Senior Software Engineer, VALORANT

About the role

You will own the integrity and reliability of the VALORANT Foundations release pipeline from commit to global deployment. This role focuses on the game engine, content pipelines, and developer workflows that power the live service. You will work directly with the Engineering Manager on VALORANT Foundations, Release Engineering to ensure content reaches players on schedule and without incident. You will bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas while collaborating across broader domains to deliver joy to players. Your work will be defensive, testable, and robust against complex problem spaces in a live environment.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Contribute to effectively maintaining, upgrading and solidifying the release pipeline to deliver VALORANT to all players across the globe.
• Drive technical processes to improve the automation and longevity of the release pipeline through iterative refinement and monitoring.
• Collaborate with teammates through leading development efforts around solidifying and automating domain areas to reduce manual toil.
• Implement testable, robust engineering solutions to complex problem spaces and release these with a defensive mindset to prevent regressions.
• Contribute to development efforts through effective breakdown and execution on multi-month development efforts that span multiple teams.
• Provide mentorship to junior members of the team by sharing craft expertise and guiding them through complex technical challenges.
• Participate in the team's support rotations to ensure timely resolution of pipeline issues and continuous system health.
• Utilize expertise in orchestration tools such as Jenkins, Horde, or similar systems to manage global build and delivery workflows.
• Work closely with Unreal Engine content and engineering teams to ensure pipeline compatibility and efficient content integration.
• Analyze and optimize build and test steps to improve throughput, stability, and developer experience across the release flow.
• Leverage C# and Groovy scripting to automate tasks, create resilient tooling, and maintain scalable workflows within the pipeline.
• Apply deep knowledge of C++ and software engineering fundamentals to debug hard issues in build and runtime behavior.
• Utilize GitHub Actions for service delivery and automation to integrate changes rapidly and securely across the organization.
• Work cross-functionally with design, product, and engineering teams to align release goals with player-facing features and quality standards.

Requirements

• 4+ years experience in professional software development with a track record of delivering reliable software products.
• Experience developing and maintaining live service products with a proven focus on developer experience and pipeline reliability.
• Ability to write clear, maintainable code and communicate technical concepts effectively across disciplines and time zones.
• Expertise in maintaining and improving orchestration pipelines using tools such as Jenkins, Horde, or similar enterprise systems.
• Professional or hobby experience working with Unreal Engine and understanding of its build and packaging mechanisms.
• 3+ years professional experience utilizing either C# and or Groovy for automation, scripting, and tooling.
• Expert proficiency with Jenkins and a deep knowledge of orchestrating and optimizing a global release flow at scale.
• Professional experience with Lean or Agile development processes such as Scrum or Kanban to manage sprint goals and deliverables.
• Strong proficiency in automating workflows to ensure maintainability, scalability, and observability across all stages of release.
• Expertise in building automated build, test, and release pipelines that are secure, performant, and resilient.
• Proficient with C++ and deep knowledge of software engineering fundamentals including data structures, algorithms, and concurrency patterns.
• Technical expertise in utilizing GitHub Actions for service delivery, infrastructure as code, and automation across the toolchain.
• Experience working in cross-functional teams and collaborating across disciplines including engineering, design, and product.
• Demonstrated commitment to player empathy and care about players experiences through technical execution and thoughtful decision making.

Practical notes

• 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.
• Riot Games fosters a player and workplace experience that values teamwork embodied by the Summoner's Code and the 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