Staff Software Engineer, Machine Learning - AI Foundations

Engineers at Riot master their craft by building, launching, and operating games that delight players all over the world. As a Staff Software Engineer you will dive into projects that focus on team cohesiveness and cross-team goals. You'll lead development efforts, steer design processes, and exemplify the team’s engineering culture.

As a Staff Software Engineer on the AI Foundations team, you will contribute robust and reliable ML/AI solutions to help enhance titles throughout the game development lifecycle. You will use your expertise in large scale AI/ML data systems to help us deliver unmatched player impact, collaborating closely with other engineers on the Data team, and mentoring them. You will report to an engineering manager on Riot’s AI Foundations team.

• Apply deep software engineering expertise to design and maintain scalable production-grade ML systems, particularly those leveraging reinforcement learning and other relevant AI techniques.
• Support real-time in-game experiences  with continuous delivery/optimization of robust ML pipelines and deployment tools to ensure rigorous ML operations.
• Work with data scientists to refine training datasets, simulation environments, and feedback loops to improve overall model performance and player experience. 
• Support data scientists, designers, QA, and analysts with tools and automation to enhance the efficiency and repeatability of their workflows.
• Work closely with game designers, engineers, and leadership to understand their needs, gather datasets, build prototypes, and look for innovative ways to bridge the gap between AI research and player facing features.
• Mentor engineers on MLE best practices, raise the technical bar, and contribute to engineering standards.
• Stay current on state of the art ML/AI research like cutting-edge RL and deep learning research, and evaluate new techniques for practical applications.

• BS/MS degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 6+ years of experience as a software engineer (4+ years in machine learning focused roles).
• Experience with common tools for machine learning (e.g. Mlflow, Tensorflow, PyTorch, RLlib, Gym/Gymnasium).
• Experience building software across multiple languages (e.g. Python,  and/or C++).
• Experience leading the development and operation of large-scale, end-to-end machine learning systems, including gathering requirements, designing production-ready architecture, and sustainably supporting high availability services.
• Experience deploying cloud infrastructure (e.g., AWS, GCP) using containers and orchestration (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes), managed using infrastructure as code (e.g., Terraform, Ansible).
• Experience with modern MLOPs platforms. Including understanding of model training, evaluation, and deployment lifecycles.
• Experience coaching those around them across all roles, and mentoring mid and senior level engineers.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Impact player with a track record of navigating ambiguity.

• Experience or interest in working with Unreal Engine.
• Experience with Game AI (e.g. behavior trees, reinforcement learning, imitation learning).

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 focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy and 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.

At Riot Games, we put players first. That mission drives every decision in our quest to create games and experiences that make it better to be a player. Whether you’re working directly on a new player-facing experience or you’re supporting the company as a whole, everyone at Riot is part of our mission. And just like in our games, we’re better when we work together. Our goal is to create collaborative teams where you are empowered to bring your unique perspective everyday. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to work, we’re looking forward to your application.

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.