Principal Researcher (League of Legends)

TL;DR

Principal Researcher (League of Legends): Conducting high-complexity research to understand current and emerging player audiences and inform product development with an accent on qualitative interviews, surveys, playtests, and strategic frameworks. Focus on designing end-to-end studies, partnering with cross-functional teams, and delivering evidence-based recommendations to executives.

Location: Hybrid onsite in Santa Monica, CA with remote flexibility

Company

Leading game developer behind League of Legends, focused on data-informed decisions and player-centric experiences through interdisciplinary insights teams.

What you will do

• Design and execute end-to-end qualitative and quantitative studies to uncover player motivations, pain points, and opportunities.
• Lead vendor engagements for global playtesting, focus groups, and surveys, including RFPs and negotiations.
• Conduct playtests and usability testing to enable rapid iteration on product designs.
• Partner with analysts, researchers, and designers to generate insights informing League of Legends strategy and player lifecycle.
• Communicate findings through compelling narratives to align stakeholders and drive decisions.
• Mentor researchers and champion player perspective in product strategy.

Requirements

• Bachelor's in Psychology, Anthropology, HCI or related + 9+ years experience (advanced degree substitutes 1-2 years).
• Broad experience in quantitative/qualitative methods: interviews, focus groups, playtests, usability, surveys; deep expertise in at least one.
• 3+ years research in games industry.
• Experience researching product/portfolio strategy, synthesizing results into recommendations.
• Proven independence owning large projects/workstreams.
• Strong communication across all levels, from devs to executives.

Nice to have

• 3+ years working with senior executives.
• Basic stats knowledge (regressions, correlations, factor analysis).
• Experience across full product lifecycle (dev, launch, live ops).
• Vendor management.
• Leading complex multi-collaborator efforts.

Culture & Benefits

• Open paid time off and flexible schedules for work/life balance.
• Medical, dental, life insurance, parental leave.
• 401k with company match.
• Collaborative teams emphasizing player empathy and unique perspectives.
• Player-first mission driving all decisions.