Senior Software Engineer – Live & VOD Video Infrastructure

Overview

In this role you will design and optimize high-performance FFmpeg-based encoding pipelines for VOD and live workflows, scaling to a global audience. You’ll own the end-to-end encoding toolchain and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver a best-in-class streaming experience. You’ll explore advanced encoding strategies, quality assessment, and adaptive packaging to maximize quality and efficiency. This role combines hands-on engineering with opportunities to influence the video services platform and impact millions of Roku users.

Pay / Benefits

• Mental health and financial wellness support
• Healthcare (medical, dental, vision)
• Life, accident, and disability insurance
• Retirement options (401(k)/pension)
• Paid vacation and personal time
• Hybrid work model with in-office days and remote Fridays

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and optimize FFmpeg-based encoding pipelines for VOD and Live workflows at cloud scale (AWS/GCP)
• Develop and validate encoding presets for H.264, HEVC, and AV1 ensuring quality-to-bitrate efficiency
• Implement multi-pass, CRF tuning, per-title optimizations, and targeted encoding strategies
• Benchmark video quality using VMAF and other metrics to drive performance improvements
• Build adaptive streaming packaging workflows (HLS, DASH, CMAF) for broad device compatibility
• Profile and optimize system performance across compute, storage, and I/O bottlenecks
• Review and improve code with attention to architectural tradeoffs for secure, high-performance services
• Collaborate with engineering, product, and platform teams on video service initiatives

Key requirements

• 5+ years of programming experience
• Expert-level FFmpeg or Gstreamer knowledge
• Experience with hardware encoders/decoders (NVENC, Vulkan)
• Strong understanding of compression, codecs, GOP structures, bitrate control
• Experience with container formats: MP4, TS, fragmented MP4, ISOBMFF
• Familiarity with HLS/DASH, CMAF, adaptive bitrate, DRM, SCTE-35
• Experience with cloud compute (AWS/GCP, Kubernetes)
• Ability to handle on-call duties and strong communication skills
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science plus 8 years of experience or equivalent; Master’s preferred

• Strong problem-solving and analytical abilities
• Self-starter with global mindset
• Clear written and verbal communication
• FFmpeg
• Gstreamer
• NVENC

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