Principal Software Engineer - Developer Connections, Game Release
Riot GamesBase Salary
$229k - $320k/yr
Responsibilities
- Define and execute the technical strategy for Riot’s centralized game release capabilities.
- Partner with game teams to address real-world release constraints and production needs.
- Lead architecture across game clients, servers, backend services, content, configuration, and publishing workflows.
- Drive cross-team technical alignment and decisions that improve release safety and predictability.
- Diagnose complex technical blockers and work hands-on with engineers to deliver production solutions.
- Advise leadership, influence adoption of shared capabilities, and raise engineering and operational standards.
Requirements
- 8+ years of professional software engineering experience and experience developing and shipping at least one live-operated game.
- Deep expertise in the end-to-end game shipping lifecycle, production workflows, platform constraints, and live operations.
- Broad experience across game clients, game servers, backend services, configuration, content pipelines, or release orchestration.
- Strong hands-on experience designing, building, debugging, and maintaining large-scale production systems.
- Ability to connect architecture decisions to player experience and operational stability.
- Proven crisis response, root-cause analysis, problem-solving, technical leadership, and cross-team influence.
- Preferred experience includes release, deployment, or publishing systems; multi-platform or multi-region game shipping; shared technical capabilities; live game operations; and developer infrastructure.
- Preferred experience includes defining technical direction, moving bespoke workflows toward common patterns, and building trust with game teams and senior technical partners.
Benefits
- Open paid time off and flexible work schedules.
- Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.
- Parental leave for the employee, spouse or domestic partner, and children.
- 401(k) with company match.
- Additional incentive compensation and equity are offered.
- The Los Angeles posting lists a base salary range of $229,200.00–$319,500.00 USD.
Categories
About Riot Games
Since 2006, Riot Games has stayed committed to changing the way video games are developed, published, and supported for players. From our first title, League of Legends, to 2020’s VALORANT; we have strived to evolve the community with growth in Esports, and expansion from games into entertainment. Players are the foundation of Riot's community and because of them, we’re able to reach new heights. Founded by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill, Riot is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and has 4,500+ Rioters in 20+ offices worldwide. Riot has been featured on numerous lists including Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,” “25 Best Companies to Work in Technology,” “100 Best Workplaces for Millennials,” and “50 Best Workplaces for Flexibility.” Riot Games recruiters will never ask for money or request sensitive information, and they'll always reach out from an @riotgames.com email address. You can learn more about Riot’s interview process here: https://www.riotgames.com/en/work-with-us/interviewing-at-riot/interview-process