Principal Technical Program Manager - Central Game Tech

Principal Technical Program Managers at Riot lead passionate, cross-functional teams to achieve player value through the delivery of large programs that are aligned with Riot's strategic priorities. As a Principal Technical Program Manager in Riot’s Technology Department, you will report directly to the Senior Director of Program Management and lead high-impact programs that span across Riot’s platform, game, and product teams. You bring deep expertise in large-scale program management and agile methodologies, along with exceptional stakeholder management skills.

You have a strong technical foundation, proven experience driving complex initiatives, and the ability to lead cross-functional teams composed of both technical and creative disciplines. You are action-oriented, highly organized, and an effective communicator—able to tailor your message across executive, technical, business, and partner audiences. In this role, you will define and drive implementation strategies, set technical direction in collaboration with engineering leads, and establish the program frameworks and processes necessary to achieve the strategic goals of your initiatives.

Responsibilities:

• Align autonomous teams towards complex cross-Riot programs centered around Riot's strategic technology priorities.
• Create program plans with cross functional teams such as creative, architecture, operations, technical teams, and leadership.
• Evangelize processes and delivery methodologies to ensure we accomplish our program goals.
• Facilitate and manage Agile project management ceremonies and processes for large or team-of-team project teams.
• Report on program performance, ensuring each program achieves milestones against its objective.
• Organize program-level planning, communication, and team member rituals.
• Manage risks and issues across programs and within teams.
• Foster transparency and predictability by building and maintaining roadmaps for assigned programs.
• Maintain partner relationships, providing visibility into workstreams and maintaining partner satisfaction.
• Assist in the creation of product release and go-to-market plans.
• Understand fiscal practices and controls, recording, and reporting on program expenditures & ROI.

Required Qualifications:

• 8+ years of relevant industry experience
• Excellent teamwork, team leadership, communication, and stakeholder management
• Experience with iterative development methodologies like Scrum & Agile, and have used supporting software (i.e. JIRA)
• Experience in software development, infrastructure, or live operations management
• Understanding technical components of projects including architecture, tools and deployment practices that development teams employ.  Can explain technical components and decisions at a high level. 
• Desire to improve Riot's ability to make the impossible happen for players.

Desired Qualifications:

• Previous program experience in a large distributed organization.
• Experience managing hardware/software/video game products through the entire life cycle – from conception, development and launch to maintaining and operating a live service.
• Experience working on a variety of software products in the gaming or entertainment space.

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise and collaboration 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 dataCommunication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minorsAccessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networksEnsuring 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.