Senior Data Scientist, Skill & Matchmaking - VALORANT Data Ops

Senior Data Scientist, Skill & Matchmaking - VALORANT Data Ops

SF Bay Area, USA. Additional Locations : Los Angeles, USA.

Job Id : Q-0009180

Riot Data Scientists combine their broad technical expertise across data processing, automation, machine learning (“ML”), artificial intelligence (“AI”), and experimental design to inform decisions and develop data‑powered products. As a Senior Data Scientist, you’ll dive into projects across all areas of game development and will directly impact Riot’s live games. You’ll work at a cross‑team scope, contribute to product vision, inform technical designs, and design datasets & models for our most important data applications.

As a

Data Scientist

on the Valorant Data Ops team, you will answer the question “How can data help us deliver the best possible player experience, launch and beyond?” You will pre‑production datasets and simulations to help designers answer their most nuanced game questions. You will build production quality ML models for skill estimation, game understanding, matchmaking, personalization, and more. You will collaborate with producers, game designers, analysts, and engineers – on game teams directly and in partnership with shared platform teams. You will report directly to the Data Science Manager within Valorant Studio.

Responsibilities :

Use machine learning to build products or inform decisions that directly improve the player or fan experience

Deeply understand the landscape of skill‑related problems across our titles, flag new product opportunities, and establish best practices for experimentation and evaluating success within the context of Skill systems

Own the ML and AI iteration loop including dataset creation, feature engineering, technical discovery and prototyping, model tuning, and model management

Build ML and AI tools and products for game development, working with stakeholders and engineers to design and deploy dashboards, web apps, forecasts, and simulations

Continually improve our data science practice by identifying novel applications of existing capabilities as well as brand new technical approaches to address critical game and business problems

Develop relationships with game producers, designers, QA, product managers, and engineering to ensure ML‑oriented game features can launch successfully

Represent data products to non‑technical partners and collaborators

Required Qualifications :

Experience delivering full‑stack solutions from requirements gathering through live deployment, with hands‑on ownership of design, coding, testing, and release

Previous experience working on skill‑based matchmaking systems (or in optimizing player experiences) for large, multiplayer online games

Masters in Machine Learning, AI, Statistics, Math, or related Computer Science / Quantitative field, or equivalent professional experience (i.e. B.Sci with 3 years of professional experience, etc.)

2+ years of experience with applied data products in gaming or entertainment

Expertise in Python and SQL

Expertise in machine learning frameworks such as tensorflow, torch, scikit‑learn, or Spark MLlib

Experience in the design, implementation, and analysis of online experiments

Experience developing and deploying machine learning models at scale

Effective at storytelling with data to a diverse and non‑technical audience

Desired Qualifications :

Previous experience working on skill‑based matchmaking systems (or in optimizing player experiences) for large, multiplayer online games

Experience designing and implementing online services and features at scale

Experience with big‑data platforms such as Spark and Airflow

Experience with modern deep learning frameworks in practical applications

Familiarity with game development engines, tools, and processes

For this role, you’ll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision‑making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players’ experiences, this could be your role!

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 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.

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.

Redwood City only

Base salary range between $189,900.00 - $265,300.00 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.

Los Angeles Only

Base salary range between $176,700.00 - $247,000.00 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.

#J-18808-Ljbffr