Principal Software Engineer - Developer Connections

Developer Connections (DevCon) connects developers around the globe allowing them to ship games reliably and efficiently. We sit at the intersection of Game Studios, R&D, and Central Tech, allowing us to keep our fingers on the pulse of development across Riot. Our aim is to unblock teams so they can hit essential milestones for launching future games.

As a Principal Software Engineer on Riot’s Developer Connections team, you are a technical force multiplier. This role requires significant hands-on engineering and breaking out work across engineering teams. You will embed directly with teams across Riot to understand their Developer Experience pain points, directly impacting product vision and driving measurable improvements. Operating in an elite, highly mobile strike team, you will build production-ready AI integrations, develop robust developer tools, and level up partner engineers through side-by-side collaboration. You will stand at the forefront of cutting-edge AI in the games industry, bridging the gap between new technologies and live environments to shape how Riot develops products and games.

Responsibilities:

• Partner with Riot’s build teams to identify developer needs and improvement opportunities, aligning on technical approaches for DevCon to solve them.
• Define Riot-wide standards for what "good" looks like in the Code, Build, and Release spaces, grounding them in industry best practices and team needs.
• Identify and champion high-impact technology investments across Riot to ensure maximum business value.
• Eliminate cross-system bottlenecks spanning local workflows, build systems, CI, release infrastructure, and developer-facing tools.
• Lead the execution of multi-month to multi-year initiatives, holding engineering teams to high technical and operational standards.
• Deconstruct ambiguity and complexity for teams by breaking down large problems, identifying risks, and clearly communicating trade-offs.
• Drive the technical strategy for source control interaction, designing and maintaining high-performance, resilient tooling that enables thousands of global developers to sync, build, and ship friction-free.
• Act as the primary advocate for Riot developers by proactively targeting latency and stability issues, automating manual processes, and improving local development speeds.
• Elevate the engineering organization by setting the bar for code quality, architectural design, and operational excellence.
• Bridge the gap between diverse stakeholders—including Game Studios, Security, and IT—by translating complex requirements into actionable roadmaps that balance immediate needs with long-term scalability.
• Evaluate industry-standard tools against bespoke internal needs, making build-versus-buy decisions that maximize development velocity while minimizing technical debt.
• Standardize technical interview bars and design specialized hiring kits for Build engineering, assisting other Riot organizations with hiring talent when needed.

Required Qualifications:

• BS in Computer Science (or equivalent experience) with 8-12 years of software engineering experience.
• Extensive experience with systems integration, technical leadership, and early-stage software development.
• Deep programming proficiency in C++ and at least one other language (e.g., Python, C#).
• Shipped at least one AAA game or large-scale, high-concurrency live service product.
• Proven track record of managing high ambiguity, setting technical strategy, and leading multi-month/year initiatives.
• Practical experience utilizing, integrating, or building modern AI tools, APIs, or infrastructure.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience extending or developing within Unreal Engine (C++).
• Familiarity with ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow) or LLM orchestration.
• Background working on shared engine technology, central tools, or platform engineering teams.
• Familiarity with the League, Runeterra, and VALORANT IPs.

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!

Our Perks:

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.

- BS in Computer Science (or equivalent experience) with 8-12 years of software engineering experience. - Extensive experience with systems integration, technical leadership, and early-stage software development. - Deep programming proficiency in C++ and at least one other language (e.g., Python, C#). - Shipped at least one AAA game or large-scale, high-concurrency live service product. - Proven track record of managing high ambiguity, setting technical strategy, and leading multi-month/year initiatives. - Practical experience utilizing, integrating, or building modern AI tools, APIs, or infrastructure.