Principal Researcher

The Insights discipline helps empower Rioters' decision-making to be more data-informed. We're an interdisciplinary group of scientists, consultants, and strategists from all sorts of backgrounds who join together to represent and advocate for gamers around the world. We believe that illuminating the globally diverse experiences, behaviors, and needs of gamers is critical to Riot living up to our player-focused mission. We're a group united by our love of games, science, and helping others succeed.

Pubsports Insights is forming a team to embed into League of Legends to enhance our understanding of players out-of-game. We’re seeking a Principal Researcher to help build a deep understanding of how players connect to our Publishing and Esports content. We also want to understand how ecosystem elements keep players attached to the League brand even when they aren’t actively playing and what it would take to bring new players into the ecosystem. This role will conduct research using custom and survey methods to help inform data-driven strategies for improving player experiences. You'll collaborate with researchers on League game insights as well as within pubsports and central teams, reporting to a League Pubsports Insights lead. This hybrid position blends onsite work in Santa Monica, CA with remote flexibility.

Responsibilities:

• Design and execute end-to-end studies using a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods to uncover player motivations, pain points, and emerging opportunity areas.
• Generate strategic insights that inform high impact publishing, esports, and additional out-of-game decisions for League ranging from positioning, to regional investment strategies and GTM planning. 
• Work closely with League product teams to build cohesive insights about how out of game experiences impact players and what can be improved to enhance them.
• Communicate research findings through compelling narratives that align stakeholders and drive executive decision-making.
• Champion the player perspective by delivering evidence-based guidance on player needs, motivations, and behaviors, both current players and prospective League players.
• Collaborate closely with game teams, additional researchers, and Insights partners to develop and socialize research-driven frameworks that shape League’s product strategy and help to level up research capabilities at Riot.
• Advance strategic thinking and research framework development to support long-term innovation and player-focused development.

Required Qualifications: 

• 9+ years of relevant research experience (advanced degrees may substitute for up to 2 years).
• Demonstrated ability to conduct research that informs game product and portfolio strategy.
• Experienced in both qualitative and quantitative research methods - including in-depth-interviews, focus groups, playtests, diary studies, and surveys - with deep specialization in at least one.
• Skilled at synthesizing research findings into clear, actionable insights for product leadership.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills; able to influence across all levels of an organization.
• Experience joining research findings with analytics approaches to join out-of-game player understanding with behavioral patterns.
• Proven ability to independently lead complex, multi-stakeholder projects and cross-functional workstreams in collaboration with diverse partners.
• Experience managing external vendors in driving research/insights projects. 

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience working in gaming, entertainment, or live-service product marketing.
• Familiarity with League of Legends and in the PC PvP gaming space.
• Familiarity with distributed data processing frameworks (e.g., Spark).
• Exposure to global and regional marketing campaign planning and execution.

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.