Principal Software Engineer, AI Enablement - Central Product

Riot Games•Los Angeles, CA

About The Position

As a Principal Software Engineer on Riot’s AI Enablement team, you are a technical force multiplier. You will embed directly with any team at Riot to accelerate their adoption of modern AI development (e.g., generative AI, LLMs, reinforcement learning). Operating as part of an elite, highly mobile strike team, you will build production-ready AI integrations, develop robust developer tools, and level up partner engineers through side-by-side collaboration. Once a team is empowered and systems are successfully handed off, you will deploy to the next challenge. You will be at the forefront of cutting-edge AI in the game industry, bridging the gap between new technologies and live environments to shape how Riot develops products and games. You will be accountable to Riot’s Head of AI Product.

Requirements

BS in Computer Science (or equivalent experience) with 8-12 years of software engineering experience.
Extensive experience with systems integration, technical leadership, and early-stage software development.
Deep programming proficiency in C++ and at least one other language (e.g., Python, C#).
Shipped at least one AAA game or large-scale, high-concurrency live service product.
Proven track record of managing high ambiguity, setting technical strategy, and leading multi-month/year initiatives.
Practical experience utilizing, integrating, or building modern AI tools, APIs, or infrastructure.

Nice To Haves

Experience extending or developing within Unreal Engine (C++).
Familiarity with ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow) or LLM orchestration.
Background working on shared engine technology, central tools, or platform engineering teams.
Familiarity with the Runeterra and VALORANT IPs.

Responsibilities

Lead the technical execution of integrating modern AI practices into existing engines, tools, and pipelines.
Deploy onto partner teams across Riot to break down complex AI implementation problems, establish technical direction, and deliver scalable, highly performant solutions.
Train and coach embedded team engineers through pair programming, technical reviews, and hands-on collaboration. Ensure a seamless transition of code ownership before deploying to your next assignment.
Share engineering best practices, security guardrails, and performance standards for AI usage across Riot’s development ecosystem.
Identify when industry-standard tools are insufficient and develop new foundations, middleware, or APIs to connect AI research with practical development.
Actively navigate highly complex, uncharted technical spaces, communicating trade-offs and building consensus among engineering and product leadership.