Staff Software Engineer, Riot Client - Publishing Platform

Riot engineers bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas but also value the opportunity to work in many broader domains. As a Staff Software Engineer at Riot, you’ll also dive into projects that focus on team cohesiveness and cross-team goals. You’ll lead without authority and provide other engineers with a clear illustration of extraordinary engineering.

Riot Client is the gateway for millions of players to play, discover, and install Riot games, and every single desktop player goes through the Riot Client on their way to experience one of Riot’s games, ensuring their needs, whether they be providing more ways to discover games, engage with Riot’s culture & community, or getting into their game as fast as possible, is the primary goal of the Riot Client team. Introduced in 2021, the multi-game Riot Client is becoming a destination for players to engage with Riot games, events and communities, and is a fast-evolving desktop software that provides capabilities in game distribution, content publishing, social and internal development efficiency. Your work will be players' first touchpoint with the wide range of experiences that Riot has to offer, including League of Legends, Wild Rift, Teamfight Tactics, VALORANT, Legends of Runeterra, 2XKO, and beyond, and it is also an essential tool for internal game developers including live games and R&D games. As a Staff Software Engineer on the Riot Client team, you will drive technical excellence by delivering high-quality solutions and fostering a collaborative, forward-thinking engineering culture. You’ll guide and mentor engineers across the software development lifecycle, contributing both hands-on and through technical leadership. Working closely with cross-functional partners and collaborating across teams at Riot, you’ll help shape sound architectural decisions that elevate the player experience. Your contributions will be key to advancing Riot’s out-of-game ecosystem, enabling the next generation of Riot Client capabilities across game distribution, content, social features, and developer productivity.

Responsibilities:

• Drive the development of desktop application features primarily using web technologies (React, Node.js), while integrating with C++ components, providing technical guidance and hands-on code contributions
• Provide technical leadership within the team and adjacent teams to deliver high-quality, scalable, and reliable engineering solutions
• Contribute to technical planning and architecture decisions, balancing long-term sustainability with near-term delivery needs
• Understand and navigate the Riot Client dependency landscape, helping guide improvements and evolution of the application
• Partner closely with cross-functional partners (product, production, QA, design, data) to deliver great player experiences
• Drive collaboration with partner teams to align on technical approaches and support shared solutions
• Mentor other engineers on technical and interpersonal skills

Required Qualifications: 

• 7+ years of industry experience in software engineering, with demonstrated technical leadership on complex projects
• Bachelor's, Master’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, or comparable experience in software development.
• Strong proficiency with web technologies, with working experience integrating and contributing to C++ components
• Have been responsible for driving the design and leading of development of large-sized efforts (6-month+ scope), including requirements gathering, planning, development, testing, and release 
• Solid communication and collaboration skills, with experience working across disciplines and teams

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with Electron 
• Experience in build pipelines

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. 

(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.

(Mercer Island 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.