Senior Software Engineer, Video Encoding
$285k - $345k USD
Teamwork makes the stream work.
Roku is changing how the world watches TV
Roku is the #1 TV streaming platform in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and we've set our sights on powering every television in the world. Roku pioneered streaming to the TV. Our mission is to be the TV streaming platform that connects the entire TV ecosystem. We connect consumers to the content they love, enable content publishers to build and monetize large audiences, and provide advertisers unique capabilities to engage consumers.
From your first day at Roku, you'll make a valuable - and valued - contribution. We're a fast-growing public company where no one is a bystander. We offer you the opportunity to delight millions of TV streamers around the world while gaining meaningful experience across a variety of disciplines.
About the team
You will be part of the Roku Video Platform Engineering team and responsible for building the next-generation video services for the Roku Cloud TV Platform. Roku pioneered TV streaming and continues to innovate and lead the industry. The Roku Channel has us well-positioned to help shape the future of streaming. Continued success relies on investing in the Roku Cloud TV Platform to deliver a high-quality streaming TV experience on a global scale.
About the role
As a Video Encoding Engineer, you will build, optimize, and maintain high-performance video processing workflows. You will own our end-to-end encoding toolchain—from experimentation and profile tuning to automated packaging workflows—ensuring our content is delivered with maximum quality, reliability, and efficiency.
You will work closely with the team on key video services projects around video ingestion, encoding, VoD/live-linear, Server-Side Ads Insertion, and Video QoS, with the goal of delivering a best-in-class streaming TV experience across all Roku devices. The projects that you will work on will impact millions of Roku users around the world. Throughout, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with key product engineering stakeholders across Roku engineering teams and to lead the design of our video services platform.
The ideal candidate will have endless curiosity and can pair a global mindset with locally relevant execution. You should be a gritty problem solver and self-starter who can drive programs with the product and commercial teams within Roku and across external strategic partner organizations. The successful candidate will display a balance of hard and soft skills, including the ability to respond quickly to changing business needs.
For California Only - The estimated annual salary for this position is between $285,000 - $345,000 annually. Compensation packages are based on factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, certifications, and specific geographical location. This role is eligible for health insurance, equity awards, life insurance, disability benefits, parental leave, wellness benefits, and paid time off.
What you’ll be doing
- Design, build, optimize, and maintain FFmpeg-based encoding pipelines for both VOD and Live workflows, operating at scale in cloud environments such as AWS or GCP
- Develop, refine, and validate encoding presets for modern codecs, including H.264, HEVC, and AV1, ensuring optimal quality-to-bitrate performance
- Implement advanced encoding strategies such as multi-pass workflows, CRF tuning, per-title optimizations, and quality-targeted encoding
- Benchmark and evaluate video quality using VMAF and other objective metrics to drive continuous improvements in efficiency and viewing experience
- Build and maintain adaptive streaming packaging workflows, including HLS, DASH, and CMAF, ensuring broad device compatibility and reliable playback
- Profile and optimize system performance by identifying and eliminating bottlenecks across compute, storage, and I/O layers
- Write, review, and improve code, assessing architectural tradeoffs to deliver secure, high-performance, and highly concurrent video infrastructure services
- Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering, product, and platform teams to support and advance company-wide video service initiatives
We’re excited if you have
- Strong problem-solving and analytical abilities
- 5+ years of solid programming experience and passionate about writing high-quality and well-architected code
- Expert-level knowledge of FFmpeg or Gstreamer and their related toolchains (filters, flags, debugging, custom builds)
- Experience with hardware-based encoder/decoder libraries (NVENC, Vulkan
- Strong understanding of compression theory, codec internals, GOP structures, bitrate control, etc
- Experience with container formats: MP4, TS, fragmented MP4, ISOBMFF
- Familiarity with HLS/DASH, CMAF, adaptive bitrate design, DRM, and SCTE 35
- A track record working with applied AI-based video enhancement and compression algorithms (Super Resolution, Denoising, Artifact Removal)
- Hands-on experience with cloud compute (AWS Lambda/ECS/Batch, GCP, Kubernetes, or similar)
- Ability to handle periodic on-call duty as well as out-of-band requests; strong written and verbal communication skills
- Bachelor's degree in computer science plus 8 years of experience or equivalent; Master's degree preferred
#LI-SB-5
Our Hybrid Work Approach
Roku fosters an inclusive and collaborative environment where teams work in the office Monday through Thursday. Fridays are flexible for remote work except for employees whose roles are required to be in the office five days a week or employees who are in offices with a five day in office policy.
Benefits
Roku is committed to offering a diverse range of benefits as part of our compensation package to support our employees and their families. Our comprehensive benefits include global access to mental health and financial wellness support and resources. Local benefits include statutory and voluntary benefits which may include healthcare (medical, dental, and vision), life, accident, disability, commuter, and retirement options (401(k)/pension). Our employees can take time off work for vacation and other personal reasons to balance their evolving work and life needs. It's important to note that not every benefit is available in all locations or for every role. For details specific to your location, please consult with your recruiter.
Accommodations
Roku welcomes applicants of all backgrounds and provides reasonable accommodations and adjustments in accordance with applicable law. If you require reasonable accommodation at any point in the hiring process, please direct your inquiries to EmployeeRelations@Roku.com.
The Roku Culture
Roku is a great place for people who want to work in a fast-paced environment where everyone is focused on the company's success rather than their own. We try to surround ourselves with people who are great at their jobs, who are easy to work with, and who keep their egos in check. We appreciate a sense of humor. We believe a fewer number of very talented folks can do more for less cost than a larger number of less talented teams. We're independent thinkers with big ideas who act boldly, move fast and accomplish extraordinary things through collaboration and trust. In short, at Roku you'll be part of a company that's changing how the world watches TV.
We have a unique culture that we are proud of. We think of ourselves primarily as problem-solvers, which itself is a two-part idea. We come up with the solution, but the solution isn't real until it is built and delivered to the customer. That penchant for action gives us a pragmatic approach to innovation, one that has served us well since 2002.
To learn more about Roku, our global footprint, and how we've grown, visit https://www.weareroku.com/factsheet.
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