Senior Manager, Software Engineering, Build Services - VALORANT

Riot engineers bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas but also value the opportunity to work in many broader domains. As a Senior Engineering Manager, you will gain organizational alignment by building a strong engineering vision and offering creative solutions to organizational design. You’ll also serve as a mentor for a team of engineers and managers, overseeing performance management, growth opportunities, and accountability.

VALORANT is Riot's take on a character-based tactical shooter (for more info on VALORANT click here!). As a Senior Manager, Software Engineering (Build, Release, Operate) in VALORANT’s Foundations area, you will lead multiple teams of engineers responsible for improving how VALORANT builds, delivers, and operates its live service game. Your responsibility will include the pipelines used to build and deliver the Unreal game client, Unreal game server, and game services platform globally, including to China. You will drive improvements to services development and observability, enabling teams to better own and continuously improve the reliability and operability of the services they own. In addition to teams across VALORANT, you will partner closely with teams across Riot and Tencent to reduce friction, ensure operational excellence, and ensure an amazing player experience. You will report to the Director of Engineering for the VALORANT Foundations area.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and support a team of 15–20 engineers and engineering managers across Los Angeles, Seattle, and Sydney, consisting of both individual contributors and people managers.

• Oversee a combination of direct and dotted-line reports, working closely with a Senior Manager in Sydney to ensure alignment for shared responsibilities.

• Partner with discipline and product leadership to shape product vision and define the technical direction that improves how VALORANT builds and delivers its Unreal game client, Unreal game server, and game services platform, and how it operates them continuously at global scale.

• Collaborate effectively with geo-distributed teams across Riot and Tencent, adjusting schedules as needed to accommodate time zones.

• Serve as a hands-on engineering leader, actively contributing across all phases of the product lifecycle, including implementation.

• Raise technical standards and refine processes to drive more effective product delivery and operations.

• Champion and model Riot’s values, setting the tone for your team and peers.

• Contribute to the team’s support rotation.

Required Qualifications:

• 6+ years professional experience as a software engineer working in services development roles.

• 4+ years as an Engineering Manager leading engineers and engineering managers.

• Professional experience driving technical direction and influencing architecture at team of teams scale.

• Expertise with C#, Java, Golang, or similar language(s).

• Professional experience with Lean or Agile development processes (Scrum, Kanban, etc).

• Professional experience working with cloud computing and cloud technologies.

• Professional experience building large-scale backend systems or game services.

Desired Qualifications:

• Professional or academic experience working with C++.

• Professional experience working in a leadership role in a multi-geo organization.

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 the experiences of players, this could be the role for you!

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.