Staff Data Scientist, Riot Games

• Ph.D. in Machine Learning, AI, Statistics, Math, or related Computer Science/Quantitative field with 3+ years of industry experience (including Postdoc), or equivalent experience (i.e., M.S. with 4-6+ years of relevant experience, or B.S. with 6-8+ years of relevant experience)
• Proficient in large-scale data manipulation across various data types
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot and optimize complex ETL pipelines
• Deep understanding of traditional machine learning models, with familiarity in deep learning technologies and their applications
• Familiarity with relational databases (e.g., MySQL, Postgres), document stores (e.g., ElasticSearch), and distributed storage systems (e.g., HDFS, S3, Google Cloud Storage)
• 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

• Riot Data Scientists combine their wide technical expertise across data processing, automation, machine learning ("ML"), artificial intelligence ("AI"), and experimental design to inform decisions and develop data-powered products
• As a Staff Data Scientist on the the Anti-Cheat team, you will be dedicated to maintaining the integrity of our gaming environment by detecting and mitigating cheating activities
• You will play a crucial role in developing models, monitoring their performance, and implementing and maintaining pipelines that automate the detection and enforcement of actions against cheaters in our games
• You will collaborate on a daily basis with the other data engineers and scientists on the team, while also working closely with Anti-Cheat leadership on product and execution strategy
• Independently analyze and develop prototypes for emerging challenges in the anti-cheat space. Assess these prototypes to determine their feasibility and potential for further development
• Design the necessary feature sets to address anti-cheat challenges, processing data into scalable formats for model use. If additional telemetry data is required, communicate detailed requirements to game teams or other parts of the Anti-Cheat team
• Develop mission-critical machine learning and artificial intelligence systems from scratch, including gathering requirements and designing scalable, production-ready architecture that significantly impacts the team and product
• Mentor junior staff by sharing your reasoning behind design decisions and result interpretations. Act as a subject matter expert, providing technical leadership across multiple teams and projects, while managing the end-to-end execution of complex, multi-month initiatives
• Engage with stakeholders outside the team to secure buy-in for projects and effectively communicate the impact and significance of the team’s results
• Collaborate with the data engineering team to troubleshoot and optimize ETL pipelines, ensuring efficient data flow and processing
• Reduce ambiguity in complex problem spaces by leading technical discovery and prototyping efforts that have a strategic impact on the team
• For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players