LEAD SOFTWARE ENGINEER - ROKULocation: On-Site - New York / Los Angeles / San Francisco / Ft. LauderdaleABOUT THE ROLEYou'll own the technical direction of the Paramount+ Roku application - the platform, the patterns, the architecture. This is a hands-on leadership role where you write and review code and set the standard for a team of engineers shipping features to millions of viewers.
Roku's constraints - tight memory budgets, a single-threaded render loop, hardware spanning five years of device generations - are the environment you thrive in, not just tolerate. You know these constraints well enough to teach them, and you'll lead a team through them.
WHAT YOU'LL DO• Set technical direction for the Paramount+ Roku application - choose the patterns, own the architecture, defend the decisions
• Build and maintain core framework components and features - this is a hands-on role where you ship code
• Lead a team of Roku engineers through code reviews, pair programming, and feedback that helps people grow
• Architect around Roku's constraints: memory limits, render-thread/task-thread boundaries, device performance tiers, and certification requirements
• Ship real-time personalization features - personalized recommendations, dynamic artwork, and ad engagement experiences - within Roku's memory and threading constraints
• Drive adoption of RSG 1.3 data transfer APIs, BrightScript Memory Monitor, and Perfetto tracing across the team
• Scope projects, identify risks before they become blockers, and keep the team shipping
• Coordinate with Product, Design, Backend Engineering, and DevOps/SRE to translate requirements into plans your team can execute
• Write architecture docs, RFCs, and component guides so decisions are visible and durable
• Maintain and improve CI/CD pipelines, testing infrastructure, and build tooling
• Design and run A/B tests, then act on the results
• Use AI development tools to move faster, and help the team adopt them
WHAT GOOD LOOKS LIKE• Your team ships on time because you scoped the work correctly - not because anyone worked weekends
• Engineers on your team grow quarter over quarter. They take on harder problems this quarter than last. You can name what changed
• You open a 200-file BrightScript repo you've never seen and start making changes the same day - and you've given your team the docs and context to do the same
• You notice a memory spike on a Roku Express before QA files a ticket. You fix it, write up what happened, and turn it into a pattern the team follows
• You write architecture decisions down. Six months later, a new engineer reads one and understands why you chose what you chose
• You push back when a plan has gaps and suggest a better one - without making people feel small
• You treat the build pipeline, test coverage, and error monitoring like product features
• You make the people around you better at their jobs. They'd say so if asked
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS• 8+ years writing software
• 4+ years building Roku applications
• 2+ years leading a team or serving as a technical lead
• BS in Computer Science, a related field, or equivalent work experience
• Strong foundation in OOP, data structures, and algorithms - able to design systems and evaluate others' designs
• BrightScript and SceneGraph SDK, including RSG 1.3 - you can explain the tradeoffs between MoveIntoField, PostMessage, and CopyMessage without looking them up
• Deep command of the Roku threading model and where performance falls apart on low-end devices
• Roku frameworks and services: RAF, RMF, RokuPay
• Unit and integration testing on Roku - you've built test infrastructure, not just written tests
• RESTful API design, HTTP caching behavior, and CDN interaction
• Git and GitHub
• Strong technical writing - architecture docs and plans that people actually read and act on
• Active use of AI development tools (Copilot, Claude, Cursor, or similar) with concrete examples of how they've changed how you work
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS• BrighterScript and Roku community tooling (ropm, bslint, roku-debug)
• Other OTT platforms: Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Samsung TV, LG webOS
• Observability tools: Conviva, New Relic, Datadog, Sentry
• Microservices and backend-for-frontend patterns
• Experience integrating personalization or recommendation systems into connected-device applications
• Experience with real-time or event-driven architectures on client platforms
• E2E testing for connected-device applications
• Docker and CI/CD tooling (Jenkins or similar)
• GraphQL
• Track record of introducing AI tools to a team - actual adoption, not just a demo
• You care about UX enough to push back on Product and Design when something isn't right
• You've worked across time zones without waiting for meetings to unblock yourself
ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONHiring Salary Range: $157,000.00 - 200,000.00.
The hiring salary range for this position applies to New York, California, Colorado, Washington state, and most other geographies. Starting pay for the successful applicant depends on a variety of job-related factors, including but not limited to geographic location, market demands, experience, training, and education. The benefits available for this position include medical, dental, vision, 401(k) plan, life insurance coverage, disability benefits, tuition assistance program and PTO or, if applicable, as otherwise dictated by the appropriate Collective Bargaining Agreement. This position is bonus eligible.
What We Offer:- Attractive compensation and comprehensive benefits packages. Check out our full list of benefits here:https://www.paramount.com/careers/benefits
- Generous paid time off.
- An exciting and fulfilling opportunity to be part of one of Paramount's most dynamic teams.
- Opportunities for both on-site and virtual engagement events.
- Unique opportunities to make meaningful connections and build a vibrant community, both inside and outside the workplace.
- Explore life at Paramount: https://www.paramount.com/careers/life-at-paramount
