Software Engineering Manager, Gameplay AI/ML - VALORANT

Riot engineers bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas but also value the chance to work in many broader domains. As an Engineering Manager, you’ll predominantly offer creative solutions to organizational design. You’ll also serve as a mentor for a team of engineers, overseeing performance management, growth opportunities, and accountability. Want to lead AI development for the world’s largest competitive tactical shooter? As Engineering Manager of the VALORANT AI team, you will guide a group of engineers building the systems, behaviors, and machine-learning–driven capabilities. You will lead a passionate team of engineers in supporting the ongoing needs of a large and geographically diverse development team. You will bring management and AI development experience, strong technical judgment, and a passion for advocating for both players and developers. Responsibilities: • Manage a group of 4-8 engineers across experience levels, providing regular feedback and performance management. Coach and develop your engineering team to grow in their roles, develop technical skills, and improve their effectiveness. • Develop and communicate the technical vision for your team, working with design, production, and game leadership partners to ensure consistency with overall product goals. Communicate and evangelize this vision to your team clearly. • Advocate for players, your team, and internal development customers when deciding what to build and why. Coordinate and work effectively with other teams across Riot working on AI and ML technology. • Serve as a technical backstop by contributing to code as appropriate, reviewing technical designs, and ensuring strong engineering practices and architectural rigor. Ensure high technical quality of what your team produces. • Foster a collaborative, challenging, and satisfying environment for your development team. Find and surface issues, opportunities, and address them head-on. Celebrate wins. • Be a standard-bearer and role model of Riot values for your team and others. • Resolve conflict and respond to emergent issues. • Other reasonable activities required by management Required Qualifications: • 5+ years of experience as a hands-on Software Engineer • 2+ years experience directly leading an engineering team of at least 4 as an Engineering Manager and/or Engineering Lead • 2+ years experience developing in Unreal, Unity, or another game engine • 2+ years experience with game AI technologies (behavior trees, perception systems, etc.) and/or ML technologies (data science, machine learning, model training and inference, etc.) • Experience writing, reading, and reviewing C++ • Experience working in complex, large-scale game or engine codebases • Excellent communication and collaboration skills across disciplines Desired Qualifications: • Experience developing games for Xbox and PlayStation console platforms • Experience in Agile processes and continuous delivery 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.