At Riot, Data Engineers play a critical role in transforming data into actionable insights that drive decisions across the company. Our engineers are deeply player-focused & collaborate across diverse teams to enhance the experiences of millions of players worldwide.

As a Principal Data Engineer within Riot Discovery Studio, youll work directly with game teams at the ground floor, building & shaping data systems from day one. This role is designed for an engineer who thrives in ambiguous environments, takes initiative to solve real problems quickly, & enjoys wearing multiple hats. Youll play a pivotal role in laying the technical foundation for how we collect, manage, & leverage data across the Riot Discovery Studio game portfolio. Youll also lead & mentor junior data engineers, providing technical guidance & context. With visibility across all early lifecycle games, this role offers a unique opportunity to drive impact across multiple projects while setting up systems that will scale as games move into production & live operations.

Responsibilities:

• Design & optimize scalable ETL pipelines for structured & semi-structured data to support Insights use cases, including independently coding & providing optimizations where applicable.
• Architect & implement robust, maintainable, & high-performance data solutions.
• Collaborate directly with multiple game teams from the early stages of game development to instrument games & ensure proper data collection.
• Own & manage data pipelines & infrastructure throughout the game development lifecycle for assigned game teams.
• Standardize best practices for instrumentation, telemetry, & metrics collection across early lifecycle games.
• Ensure data quality, governance, & compliance with regulatory standards (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
• Mentor data engineers across all levels, setting best practices & fostering technical growth.
• Automate workflows to reduce manual intervention & enhance data processing efficiency.
• Optimize query performance & resolve pipeline bottlenecks to improve data accessibility.
• Evaluate & adopt new tools, frameworks, & methodologies to advance data engineering capabilities.
• Support cost optimization by ensuring scalable & efficient data solutions.
• Be a leader within Riots Data Engineering discipline shaping infrastructure, craft standards, tooling, & organizational best practices.

Required Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's or Masters degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years experience in data engineering or a related field.
• Hands-on expertise in big-data technologies, including Python, GoLang, Spark, Scala, SQL, & tools like Airflow & DBT.
• Proficiency in cloud infrastructure (AWS or GCP) & Databricks.
• Expertise in designing efficient & scalable data models with large data sets across multiple teams & in collaboration with insights or data stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with engineering, analytics, & product teams.
• Experience mentoring & guiding other engineers.

Desired Qualifications:

• 2+ years of experience in data engineering for major video game titles.
• Experience using analytics to drive gameplay & feature changes (ideally from game dev through launch)
• Experience working in close partnership with data analysts or product managers.
• Close personal relationship with games - enjoys gaming as a hobby, plays a variety of genres, & goes deep in several

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, & decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, & your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy & 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 & other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, & life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, & children, & 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 & experiences that make it better to be a player. Whether youre working directly on a new player-facing experience or youre supporting the company as a whole, everyone at Riot is part of our mission. And just like in our games, were 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, were looking forward to your application.

Its our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants & members of Riot Games Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped & disabled Rioters & 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 & state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state & 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, & 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 & sensitive Company data
• Communication with others, including Rioters & third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
• Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, & networks
• Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players & other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, & compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs & additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency & security.