Manager, Software Engineering - Developer Connections, Release at Riotgames

Riot engineers bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas but also value the opportunity to work in a variety of broader domains. As Engineering Managers, we gain organizational alignment by building a strong engineering vision and offering creative solutions to organizational design. We also serve as mentors for a team of engineers, overseeing their performance and trying to find stretch opportunities for their growth while maintaining a focus on results. DevCon (Developer Connections) connects developers across Riot to help them ship games reliably and efficiently. Positioned at the intersection of Game Studios, R&D, and Central Tech, the team stays closely aligned with development needs to unblock teams and support critical launch milestones. Within DevCon, the Release team builds and operates the systems that enable safe, consistent, and reliable game releases across regions and platforms. They partner with studios and platform teams to centralize release practices, reduce deployment risk, and simplify increasingly complex live operations across services, clients, and publishing workflows. As the Manager, Software Engineering for DevCon Release, you will lead the strategy and execution of Riot’s centralized release capabilities. You’ll translate vision into a clear roadmap, drive delivery across a broad technical landscape, and ensure systems scale across multiple games and platforms. This role requires strong product judgment, stakeholder alignment, and operational rigor, working closely with partners to identify release friction, prioritize impactful improvements, and drive adoption of consistent release patterns, all while maintaining high reliability in a space where issues directly affect players. Responsibilities: • Own product execution for Riot’s centralized release capabilities - translating strategic direction into a clear, prioritized roadmap • Define milestones, manage tradeoffs, and ensure consistent delivery across a complex and evolving technical surface area. • Build and drive strong cross-functional partnerships with game teams, Publishing Platform, and Central Tech partners. • Develop a deep understanding of release workflows across multiple games and regions, and ensure our solutions meaningfully reduce friction and risk. • Champion adoption and measurable impact, while ensuring our release systems are trusted and widely adopted. • Track and improve key indicators such as release reliability, deployment clarity, and operational efficiency -balancing long-term platform investments with near-term customer value. • Lead and grow a high-performing engineering team - owning performance management, team health, hiring, and career development. • Create clarity of purpose and ensure engineers understand how their work connects to DevCon and Riot’s broader mission. • Maintain a high operational bar in a player-facing domain - releasing systems directly affect players. • Ensure strong observability, incident response maturity, and continuous improvement practices that reduce release risk across regions and platforms. Required Qualifications: • 7+ years of experience as a software engineer • 2+ years working in an engineering management position • Proficient with Scrum/Agile development methodologies Desired Qualifications: • Experience releasing or operating live games in a professional capacity • Experience owning or partnering closely on release, deployment, or publishing workflows • Familiarity with multi-region or multi-platform release environments • Experience collaborating across game teams and central platform organizations • Experience serving in a product ownership capacity For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes your fellow Rioters, who are the customers of your work. Being a dedicated fan of games is not necessary for this position! Our Perks: Riot focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy and other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children, and 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 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. It’s our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and 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 and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and 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, and 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 and sensitive Company data • Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors • Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks • Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security.