Senior Manager, Software Engineering (Graphics) - League of Legends

Riot Games, Inc.; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

401k with company match

Flexible work schedules

Job summary

Riot Games in Los Angeles is seeking a Senior Engineering Manager for the Graphics team to define the rendering vision and mentor engineers. You will lead a skilled group responsible for core rendering engine features and tools powering League of Legends.

Reporting to an Engineering Director, you will grow talent, collaborate with product and QA, and shape long-term engineering strategy while delivering high-quality graphics workloads across time zones.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience
• 3+ years in engineering management
• Experience leading teams shipping large-scale, modular client/engine or tools software
• Extensive experience in C/C++ development
• 4+ years of game development industry experience
• Hands-on experience with rendering or graphics systems

Responsibilities

• Serve as the vision holder for the rendering technology that powers League of Legends
• Staff, manage, mentor, lead, and cultivate a team of 5-10 software engineers
• Partner closely with product, delivery, technical, and quality leads to support your team and align on outcomes
• Ensure the technology you build serves the long-term needs of a wide range of content developers
• Coordinate with individuals and external partners across multiple time zones around the world
• Design the composition of your team and hire to ensure it has the skills and experience needed to achieve your goals

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Cross-functional collaboration

Staff management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

C/C++

Qt

Job description

Riot engineers bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas but also value the chance to work in many broader domains. As the Senior Engineering Manager, you’ll be tasked with building the long-term success for your organization by helping define the product vision, mentoring and growing talent, and being accountable for delivering results.

As a Senior Engineering Manager on the Graphics team, you’ll own the vision and staffing strategy for the core rendering engine features and tools that power League of Legends. Reporting to an Engineering Director, you’ll lead a team of one of the most seasoned engineering teams in League of Legends that build and evolve the technology that artists, designers, and developers rely on every day. You’ll grow and mentor individual contributors over the long arc of their careers while partnering closely with other teams to make sure our work meaningfully improves their workflows and impact.

Our platform is primarily written in C++ with heavy use of the Qt ecosystem for UI/UX, and we also leverage Python for a variety of tools and automation.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the vision holder for the rendering technology that powers League of Legends
• Staff, manage, mentor, lead, and cultivate a team of 5-10 software engineers
• Partner closely with product, delivery, technical, and quality leads to support your team and align on outcomes
• Ensure the technology you build serves the long-term needs of a wide range of content developers
• Coordinate with individuals and external partners across multiple time zones around the world
• Design the composition of your team and hire to ensure it has the skills and experience needed to achieve your goals

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent experience
• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience, including 3+ years in engineering management
• Experience leading teams shipping large-scale, modular client/engine or tools software
• Extensive experience in C/C++ development
• 4+ years of experience in game development industry
• Hands‑on experience with rendering or graphics systems (e.g., modern rendering pipelines, GPU/CPU performance, graphics tooling)

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 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.

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 busin