Riot software engineers bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas, but they also value the opportunity to work in a variety of broader domains. Our engineers are player-focused, and aim to find solutions that make players excited to experience our games. Principal Engineers, at Riot, are often called on to help with the hardest problems on a project by using their expertise to find creative solutions and being hands-on writing code.

As a Principal Software Engineer on the Gameplay team within Teamfight Tactics, you will leverage your expertise in game architecture to champion and define Teamfight Tactics’ technical vision. You will discuss and define the needs of art, design, and audio in a highly collaborative environment. You will build solutions to the evolving technical challenges that face multi-platform, live game development. As Teamfight Tactics is a multi-platform game, supporting PC, Android, and iOS, cross-platform experience would be beneficial. You will report to the Engineering Manager responsible for the Gameplay team.

Responsibilities:

• Set, lead, and contribute to technical vision and direction, using your expertise to guide tough technical decisions
• Reduce ambiguity in a problem space through technical discovery & prototyping
• Work with globally distributed teams to implement complex engineering solutions to engage and delight players
• Define and promote software engineering best practices within the team, including design reviews, code maintainability, quality, monitoring, and documentation
• Periodically review and reimplement efficient systems in code and in the tech collaboration processes
• Mentor and coach senior and staff engineers in both technical and soft skills
• Participate in the team's support rotation

Required Qualifications:

• 8+ years game industry or 10+ years of relevant engineering experience
• Expertise in C++ and low-level debugging
• Strong knowledge of scripting languages and/or asset content pipelines
• Familiarity with client/server game architecture and replication
• Experience as a tech lead for a project or team
• Deep understanding of optimization strategies that emphasize meaningful improvements to performance in critical systems

Desired Qualifications:

• Deep knowledge of more than one game engine
• Development experience in rendering software
• Experience shipping a cross-platform game
• Experience with mobile, console, and PC operating systems and platform SDKs
• Experience working with globally dispersed engineering teams
• Expertise in hardware architecture with an understanding of fundamental difference between device architectures

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 the experiences of players, this could be the role for you!

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

(Los Angeles only) Base salary range between $203,000 USD - $283,000 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.

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, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance relating to an applicant's criminal history (LAMC 189.00).