Manager, Software Engineering - Unpublished R&D Product

At Riot, we believe in putting players first. Our Sydney-based team contributes to an exciting Unpublished R&D Title, collaborating globally to build next-generation features and technology. Whether focused on infrastructure, performance, tools, or player-facing systems, we create the foundations for great developer and player experiences.

Riot engineers bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas but also value the opportunity to work in a variety of broader domains. As Engineering Managers, we gain organizational alignment by building a strong engineering vision and offering creative solutions to organizational design. We also serve as mentors for a team of engineers, overseeing their performance and trying to find stretch opportunities for their growth.

As a Manager, Software Engineering, you will lead a high-impact team of engineers working across core technology or metagame systems. You'll drive technical execution, team growth, and long-term strategy—helping to ensure systems are scalable, performant, and aligned with our product goals. You will partner closely with other engineers, producers, designers, and product leads, and report to a Senior Production Leader within the R&D Game Team.

This is a full-time position, based in Sydney, Australia. 

Responsibilities:

• Lead and mentor a team of 3–6 engineers through all phases of product development.
• Set technical direction in partnership with product and discipline leads, driving clarity and alignment on priorities.
• Grow the capabilities of the team through coaching, career development, and hiring.
• Partner across disciplines to improve developer workflows, engine capabilities, release processes, and player systems.
• Foster an engineering culture grounded in collaboration, inclusion, and best practices.
• Contribute to cross-team architecture discussions and guide scalable systems design.
• Support code quality through technical oversight, code reviews, and architectural input.
• Guide the team through ambiguity and ensure progress on high-value, complex initiatives.
• Regularly evaluate team health and take action with empathy and authenticity to improve engagement and effectiveness.
• Identify, interview, and hire software engineers to help teams scale.
• Troubleshoot live service issues as part of an on-call rotation.

Required Qualifications: 

• 6+ years experience as a software engineer.
• 2+ years experience directly leading engineering teams as a people manager.
• Experience with software development, including shipping one or more products on large code bases that span a range of platforms and tools.
• Experience working collaboratively with cross-functional teams across time zones.
• Strong technical background in C++ or similar languages.
• Track record of recruiting and growing diverse engineering teams.

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience.
• Experience with game engine development (e.g., Unreal, Unity) or large-scale tools pipelines.
• Familiarity with metagame systems, performance tooling, developer efficiency, service integrations, or multiplayer infrastructure.
• Experience working with other disciplines e.g. Tech Design, UX Design, Production.
• Prior experience working on global-scale game development or online services.

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 developers, this could be the role for you!

Working closely with Riot teams globally, Riot Sydney is a powerhouse of talent, and experts in global development. Our team works on VALORANT, League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics, alongside exciting R&D and Tech projects.

If you believe that the Player Experience comes first, we want to hear from you. Our players are a diverse group from different backgrounds, and we want to see that reflected in the people who make our games, all qualified applicants will be considered for employment.

 

Our Perks: