Software Engineers at Riot bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas and also value the opportunity to work in many 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 in writing code.

As a Principal Software Engineer focused on Data, you will equip Rioters with data technology that helps them to enhance the experience of players and Rioters. Our products range from globally deployed data pipelines that publish millions of events per second to serving live ML models that interface directly with our games. Our offerings drive Riot’s ability to quickly deploy data systems that interact with our players, people, teams, and organization. You will be an expert in defining domain architecture, technology strategy in alignment with enterprise architecture, business requirements and technology/product roadmaps. You will provide technical leadership, mentoring and governance to the engineering teams in the DaaS org.

• Set, lead, and contribute to technical vision and direction, using your expertise to guide tough technical decisions
• Lead and contribute to technical design and implementation of solutions to complex data problems - ranging from stream processing to live ML inference
• Drive collaboration and alignment with various internal stakeholders and teams
• Mentor and coach to lift the expertise of the engineering teams
• Promote adherence to engineering excellence including code maintainability, quality, monitoring, operational excellence, and documentation
• Constantly innovate to improve player experience and unlock the value of data at Riot

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent experience
• Experience as a technical leader with the ability to set the technical vision
• 12+ years of software development experience, with a focus on data systems and live machine learning systems
• Experience developing large-scale, performant, distributed data solutions on cloud infrastructure (AWS preferred)
• Deep hands-on experience in complex system design, object-oriented system design, scale, performance tuning in Java or Go, and knowledge of Python.
• Deep hands-on experience in complex event driven architectures and stream processing in a variety of technologies
• Strong expertise in both Kafka and Spark desired
• Experience in microservice architectures a plus

• Experience building test automation and CI/CD
• Exposure to MLOps platforms and solutions

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes your fellow Rioters, who are the customers of your work. Being a dedicated fan of games is not necessary for this position!

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 $213,200 USD - $297,200 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).