Software Engineer 5 - TV & Web Player

At Netflix, our mission is to entertain the world. Together, we are writing the next episode - pushing the boundaries of storytelling, global fandom and making the unimaginable a reality. We are a dream team obsessed with the uncomfortable excitement of discovering what happens when you merge creativity, intuition and cutting-edge technology. Come be a part of what’s next.

We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer who is passionate about streaming media security and playback to join the TV & Web Player team. Our team powers the player client engine behind Netflix streaming across hundreds of millions of living room CE devices (such as Smart TVs, STBs, and streaming sticks) and web browsers via www.netflix.com. In this role, you will lead client content protection architecture, design DRM solutions, and secure client-server communications across the entire player client stack. You will manage streaming media content for different streaming modes (Live, Ads, SVOD), extend Digital Rights Management to enforce new content policies, and influence player UX interfaces. You will also partner with cross-functional teams in Streaming Algorithms, Encoding Technologies, Security, Content, and Device Partners to build secure, high-performance playback solutions optimized for memory and QoE.

About the Role:

• Lead the client content protection architecture and the security aspects of client-server communication across TV & Web player clients.
• Design, develop and deliver playback foundational capabilities required to support different streaming modes such SVOD, Live and ad-supported viewing, including dynamic ad insertion, across both TV and Web Player Clients.
• Write design documents, drive them through review with partner teams, and make architecture decisions that hold up as the player, device ecosystem, and product evolve.
• Own the investigation of complex, hard-to-reproduce playback problems that span the player, device, network, and backend, and fix the underlying cause rather than the symptom.
• Define and run A/B experiments for new encodes, player behavior, and streaming algorithms. Use the results to decide what ships, and set the experimentation standards for the team.
• Set and improve playback quality of experience (QoE) targets such as play startup time, rebuffering, and playback error rates, and lead the work to reach them.
• Rethink and rebuild existing designs where the data shows a better approach, including player components that must run on memory-constrained and low-power TV devices.
• Partner with UI, Encoding, Streaming Algorithms, Security, Open Connect, and device partner teams to shape product requirements and technical plans.
• Improve continuous integration, test automation, and release management for the video player so features ship safely at scale.
• Mentor engineers through code review, design review, and pairing, and help peers grow in scope and technical depth.
• Exemplify the Netflix culture by understanding, advocating, and demonstrating its values.

What Sets You Apart:

• You have deep knowledge of DRM systems and content protection handling for streaming media, with extensive experience in client-server security protocols and adaptive streaming technologies such as MPEG-DASH, HTML5 MSE, and EME.
• You have 8+ years of software development experience, with expertise in streaming media playback and content protection technologies. Experience with live streaming or Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI) is a plus.
• You have architected content security and player solutions to complex problems in the streaming space and carried them from design through production rollout.
• You are an expert in TypeScript, Node.js and proficient in C++. You set the bar for code quality and maintainability on your team.
• You have a solid understanding of networking protocols HTTP, TCP, UDP and WebSockets and transport security mechanisms.
• You have designed experiments, analyzed the data, and used it to improve streaming quality and to influence decisions beyond your own team.
• You have shipped software at scale and developed software for Smart TVs, set-top boxes, or streaming sticks.
• You have grown and mentored other engineers, and peers seek you out for design feedback and technical judgment.
• You go deeper to find root causes, and you can reason through client, network, and backend interactions in a domain where playback failures are often hard to reproduce.
• You communicate complex technical issues clearly to engineers, product managers, data science partners, and leadership, and you build collaboration across team boundaries.
• You are curious, self-motivated, selfless, and seek other perspectives to improve your ideas.

Generally, our compensation structure consists solely of an annual salary; we do not have bonuses. You choose each year how much of your compensation you want in salary versus stock options. To determine your personal top of market compensation, we rely on market indicators and consider your specific job family, background, skills, and experience to determine your compensation in the market range. The range for this role is $388,000.00 - $558,000.00.

Netflix provides comprehensive benefits including Health Plans, Mental Health support, a 401(k) Retirement Plan with employer match, Stock Option Program, Disability Programs, Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts, Family-forming benefits, and Life and Serious Injury Benefits. We also offer paid leave of absence programs. Full-time hourly employees accrue 35 days annually for paid time off to be used for vacation, holidays, and sick paid time off. Full-time salaried employees are immediately entitled to flexible time off. See more details about our Benefits here.

Netflix is a unique culture and environment. Learn more here.

Inclusion is a Netflix value and we strive to host a meaningful interview experience for all candidates. If you want an accommodation/adjustment for a disability or any other reason during the hiring process, please send a request to your recruiting partner.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and celebrate diversity, recognizing that diversity builds stronger teams. We approach diversity and inclusion seriously and thoughtfully. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, caste, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic makeup, marital status, or military service.