Principal Software Engineer (Tech Lead) (Gamedev)

TL;DR

Principal Software Engineer (Tech Lead) (Gamedev): Leading the technical foundations for one of Riot’s most exciting new games, ensuring it meets development needs, creative goals, and quality marks on multiple platforms. Focus on architecting core features, evaluating technologies, directing other engineers, and debugging fundamental systems.

Location: Los Angeles, USA

Salary: $229,200.00 - $319,500.00 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.

Company

Riot engineers bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas but also value the opportunity to work in a variety of broader domains.

What you will do

• Work closely with QA, engineers, designers, artists and area leads to make product decisions which address the technical, creative and artistic requirements of the game.
• Participate in the planning and execution of the team’s engineering work, including requirements gathering, technical evaluation, architecture, work breakdown and estimation.
• Investigate, understand, and solve complex technical problems at the team level.
• Profile and direct optimization efforts for CPU and memory usage on PC and console.
• Advance and strengthen engineering best practices, including code quality, automated testing, and maintainable architecture.
• Provide mentorship to new engineers as the team scales, and provide feedback that supports their technical growth.

Requirements

• 10+ years of professional experience in software engineering, including experience delivering live or shipped products at scale.
• 5+ years experience working in Unreal Engine on engine, tools, build, rendering, and console features.
• Experience shipping one or more games on various platforms.
• Experience in performance profiling and optimization on console.
• Proven ability to navigate ambiguity and solve complex problems with minimal support.
• Proficiency in C++.

Nice to have

• Experience building multiplayer games.
• Background in graphics/rendering.
• Direct experience working on console features and certification.
• Experience implementing framework level UI systems.
• Experience developing tools ecosystems in Unreal.

Culture & Benefits

• Focus on work/life balance, shown by open paid time off policy and flexible work schedules.
• Medical, dental, and life insurance.
• Parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children.
• 401k with company match.