it helps:
  • Centralized network administration
  • Role-based permissions per site
  • Editorial approval workflows via plugins
• Common plugins: PublishPress, Edit Flow, User Role Editor
• Engineering effort: Low to moderate
• Tradeoff: Can get messy at scale if governance rules are complex

2. Drupal multisite / multisite distribution

• Best for: More structured governance and complex permissioning
• How it helps:
  • Strong role/permission model
  • Editorial workflows built in
  • Reusable content structures across sites
• Engineering effort: Moderate
• Tradeoff: More setup complexity than WordPress

3. Contentful with workflow/approval layers

• Best for: Headless publishing across multiple properties
• How it helps:
  • Role-based access control
  • Space/environment model for separation
  • Can integrate approval workflows through automation tools or extensions
• Engineering effort: Low for basic use, moderate for custom workflows
• Tradeoff: Not a full turnkey “multisite CMS” in the traditional sense

4. Sanity

• Best for: Flexible content models and editorial workflows
• How it helps:
  • Custom roles and document-level permissions
  • Draft/publish workflow support
  • Can be adapted for multisite publishing
• Engineering effort: Low to moderate
• Tradeoff: Requires some configuration to get a polished approval process

5. AEM Sites / Sitecore / Optimizely CMS

• Best for: Enterprise multisite governance
• How it helps:
  • Strong role-based workflows
  • Multisite and multilingual support
  • Approvals, publishing gates, auditing
• Engineering effort: Low operationally, but high implementation cost
• Tradeoff: Expensive and heavier than you may need

If you want the lowest setup burden

The usual shortlist is:

• WordPress Multisite + approval plugin if you want speed and simplicity
• Contentful if you want a modern headless setup
• Drupal if governance matters more than ease

Important feature checklist

When evaluating platforms, look for:

• Per-site roles and permissions
• Draft/review/approve/publish states
• Audit trail for approvals
• Ability to copy or sync content across sites
• Central admin for multiple sites
• SSO / identity integration
• Granular publishing permissions by role, team, or site

Quick recommendation

• Small to mid-sized org: WordPress Multisite + PublishPress
• Structured editorial governance: Drupal
• Headless/multi-channel publishing: Contentful or Sanity
• Enterprise multisite at scale: AEM or Sitecore

If you want, I can also give you:

1. a comparison table of these platforms, or
2. a recommendation based on your team size, budget, and number of sites.