Staff Software Engineer - Automation & Build Systems - Unpublished R&D Product (Sydney-Based; Relocation & Visa Sponsorship Provided)

At Riot, we believe in putting players first. Our Sydney-based team contributes to the unpublished R&D Product. A highly anticipated Riot MMO, collaborating globally to build next-generation features and technology. Whether focused on automation, performance, tools, or release 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 a Staff Software Engineer, you will also dive into projects that focus on team cohesiveness and cross-team objectives. You will drive technical initiatives and provide other engineers with a clear illustration of extraordinary engineering.

On our unpublished MMO, you will work with all team disciplines to design, implement, and iterate on modern game development workflows, pipelines, and automation. You will work in a small team alongside a product lead, technical artists, and other engineers to ensure we can efficiently deliver on our player’s dreams. We’re looking for an engineer experienced in automation and build systems whose work will ensure our MMO consistently delivers a high-quality, dependable experience that players can trust over the long term. The ideal candidate is passionate, driven, and wants to guide the technical vision of how we extend engines and optimize workflows. You will report to the Engineering Manager of the Automation & Release Systems team.

This is a full-time role, based in Sydney, Australia. Internal Job Title: Software Engineer III.

Relocation & Immigration Support: Candidates hired for this role must be based in Sydney, Australia. For successful applicants relocating from another city or country, Riot Games offers comprehensive relocation assistance and will sponsor the appropriate work visa, subject to eligibility and local immigration requirements.

Responsibilities:

• Design and implement solutions for large scale automation and build tooling across a distributed network of servers.
• Lead and contribute to architecture requirements, technical design, and implementation across relevant systems, helping deliver stability to players and shaping the team’s technical direction and standards.
• Partner with technical leadership in Sydney & Los Angeles to develop solutions, and collaborate closely with design to deliver high-performance systems that maximize player enjoyment.
• Promote best practices and share expertise related to build & automation systems, while mentoring engineers in your areas of specialization.
• Work collaboratively across multiple timezones to gather requirements, plan technical initiatives, and consistently deliver robust, scalable, and performant systems.
• Work with the Core Tech Leadership in Los Angeles to architect & deliver on the needs for content creation, stability, and testing.
• Troubleshoot live service issues as part of an on-call rotation.

Required Qualifications:

• 6+ years of professional experience in software engineering, including experience delivering live or shipped games/products.
• Expert proficiency in C and C++, with strong debugging skills and a solid foundation in common game and software design patterns.
• Experience developing real-time online multiplayer games using Unreal Engine, with expertise in automation tooling, performance tooling, build/release pipelines, and/or telemetry.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across multiple disciplines across time-zones, coupled with strong product sense, pragmatic decision-making, and player empathy in technical choices.

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience.
• Experience developing MMO and/or large scale online games with a focus on build systems and automation.
• Skilled in managing requirements and refining game development pipelines for efficiency and scalability
• Familiarity with Unreal Engine 5, including Blueprint visual scripting, and working knowledge of Iris
• Experience working with mid-sized engineering teams and other disciplines (e.g. QA, Production, Tech Design) in an agile environment
• Prior experience working on global-scale game development or online services.

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise and a collaborative spirit that prioritizes the delight of players. We will look at your past studies and experience, but for this role, we also look for dedicated people with a personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this is the role for you!

Working closely with Riot teams globally, Riot Sydney is a powerhouse of talent, and experts in global development. Our teams work 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:

At Riot we strongly believe in work / life balance, and we encourage that with our open paid time off policy, paid parental leave (for both primary and secondary carers) and flexible work schedules to fit your lifestyle. We also believe that work should be fun, we have co-op gaming areas, a play fund so you can broaden and deepen your knowledge of players and community, and all the snacks you would ever need to power through your day (even healthy snacks!). And that’s not all we offer, there’s also:

• Medical Insurance that covers you and your dependents
• Employee Assistance Program
• Wellness fund
• Donation matching of time and money to registered charities
• Learning and Development opportunities

Riot Games fosters a player and workplace experience that values teamwork embodied by the Summoner's Code and Community Code. Our culture embraces differences as a strength, and our values are the guiding principles for how we approach work. We are committed to putting diversity and inclusion (D&I) at the center of everything we do and promoting a fair and collaborative culture where Rioters treat one another with dignity and respect. We encourage you to read more about our value of thriving together and our ongoing work to build the most inclusive company in Gaming.