Staff Software Engineer - Unpublished R&D Product

At Riot, we believe in putting players first. Our Sydney-based team works closely with teams across the globe to build next-generation features and technology for an exciting Unpublished R&D Title. Whether contributing to backend architecture, developer-facing tools, or player-focused features, we craft the systems that drive performance, scalability, and engagement.

As a Staff Software Engineer (P4), you’ll take technical ownership of key areas within our workstreams. You’ll contribute across the development lifecycle — designing scalable solutions, mentoring teammates, and collaborating cross-functionally to ensure that player and developer experiences meet a high quality bar. 

As Software Engineers at Riot, we bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas and also value the opportunity to work in a variety of broader domains. We work with both new and current technology, creating innovative solutions to overcome high-volume obstacles and to deliver player value. You will report to an Engineering Manager supporting the R&D Game Team.

This is a full-time role that can be based in Sydney or performed remotely from elsewhere in Australia. 

Responsibilities:

• Lead the design and development of scalable, performant foundational systems around build, release, delivery & the related tooling.
• Drive technical discussions and decision-making across services, engine, and/or tooling components.
• Collaborate with producers, QA, and fellow engineers to scope, implement, and test game features.
• Champion engineering best practices, including code quality, automated testing, and maintainable architecture.
• Debug complex issues in development and live environments, with a player-first mindset.
• Contribute to team health through mentorship, documentation, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
• Proactively identify technical risks and bottlenecks, proposing pragmatic and innovative solutions.
• Give feedback to product leaders about product direction and player affinity

Required Qualifications: 

• 6+ years of professional experience in software engineering, including experience delivering live or shipped products.
• Expert proficiency with C++ and deep knowledge of software engineering fundamentals (data structures, algorithms, concurrency).
• Experience building systems in a cross-functional team and contributing to cross-team architecture discussions, including contributing to central tech.
• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills in both development and live environments.
• Ability to write clear, maintainable code and communicate technical concepts effectively across disciplines.
• Experience building games

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience.
• Experience working with Unreal Engine.
• Familiarity with systems such as scalable services, build & release pipelines, or telemetry.
• Experience with version control systems like Perforce or Git.
• Prior experience working on global-scale game development or online services.

For this role, you'll succeed through craft expertise and a collaborative spirit that prioritises the delight of players. We will look at your past studies and experience, but for this role, we also look for dedicated people with a personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this is the role for you!

Working closely with Riot teams globally, Riot Sydney is a powerhouse of talent, and experts in global development. Our team works on VALORANT, League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics, alongside exciting R&D and Tech projects.

If you believe that the Player Experience comes first, we want to hear from you. Our players are a diverse group from different backgrounds, and we want to see that reflected in the people who make our games, all qualified applicants will be considered for employment

Our Perks:

At Riot we strongly believe in work / life balance, and we encourage that with our open paid time off policy, paid parental leave (for both primary and secondary carers) and flexible work schedules to fit your lifestyle. We also believe that work should be fun, we have co-op gaming areas, a play fund so you can broaden and deepen your knowledge of players and community, and all the snacks you would ever need to power through your day (even healthy snacks!). And that’s not all we offer, there’s also:

• Medical Insurance that covers you and your dependents
• Employee Assistance Program
• Wellness fund
• Donation matching of time and money to registered charities
• Learning and Development opportunities

At Riot Games, we put players first. That mission drives every decision in our quest to create games and experiences that make it better to be a player. Whether you’re working directly on a new player-facing experience or you’re supporting the company as a whole, everyone at Riot is part of our mission. And just like in our games, we’re better when we work together. Our goal is to create collaborative teams where you are empowered to bring your unique perspective everyday. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to work, we’re looking forward to your application.