Senior Software Engineer, Tools - Unpublished R&D Product

Riot Games; United States; On-site; USD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Riot Games is seeking a Senior Software Engineer for the Unpublished R&D Product to own and evolve tooling within CI/CD and build pipelines. You will work across Unreal Engine tooling, build maintenance, and productivity improvements, partnering with multiple teams to deliver reliable workflows.

You will report to the Sr Manager, Software Engineering, focusing on automation, tooling, and pipeline optimization to accelerate development and release readiness across platforms.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in software engineering, game tools, build systems, or CI/CD development.
• Strong proficiency in C++ or Python; familiarity with the other language is a plus.
• Experience with Unreal Engine project or tool development and related workflows (Editor, Build, Cook, Package).

Responsibilities

• Maintain and optimize CI/CD and build pipelines for automated builds, testing, packaging, and release delivery.
• Maintain jobs, scripts, and configurations in Horde, BuildGraph, or similar systems to support development, testing, and releases.
• Develop Unreal Editor tools, automation scripts, and data processing utilities using C++, Python, and related tech.
• Diagnose and resolve build, Cook, packaging, and environment dependency issues with robust logging and recovery.
• Analyze build efficiency and drive standardization of build, packaging, and testing workflows.
• Collaborate with Client, Gameplay, Technical Art, Art, and QA teams to drive tool adoption and issue resolution.

Skills

C++

Python

Unreal Engine

CI/CD

Build Systems

Version Control

Tools

UBT

UAT

BuildGraph

Job description

Riot Games was established in 2006 by entrepreneurial gamers who believe that player-focused game development can result in great games. In 2009, Riot released its debut titleLeague of Legends to critical and player acclaim. As the most played video game in the world, over 100 million play every month. Players form the foundation of our community and it’s for them that we continue to evolve and improve theLeague of Legends experience.

We’re looking for humble but ambitious, razor-sharp professionals who can teach us a thing or two. We promise to return the favor. Like us, you take play seriously; you’re passionate about games. We embrace those who see things differently, aren’t afraid to experiment, and who have a healthy disregard for constraints.

That's where you come in.

About the Role

As a Senior Software Engineer on the Unpublished R&D Product, you will own and evolve tools or CI/CD modules within a defined area. You will contribute to Unreal Engine tooling, build pipeline maintenance, and engineering productivity improvements. Working closely with Client, Gameplay, Technical Art, Art, and QA teams, you will turn production challenges into reliable, reusable tools and workflows.

You will report into the Sr Manager, Software Engineering of the team.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain and optimize CI/CD and build pipelines, supporting automated builds, testing, packaging, and release delivery.
• Maintain jobs, scripts, and configurations in Horde, BuildGraph, or similar systems to support development, testing, and release builds.
• Develop Unreal Editor tools, automation scripts, asset validation tools, and data processing utilities using C++, Python, and related technologies.
• Diagnose and resolve build, Cook, packaging, and environment dependency issues, while improving logging, alerting, and recovery mechanisms.
• Analyze build efficiency and manual operational steps, and drive the standardization of build, packaging, and testing workflows.
• Partner with Client, Gameplay, Technical Art, Art, and QA teams to support tool adoption, release execution, and issue resolution.

Qualifications:

• 3+ years of experience in software engineering, game tools, build systems, or CI/CD development.
• Strong proficiency in either C++ or Python; experience reading or maintaining code in the other language is a plus.
• Experience with Unreal Engine project or tool development, including an understanding of UBT, UAT, and BuildGraph, as well as familiarity with Editor, Build, Cook, and Package workflows.
• Familiarity with one or more CI/CD pipeline or build orchestration systems, such as Jenkins, Horde, or GitHub Actions.
• Familiarity with Git, Perforce, or other version control systems.
• Understanding of the core processes involved in automated builds, automated testing, packaging, artifact management, and version releases.
• Ability to independently drive engineering tasks within a defined scope, with strong cross-functional collaboration and communication skills.
• Strong log analysis, troubleshooting, and cross-environment debugging skills.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with UAT, UBT, Unreal automated testing, or smoke testing.
• Experience developing tools for asset validation, performance checks, Cook validation, or resource pipelines.
• Experience with multi-platform, multi-configuration, distributed, or cloud builds.
• A track record of improving build stability, reducing build times, or lowering the cost of manual operations.

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!