Sr. Manager, Data & ML Engineering - Publishing Platform

Riot engineers bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas but also value the opportunity to work in a variety of broader domains.  We work with both new and current technology, creating innovative solutions to overcome high-volume obstacles and to deliver player value.  As a Senior Manager of Software Engineering, you’ll own and deliver important features and model best practices within the team. 

As a Senior Manager for Data & ML Engineering on the Publishing Platform team, you’ll lead the strategy, culture, and execution behind ML and data systems powering personalization, social experiences, and matchmaking across Riot. You’ll manage a multi-disciplinary team of MLEs and DEs to build scalable, player-impacting systems—from recommendation models to real-time data pipelines—while upholding standards for fairness, performance, and reliability.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing team of Machine Learning Engineers and Data Engineers, modeling a player–coach leadership style.
• Own the technical strategy for personalization, matchmaking, social systems, and real-time player state.
• Set architectural standards for modeling frameworks, feature platforms, data pipelines, real-time systems, observability, testing, and reliability.
• Oversee ML systems for recommendations, social discovery, and matchmaking with strong Responsible AI practices (fairness, bias detection, explainability).
• Guide teams in advanced modeling approaches such as embeddings, graph ML, two- tower architectures, and reinforcement learning.
• Improve data producer maturity with clear telemetry, schema standards, and medallion (Bronze → Silver → Gold) data quality.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership through architecture reviews, deep design sessions, debugging critical incidents, and unblocking complex modeling problems.
• Shape experimentation strategy, ensuring rigor, power, and trustworthy measurement across large-scale personalization and matchmaking experiments.
• Partner across the matrix (Product, Game Teams, Research, DS, Central Tech, Insights) to align on use cases, standards, sequencing, and long-term platform vision.
• Evolve real-time data systems, streaming architectures, feature pipelines, and ingestion frameworks with strong security, privacy, and compliance discipline.
• Influence platform roadmap by collaborating closely with ML Platform, Data Platform, and Central Tech teams to ensure scalable and unified data and ML foundations.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years leading Data/ML Engineering teams, with demonstrated experience managing senior ICs (P4/P5).
• Proven track record building large-scale ML/data systems (personalization, ranking, recommendations, social graph, or matchmaking).
• Deep expertise in data architecture, distributed systems, and ML productionization (feature platforms, real-time pipelines, observability).
• Strong organizational leadership: influencing across teams, defining standards, and driving multi-quarter programs.
• Excellent people leadership: mentoring, coaching, giving feedback, and building engineering culture.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience in gaming, large-scale personalization, or social graph systems.
• Familiarity with Responsible AI, fairness methodologies, or safety considerations.
• Experience with large-scale experimentation platforms and cross-surface measurement.
• Demonstrated ability to provide clarity, direction, and calm in ambiguous, fast-changing environments.

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:

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.