Data Science Manager, Riot Games

League Studio, League Data Central

$218.3-304.3k

+ Incentive compensation + Equity

SQL
Python
Mid, Senior and Expert level
Los Angeles
Riot Games

Player-focused game development platform

Be an early applicant

Riot Games

Player-focused game development platform

1001+ employees

B2CGamingEntertainment

Be an early applicant

$218.3-304.3k

+ Incentive compensation + Equity

SQL
Python
Mid, Senior and Expert level
Los Angeles

1001+ employees

B2CGamingEntertainment

Company mission

To be the most player-focused game company in the world.

Role

Who you are

  • M.S. in ML, AI, Statistics, Math, or related Computer Science/Quantitative field with 4+ years of industry experience or equivalent experience (i.e., Ph.D. with 2+ years relevant experience, or B.S. with 6+ years relevant experience)
  • Proven ability to mentor and coach data science teams to success
  • Hands-on programming experience in Python and SQL
  • Deep knowledge of data science methodologies, including machine learning, statistics, deep learning, and optimization
  • Experience in data science use cases and data engineering concepts (e.g., modeling, pipelines, distributed processing)
  • Exceptional communication and collaboration skills, with a proven track record of effectively engaging with multidisciplinary teams
  • 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!

Desirable

  • Experience in the gaming industry, particularly with online multiplayer games
  • Experience working with cross-discipline organizations that build data products
  • For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players

What the job involves

  • As a Data Science Manager, you will lead a team of 3-6 Data Scientists and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of Software Engineers, Data Engineers, and Data Scientists, focusing on delivering the best player journey possible
  • You are responsible for hiring, performance management, professional development, and maintaining a healthy team environment
  • Reporting to the head of LDC, your leadership will be instrumental in setting the vision for data science projects, ensuring alignment with the broader product vision, and nurturing a culture of excellence and continuous learning
  • Ensure the delivery of player value through your team’s projects, being accountable for the team’s deliverables and technical design
  • Lead the conceptualization and setting of a clear, actionable vision for data science projects within your team, aligning with and contributing to the broader objectives of LDC and Riot Games
  • Act as a pivotal liaison between your team, stakeholders, and other organizational units, fostering a collaborative environment to ensure alignment around the broader data product vision
  • Communicate clearly and often, ensuring your stakeholders and team are well-informed
  • Build healthy, highly functional teams strongly aligned with Riot culture, keeping aligned with your leadership team on hiring needs and being a skilled and effective interviewer
  • Understand and maintain good team health and resolve personnel issues quickly and effectively across organizations
  • Hold a high bar for performance, grow and coach every team member, and build succession plans to backfill key roles and eliminate single points of failure effectively
  • Ensure the team is building products/services meeting high data science, ML, AI, and data engineering standards and that products are well-tested and well-supported operationally
  • Be a great career mentor/coach, partner with recruiting in hiring world-class scientists and engineers, and create a diverse and inclusive team environment

Our take

Riot Games has grown into one of the world’s most prominent online and mobile game developers, due in large part to the success of its 2009 flagship title League of Legends which hosts just under seventy million users every month.

Riot is riding the wave of online gaming growth, having made a well timed switch from PC-only into mobile-based gaming, as capitalising on the rising popularity of esports, with the League of Legends World Championships one of the most watched events in the space.

However, adding further titles to its resume will be key to building on its success, as League of Legends was its only offering for the best part of a decade. Since being acquired by Chinese tech giant Tencent in 2011, the company has grown significantly in Asian markets, opening its Shanghai Game Studio in 2021 and expanding its China Game Studio Group in 2022. These two hubs will help Riot Games make further inroads in a country where PC gaming is already huge and continues to grow.

Regardless of League of Legends' success both online and in live arenas, the company nevertheless experienced a round of layoffs internationally that amounted to 11% of its workforce. Pair that with legal troubles in 2024 concerning the company’s partnership with now bankrupt crypto exchange FTX, and Riot Games appears to be in a period of transition. Thanks to the strength of its gaming products, however, Riot will no doubt maintain a comfortable position within the gaming world.

Freddie headshot

Freddie

Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle

Insights

Top investors

Some candidates hear
back within 2 weeks

24% employee growth in 12 months

Company

Funding (2 rounds)

Sep 2009

$8m

SERIES C

Jul 2008

$7m

EARLY VC

Total funding: $15m

Company benefits

  • We offer medical, dental, and vision plans that cover you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children
  • Life insurance, parental leave, plus short-term and long-term disability coverage are also available
  • Riot will support your retirement benefits with a company match, and double down on your donations of time and money to non-profit charitable organizations
  • Balance between work and personal life is encouraged with open paid time off, and a play fund so you can broaden and deepen your personal relationship with games

Company values

  • Player experience first
  • Dare to dream
  • Thrive together
  • Execute with excellence
  • Stay hungry, stay humble

Company HQ

Sawtelle, Los Angeles, CA

Leadership

Brandon Beck

(Co-Chairman)

Having studied at the University of Southern California, they worked as a Management Consultant at Bain & Company. they left this role in September 2006 to co-found Riot Games, where they served initially as co-CEO.

Marc Merrill

(Co-Chairman)

After a degree at the University of Southern California, they worked as a U.S. Bank Analyst and a Manager of Advanstar Communications. They co-founded Riot Games with Brandon in September 2006, alongside being a Principal of NaHCo3 since 2016.

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