Riot engineers bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas but also value the opportunity to work in a variety of broader domains. As a Staff Software Engineer, you’ll also dive into projects that focus on team cohesiveness and cross-team objectives. You’ll drive technical initiatives and provide other engineers with a clear illustration of extraordinary engineering. As a Staff Software Engineer on R&D, you will work with all team disciplines to design, implement, and iterate on modern game development workflows, pipelines, and AI. You will work in a small team alongside a product lead, technical artists, designers, and other engineers to ensure we can efficiently deliver on our player’s dreams. The ideal candidate is passionate, driven, and wants to guide the technical vision of how we extend engines and optimize workflows. Responsibilities: Identify, prioritize, and implement custom Unreal tooling, workflows, and data repositories. Collaborate with team members to gather requirements, plan technical initiatives, and deliver consistently. Lead and contribute to architecture requirements, technical design, and implementation for relevant systems Help shape the technical direction and standards for the team As development advances into full production, iterate on robust, scalable, and performant solutions. Mentor other engineers on the team in your area of expertise. Required Qualifications: 6+ years of development experience in the game industry as a software engineer Fluency in C or C++ Work on at least 1 shipped game title Strong knowledge of common game and software design patterns Excellent debugging skills Experience collaborating with teammates across multiple disciplines Product sense, pragmatism, and player empathy in making tech decisions Professional experience creating tools in Unreal 4 or 5 Desired Qualifications: 3+ years of tools/workflows development experience Experience working with UE4 or UE5 Experience with visual scripting systems Experience working with mid-sized engineering teams Experience with managing requirements and iterating on game development workflows Experience with agile development 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! 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. (Los Angeles Only) Base salary range between $192,500.00 - $269,400.00 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.