Senior Software Engineer, Riot Client - Publishing Platform

Riot engineers bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas, but also value the opportunity to work in a variety of broader domains. As Software Engineers, we work with both established and emerging technology, creating innovative solutions to overcome high-volume obstacles and to deliver value to our players.

Riot Client is the gateway for millions of players to play, discover, and install Riot games. Your work on the Client will be every single desktop players' first touchpoint with the wide range of experiences that Riot has to offer, including Riot’s culture & community, or getting into any of our games as fast as possible, like League of Legends, Wild Rift, Teamfight Tactics, VALORANT, Legends of Runeterra, 2XKO, and beyond. It is also an essential tool for internal game developers including live games and R&D games. 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.

As a Senior Software Engineer on the Riot Client team, you will deliver high-quality technical solutions that improve the player experience across Riot’s out-of-game ecosystem. You’ll contribute hands-on across the software development lifecycle, partnering closely with engineers, product managers, designers, and other cross-functional teammates to build reliable, scalable, and maintainable Client capabilities. You will help shape technical direction within your area of ownership, make sound implementation and design decisions, and collaborate with peers across Riot to support game distribution, content, social features, and developer productivity. Through strong engineering practices, thoughtful code reviews, and mentorship of other engineers, your work will help advance the next generation of Riot Client experiences for players and developers.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain desktop application features focusing on C++, with the ability to integrate with and contribute to web-based technologies
• Deliver high-quality, scalable, and reliable engineering solutions within your area of ownership, through hands-on contribution and technical design
• Contribute to technical planning and design discussions, helping evaluate tradeoffs between long-term sustainability and near-term delivery needs
• Build and apply a strong understanding of the Riot Client’s dependency landscape, partnering with teams to align on technical solutions
• Work closely with cross-functional partners, including product, production, QA, design, and data insight
• Level up other engineers through mentorship and technical guidance

Required Qualifications:

• 6+ years of related industry experience
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field, or comparable experience in software development
• Expertise with C++ in application development
• Experience in web development
• Experience working with complex code bases
• Experience of cross-functional collaboration with product, design, and QA

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience of working with desktop applications
• Experience of working with Electron
• Experience with 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 $161,500.00 - $227,000.00 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 $161,500.00 - $227,000.00 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.