Principal Software Engineer, Gameplay - Unpublished R&D Product

Riot Games; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 229,000 - 320,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Life Insurance

401(k) with company match

Open PTO

Job summary

Riot Games in Los Angeles seeks a Principal Software Engineer to own multiple key technical areas and drive the vision for gameplay features. You will collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to build systems that realize players' dreams and empower designers, artists, and producers.

You will lead with craft excellence, mentor engineers, and deliver tooling improvements that widen design space while delivering high-quality player experiences.

Qualifications

• 8–12 yrs of collective professional experience in game development.
• Experience shipping games across PC, console, and mobile.
• Expert with C++ in complex code bases.
• Experience mentoring fellow developers and leading technical designs.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with external teams to shape player experiences.
• Provide feedback on technical tradeoffs for tooling improvements.
• Contribute to product direction and enable creative teams.
• Design and prototype to answer technical questions.
• Lead and deliver game content tooling for external teams.
• Mentor engineering teammates and drive core gameplay improvements.
• Develop systems that expand design space in environments, physics, audio, and navigation.
• Implement complex system changes.

Skills

C++

Gameplay systems

Mentoring

Technical leadership

Tooling pipelines

Cross-team collaboration

Multi‑platform

Tools

Game content tooling

Job description

Riot engineers bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas but also value the opportunity to work in many broader domains. As a software engineer, you'll also dive into projects that focus on team cohesiveness and cross-team goals. You'll lead with a clear illustration of extraordinary engineering. As a Principal Software Engineer and technical lead you’ll take technical ownership of multiple key areas. You will drive the technical vision and execution of gameplay features. You will collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to build systems that bring our players’ dreams to life. If you have a passion for gameplay engineering and thrive in a dynamic, player-focused environment, this is the role for you.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with external teams in other business units working in the same technical spaces (including Game Designers, Artists, Animators, Quality, Engineers, and Producers) to shape player experiences
• Give feedback to designers and artists on the technical tradeoffs for improvements of their tooling
• Give feedback to product leaders about product direction and benefits for creative teams
• Brainstorm, design, and implement prototypes to find answers to product, development, and technical questions
• Lead and deliver game content tooling to support external teams (including Game Designers, Artists, Animators, and Producers)
• Collaborate with and mentor engineering teammates
• Deliver exciting and meaningful improvements to gameplay tools focused on opening game design space in environments, physics, audio, and navigation
• Build projects implementing complex system changes

Required Qualifications

• 8-12 yrs of collective professional experience in game development
• Experience shipping games across multiple platforms (PC, console, mobile)
• Experience building gameplay systems and collaborating with designers
• Expert with C++ in complex code bases
• Experience mentoring fellow developers
• Experience leading technical designs and technical decisions
• Experience with building game content tools and pipelines

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise and a collaborative spirit that prioritizes the delight of players. We will look at your past studies and experience, but for this role, we also look for dedicated people with a personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this is the role for you!

Our Perks

Riot focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy and 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.

At Riot Games, we put players first. That mission drives every decision in our quest to create games and experiences that make it better to be a player. Whether you’re working directly on a new player-facing experience or you’re supporting the company as a whole, everyone at Riot is part of our mission. And just like in our games, we’re better when we work together. Our goal is to create collaborative teams where you are empowered to bring your unique perspective everyday. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to work, we’re looking forward to your application.

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.

Duties

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 $229,200.00 - $319,500.00 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.