Principal Researcher - RDS Central User Research Team

Riot Games; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 187,000 - 262,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking company as a Principal User Researcher, where you'll leverage your expertise to influence game development and player experiences. This role is pivotal in shaping strategic decisions across R&D by conducting in-depth studies and collaborating with diverse teams. You will drive insights that directly impact product direction, ensuring that player needs and motivations are at the forefront of decision-making. With a commitment to diversity and inclusion, this innovative firm fosters a culture where your contributions will be valued and celebrated. If you are passionate about player empathy and research, this is the perfect opportunity for you.

Benefits

Open paid time off policy

Flexible work schedules

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Life insurance

401k with company match

Parental leave

Qualifications

• 8+ years of research experience, including 4+ years in the games industry.
• Proficient in qualitative and quantitative methods with a focus on player insights.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute studies to uncover player motivations and pain points.
• Lead high-impact research workstreams to influence game direction.

Skills

Qualitative Research

Quantitative Research

Statistical Analysis

Game Design Understanding

Communication Skills

Project Management

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Master's degree in Psychology, Anthropology, or HCI

Tools

SPSS

Tableau

Excel

SQL

Job description

Principal Researcher - Central User Research

The Insights discipline empowers Rioters to make more informed, data-driven decisions. We’re an interdisciplinary team of user researchers, scientists, advisors, and strategists from a wide range of backgrounds, united by a love of games, a passion for science, and a commitment to helping others succeed. By illuminating the globally diverse experiences, behaviors, and needs of players, we help Riot stay true to its player-focused mission.

As a Principal User Researcher on the Central User Research (CUR) team, you’ll not only shape Riot’s understanding of players, but also guide strategic and operational decisions across all R&D games at Riot. Your work will drive strategic decisions about the audiences we serve, the opportunities we pursue, and how our games evolve to deliver richer, more player-driven experiences. You’ll design and conduct a wide range of studies—such as in-lab playtests, qualitative interviews, audience research, and global market surveys—in close collaboration with game teams and other insights partners. In addition, you’ll own and advance CUR’s research craft standards, ensuring that our practices are rigorous, impactful, and player-centered. You’ll report to the CUR Sr. Manager and operate as a key strategic partner across Riot’s R&D efforts.

Responsibilities:

• Design and execute end-to-end studies using a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods to uncover player motivations, pain points, and emerging opportunity areas.
• Lead complex, high-impact research workstreams across Riot R&D—evolving milestone testing practices, establishing playtesting benchmarks, informing milestone & development decisions, and solving sophisticated research challenges.
• Generate strategic insights that challenge assumptions and directly influence product and game direction across Riot.
• Communicate research findings through compelling narratives that align stakeholders and drive executive decision-making.
• Champion the player perspective by delivering evidence-based guidance on player needs, motivations, and behaviors.
• Collaborate closely with game teams and insights partners to develop and socialize research-driven frameworks that shape both individual game strategy and broader portfolio direction.
• Advance strategic thinking and research framework development across R&D to support long-term innovation and player-focused development.
• Own research craft standards for the Central User Research (CUR) team—mentoring researchers and leading infrastructure improvements to raise the bar across CUR and Riot.

Required Qualifications:

• 8+ years of relevant research experience (advanced degrees may substitute for up to 2 years).
• 4+ years of research experience specifically within the games industry.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct research that informs game product and portfolio strategy.
• Experienced in both qualitative and quantitative research methods—including in-depth interviews, focus groups, playtests, diary studies, and surveys—with deep specialization in at least one.
• Proficient in core statistical methods—including regression, correlation, and factor analysis—and experienced with a statistical package such as Q, R, or SPSS.
• Strong understanding of game design, direction, and game product strategy.
• 3+ years of experience partnering directly with senior executives or high-level stakeholders.
• Skilled at synthesizing research findings into clear, actionable insights for product leadership.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills; able to influence across all levels of an organization.
• Proven ability to independently lead complex, multi-stakeholder projects and cross-functional workstreams in collaboration with diverse partners.
• Experience managing external vendors in driving research/insights projects.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring researchers, teaching research best practices, or developing systems and processes that advance the craft and impact of research within an organization.

Desired Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or higher in a human-focused discipline such as Psychology, Anthropology, or Human-Computer Interaction.
• Experience in creating and validating benchmark metrics to support longitudinal tracking and strategic decision-making.
• Experience supporting game teams across the pre-launch lifecycle (incubation, prototype, preproduction, production).
• Experience partnering with Data Scientists & Analytics to integrate qualitative and quantitative insights.
• Proficiency with Tableau and SQL for data visualization and exploration.
• Advanced proficiency with Excel or Sheets for analysis and reporting.

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this could be your role!

Our Perks:

Riot has a focus on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy, in addition to other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.

Riot Games fosters a player and workplace experience that values teamwork embodied by the Summoner's Code and Community Code. Our culture embraces differences as a strength, and our values are the guiding principles for how we approach work. We are committed to putting diversity and inclusion (D&I) at the center of everything we do, and promoting a fair and collaborative culture where Rioters treat one another with dignity and respect. We encourage you to read more about our value of thriving together and our ongoing work to build the most inclusive company in Gaming.

It’s our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.

Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:

• Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
• Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
• Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
• Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security.

(Los Angeles Only) Base salary range between $187,700.00 - $261,700.00 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.

Seniority level

Not Applicable

Employment type

Full-time

Job function

Information Technology

Industries

Computer Games, Software Development, and Technology, Information and Internet

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