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Technology Research at Riot exists to give the company early conviction on technologies that could redefine how games are built and played. Our work spans Game AI, Next-Generation AI Games, and Foundational Models, and we combine frontier research with hands-on prototyping to shape Riot’s long-term future. As  Director of Research , you will be accountable for the performance, health, and long-term capability of a multi-disciplinary research organization spanning Research Scientists, Software Engineers, and emerging technical roles. You will build and lead the people systems that enable ambitious research to thrive. You will report to the Head of Research and partner closely on organizational strategy. The Head of Research owns research direction, technical quality bar, and research bets. You own the organizational structure, staffing, performance systems, and talent development that enable that ambition to be realized sustainably and at scale. Together, you form a complementary leadership pair: one defining scientific direction, the other building and sustaining the organization that delivers it. This is a full-time role based in Los Angeles, CA. Responsibilities: Organizational Leadership, Talent Strategy & Performance Own end-to-end organizational effectiveness across Tech Research, including performance management, leveling, compensation calibration, and career development across multiple technical craft ladders Define and execute headcount planning and staffing strategy in partnership with Research and Technology leadership, aligning talent to long-term research ambitions and roadmap priorities Translate research goals and backlog into clear capacity and capability plans, making disciplined staffing decisions across pillars and technical disciplines Maintain a high bar for talent density, ensuring researchers and engineers consistently operate at Riot’s expected level of craft and impact Lead hiring, onboarding, development, and when necessary, performance management and exits with clarity and consistency Identify capability gaps and proactively build plans to address them through hiring, development, or structural changes Build scalable mentorship systems and strengthen team health, engagement, and sustainability across the organization Evolve technical career ladders to support both research innovation and the engineering rigor required to operationalize that work Culture, Conflict & Craft Excellence Resolve interpersonal and cross-disciplinary conflicts with clarity, fairness, and strong judgment Foster a culture of intellectual rigor, constructive debate, and accountability Reinforce a high technical bar through structured feedback, calibration, and performance systems Build an environment where ambitious, exploratory research and hands-on engineering coexist productively Strategic Partnership Partner with the Head of Research on organizational strategy and long-term planning Provide input into research prioritization discussions, ensuring organizational capacity aligns with technical ambition Partner with the Head of Research to define what 'Impact' looks like in a research context, ensuring performance systems reward both successful prototypes and valuable 'fast-failures’ Surface talent risks, organizational friction, and scaling challenges early Ensure the research organization is structured to execute against evolving research bets Cross-Organizational Leadership Represent Tech Research as the organizational leader of the function within broader Technology leadership forums Partner with central Talent, HR, and compensation partners to ensure rigorous calibration and leveling practices Collaborate with peer leaders across Riot to ensure Research is well-integrated and positioned for long-term impact Contribute to broader AI capability planning across Technology Required Qualifications:  10+ years of expe