Manager, Software Engineering – Automation & Build Systems, Unpublished R&D Product

At Riot, we believe in putting players first. Our Sydney-based team contributes to the unpublished R&D Product, collaborating globally to build next-generation features and technology. Whether focused on automation, performance, tools, or build systems, we create the foundations for great developer and player experiences. 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. As an Engineering Manager and tech lead of Automation & Build Systems on our unpublished MMO, you will drive initiatives and provide other engineers with a clear illustration of extraordinary engineering, while also overseeing their performance and trying to find stretch opportunities for their growth. 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 an Engineering Manager within R&D. Responsibilities: Lead and mentor a team of 2–6 engineers through all phases of product development. Work across time zones to set the technical direction, in partnership with product and discipline leads, driving clarity and alignment on priorities. Design and implement solutions for large scale automation and build tooling across a distributed network of servers. Lead architecture requirements, technical design, and hands-on implementation across relevant systems, shaping the team’s technical direction and standards. Grow the capabilities of the team through coaching, career development, and hiring. Foster an engineering culture grounded in player-first, collaboration, inclusion, autonomy and best practices. Identify, interview, and hire software engineers to scale the team and ensure consistency in excellence between global teams. Work with the Core Tech Engineering Manager in Los Angeles to plan, roadmap and 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 development experience as a software engineer, including shipping one or more games or products on large code bases that span a range of platforms and tools. 2+ years experience directly leading engineering teams as a people manager. Proficient 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 (or similar engine), with expertise in automation tooling, performance tooling, build 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 game server architecture and automation. Experience working with global teams, and working with leadership across time zones. Skilled in managing requirements and refining game development pipelines for efficiency and scalability. Familiarity with Unreal Engine, including Blueprint visual scripting, and working knowledge of Iris. Experience working with mid-sized engineering teams and other disciplines (e.g. Tech Design, UX Design, Production) 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! 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 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.