Principal Software Engineer, VALORANT - Foundations Developer Experience & Workflows

Riot engineers bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas but also value the opportunity to work in a variety of broader domains. As a Principal Software Engineer, you’ll work alongside other engineers to implement technical solutions at a company-wide scale. You’ll collaborate with teams to ensure high quality and stack applicability, and provide other engineers with a clear illustration of extraordinary engineering.

VALORANT is Riot's take on a character-based tactical shooter (for more info on VALORANT click here!). As a Principal Software Engineer on the Developer Experience & Workflows team, you will lead the technical design and execution of major improvements to VALORANT’s Unreal Engine-based development platform. Guiding engineers across multiple teams, your work will reimagine how developers across all disciplines build amazing new content and experiences for players. You will report to the Director of Engineering for the VALORANT Foundations area.

• Be hands-on in development, writing excellent code that sets a high standard for other engineers.
• Define and drive the technical direction in an area spanning multiple teams located in North America and Australia. 
• Be a vital part of the live development of agents, maps, skins, modes, and more by creating new capabilities, reducing pain points, and supporting new workflows in VALORANT’s development platform.
• Drive improvement to the VALORANT developer experience through major development in Unreal Engine, Unreal Editor, and the around-editor developer tooling.
• Provide mentorship to engineers, tech artists, and tech designers. You help Rioters develop the tools and creative atmosphere to shine, but ultimately hold them accountable for making smart calls and delivering player value.
• Be a standard-bearer and role model of Riot values for your team and others.
• Participate in the team's support rotation.

• 10+ years of experience as a hands-on software engineer.
• 5+ years professional experience with C++.
• 3+ years experience developing in a commercial game engine (e.g. Unreal, Unity) or an equivalent multi-game multi-platform internal engine (e.g. Frostbite).
• Experience driving the design and execution of organization-sized efforts involving multiple teams, including requirements gathering, planning, testing, and release or deployment.
• Experience working with creative disciplines to improve content workflows or pipelines.
• You have a strong history of mentoring others in both soft and hard skills.

• 2+ years professional experience with C#.
• 2+ years experience in one or more of the following areas: game engine development, game client features, game content pipelines, game editor workflows.
• Experience with Unreal Engine.
• Experience developing games for Xbox and PlayStation console platforms.
• Experience in Agile processes and continuous delivery.

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 players' experiences, this could be your role!

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.

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. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.

Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:

• Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
• Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
• Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
• Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security.