Principal Software Engineer

VALORANT is moving from hypergrowth to becoming a scaled operating business, and your role will be pivotal in driving this transition. As a Principal Software Engineer on VALORANT Foundations, you will spearhead the design of developer workflows for multi-platform, continuous delivery development, ensuring a seamless player experience across all platforms. You will maximize business value for the studio by identifying, championing, and executing technology investments.  Your work will empower hundreds of developers located around the globe to build amazing experiences enjoyed by tens of millions of players each month.

You will bring a deep passion for the experience of Riot players and, by extension, that of its developers. You will lead the design and execution of technical solutions that VALORANT developers rely on to provide joy to players in a sustainable, consistent, and efficient manner across PC and console platforms. In service of that goal, your work will touch a diverse set of technical areas in order to address needs wherever they exist. You will draw on not only your deep technical expertise, but also your abilities to communicate, collaborate, mentor, and inspire across the organization. You will lead without authority, marshaling resources from various disciplines and holding teams to our high technical standards. As a technical leader, you will also advise studio leadership on major technical decisions, helping to set the technical direction for the game.

This role will report to the Director of Engineering Tech Lead for VALORANT Foundations.

Responsibilities:

• Be hands-on in development, writing excellent code that sets a high standard for other engineers
• Identify and champion the most impactful technology investments for studio leadership to prioritize, ensuring maximum business value
• 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
• Establish systems, tools, and best practices for multi-platform game development that improve developer experience and efficiency for all disciplines, including engineering, game design, art, QA, and audio
• 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
• Represent VALORANT in collaboration with central Riot teams and other Riot studios on co-development and technology sharing

Required Qualifications:

• 10+ years experience in professional software development, including shipping multiple games
• 2+ years of experience as a technical lead
• Have been responsible for driving the design and execution of organization-sized efforts (1-year+ scope), including requirements gathering, planning, testing, and release or deployment
• 5+ years professional experience with C++
• Experience shipping an Unreal Engine game that targets PC and at least one of Console and Mobile
• Experience working with interdisciplinary teams at scale

Desired Qualifications:

• Professional experience designing and building developer workflows for a AAA game title.
• Experience shipping a Gen 9 Console game
• Experience with the design and maintenance of multi-platform build pipelines
• 2+ years professional experience with C#

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 has a focus on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy, in addition to 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.

Riot Games fosters a player and workplace experience that values teamwork embodied by the Summoner’s Code and Community Code. Our culture embraces differences as a strength, and our values are the guiding principles for how we approach work. We are committed to putting diversity and inclusion (D&I) at the center of everything we do, and promoting a fair and collaborative culture where Rioters treat one another with dignity and respect. We encourage you to read more about our value of thriving together and our ongoing work to build the most inclusive company in Gaming.

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 business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security.