About the role
Role Overview
Technical Game Designers on the Teamfight Tactics team are game designers with access to the C++ code base. They apply engineering principles to technical design work, maintain and improve design tools to unblock design tasks, and own gameplay and systems design areas. The role balances game design expertise to create gameplay experiences with technical expertise to deliver them in a robust, sustainable, and elegant manner. As the Technical Design Manager, you will manage Technical Game Designers, oversee their career progress, evaluate contributions, and ensure goal delivery. You will report to the Design Director, help build the Technical Game Design subdiscipline, and maintain individual contribution responsibilities.
Responsibilities
- Manage the project’s technical game designers: help them grow, learn, and perform to their potential.
- Maintain a high craft bar: Ensure that the work you oversee meets Riot's demanding craft standards.
- Advocate for players: Stay in tune with the player experience and know how to understand and incorporate their feedback into roadmaps and feature decisions.
- Collaborate and build trust: Work closely with other discipline leads and managers to ensure Tech Design is delivering what they need, when they need it; ensure that features can be scoped efficiently so project plans can be built; and foster relationships with teams outside of Teamfight Tactics.
- Build strong teams: Take an active role in recruiting and onboarding to ensure capable technical game designers join our teams and ramp up quickly.
Required Qualifications
- 6+ years of experience as a technical game designer, gameplay engineer, or similar position closely associated with both technical and game design work.
- 2+ years of experience as a manager, team lead, or discipline leader (can overlap with the required 6+ years).
- Craft: Ability to pass craft interviews covering both gameplay engineering and game design skills; Senior level craft expertise is required in one of these areas, though not necessarily both.
- Management: Leadership experience resolving conflict within and across teams, fostering healthy team culture, and managing other designers with positive results regarding promotion, performance improvement, and delivery.
- High familiarity with Teamfight Tactics, or willingness to rapidly build that familiarity.
Desired Qualifications
- 4+ years of experience as a manager or team lead.
- 8+ years of experience as a technical game designer or gameplay engineer.
- Experience growing both junior and senior designers or engineers, specifically balancing assistance and autonomy.
- Experience working on a live service game.
- Deep engagement with Teamfight Tactics over multiple sets.
- Experience working in the Unreal Engine.
Compensation and Benefits
- Base salary range: $185,200.00 - $258,000.00 USD.
- Additional compensation: Incentive compensation, equity, 401K with company match.
- Insurance: Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance.
- Disability: Short and long-term disability coverage.
- Time off: Open paid time off policy.
- Work/Life Balance: Flexible work schedules and parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children.
Disqualification Criteria
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.
Equal Opportunity
Riot Games provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. The company 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. All qualified applicants are considered, including those with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law.