Principal Software Engineer, Riot Games
Generalist, Unreal Ecosystem
$218.3-304.3k
+ Incentive compensation + Equity
Player-focused game development platform
Open for applications
Player-focused game development platform
1001+ employees
Open for applications
$218.3-304.3k
+ Incentive compensation + Equity
1001+ employees
Company mission
To be the most player-focused game company in the world.
Role
Who you are
- As a generalist, you will feel comfortable ramping up to various topics and lend a hand, solving difficult problems with solutions that will delight our players and/or developers
- 8+ years of software engineering experience
- Expertise with C++
- Experience working with modern video game engines
- Experience working with large game teams
- Experience working with large code bases
- Experience debugging, profiling and optimizing complex projects
- Strong knowledge of common game and software design patterns
- Experience collaborating with teammates across multiple disciplines
- 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!
Desirable
- Experience with Unreal Engine
- Experience building online games
- Experience with mobile development
- Experience with console development
What the job involves
- As a Principal Software Engineer on the Unreal Ecosystem team, you’ll dive into projects that focus on team cohesiveness and cross-team objectives. The UnEco (Unreal Ecosystem) team has an impact on a wide array of topics, including gameplay features, runtime performance, tooling, CI/CD, just to name a few
- At Riot, Principal Software Engineers gain organizational alignment by building a strong engineering vision and offering creative solutions to technical problems. They also serve as mentors for engineers, guiding their performance and finding growth opportunities delivering compelling player experiences
- Be hands-on in development, writing excellent code that sets a high standard for other engineers
- Drive the ideation and process of setting technical direction within the Unreal Ecosystem, including advising leadership on prioritization of work efforts and buy/build decisions for major system components
- Lead the technical execution of multi-month to year-plus work efforts across the business unit, holding teams to established standards
- Help teams navigate ambiguity and complexity by breaking down problems, identifying risks, and clearly communicating trade-offs
- Work on a range of tech stacks including underlying infrastructure, build and test automation, release pipelines, and developer tooling for internal teams leveraging the Riot Unreal Ecosystem
- Work with stakeholders across the organization to address their pain points and exceed their
- Expectations for what continuous delivery game development can be
- Be a standard-bearer and role model of Riot values for your team and others
- Be a force multiplier for your team. Mentor senior engineers on your team and enable them to deliver complex projects
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
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
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
Articles
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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