Staff Data Engineer, Tech Strategy & Ops - DROIDS Insights

Riot’s Data Engineers harness petabytes of data and state-of-the-art processing technologies to build products that elevate the player experience at massive scale. Turning this data into meaningful insights is a complex challenge, and our engineers meet it by staying deeply player-focused and collaborating across diverse teams to improve the lives of millions of players worldwide.
As a
Staff Data Engineer
within the
Technology Strategy & Ops
team supporting
Central Technology
, you will act as a
hands-on technical lead
to design, build, and maintain scalable data pipelines and models that power critical data products and processes, including technology cost and usage dashboards, customer monthly business reviews, cost optimization efforts and monthly financial technology usage attributions. All of these support the efficient use of technology, while providing optimal player experiences. You will collaborate with technologists, strategists and finance specialists to ensure our data infrastructure is reliable and performant.
Responsibilities

• Actively design, build, and optimize scalable ETL pipelines for structured and semi-structured data supporting Insights and Finance use cases that analyze technology usage and costs (e.g. AWS CUR).
• Design and implement complex data models using industry best practices that capture a complete view of technology usage and costs, while ensuring accuracy, scalability, and long-term usability.
• Partner closely with internal stakeholders to understand their needs and craft solutions that drive their ultimate outcomes.
• Architect and implement robust, maintainable, and high-performance data solutions.
• Automate workflows to reduce manual intervention and enhance data processing efficiency, including automation for finance processes.
• Mentor junior data engineers through code reviews and technical guidance, setting best practices and fostering technical growth.
• Optimize query performance and resolve pipeline bottlenecks to improve data accessibility.
• Ensure data quality and governance.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field.
• 6+ years experience in data engineering or a related field.
• Expert-level hands-on coding skills, specifically in Python, SQL, and tools like Airflow, Databricks and dbt.
• Expertise in designing efficient and scalable data models with large data sets across multiple teams and in collaboration with insights or data stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to operate as Lead Individual Contributor and work cross-functionally.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring and developing less senior engineers.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience processing cloud billing data (e.g. AWS CUR, Azure Cost Management) or complex financial datasets
• Proficiency in cloud infrastructure (AWS or GCP)

*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.*
Duties
*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.*