Senior Software Engineer - Backend

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.

What does the team work on?

The Roku APPS team is a group of highly skilled technologists that builds innovative platform products and services that enable over 100M+ users and streaming devices. We connect users to the streaming content they love and enable content publishers to build and monetise large audiences. We work on a range of critical services that power the Roku eco-system, including device and account setup, identity, authentication, channel distribution to devices, and channel publishing.

What is the role?

We are looking for a talented and experienced Backend Engineer to join the Roku APPS team, bringing a strong background in microservices and large-scale systems. You will build extremely large-scale platform products and services used both by Roku engineers across the company and directly by consumers across millions of devices. You will work with Product and Design teams to iterate and build software, taking a concept from ideation to its production deployment and support. You will lead efforts to evaluate new technologies and continue to push for best practices across the entire development life cycle, including code and design reviews. Your work will include managing project priorities, deadlines, and deliverables while participating in an Agile development process encompassing scoping, technical design, coding, testing, deployment, and maintenance. This is a high-impact role for an engineer with a consistent track record of improving large-scale systems who enjoys building consumer-facing platforms.

How will I use AI at Roku?

At Roku, we don’t just use AI, we work with it. AI agents and smart tools help power drafts, analysis, and repetitive workflows, while our people bring direction, judgment, and accountability. We’re looking for curious, adaptable builders who can show how they’ve used AI or automation to move faster, raise the bar, and scale their impact.

We value your AI skills if have built fluency across the agentic engineering toolchain - coding harnesses like Claude Code or Cursor, MCP servers, custom skills, or agent frameworks. And you can describe projects where you shipped real work with these tools. You know how to drive an agent, verify its output, and ramp on an unfamiliar codebase with an agent helping you.

What are the responsibilities of the role?

• Build extremely large-scale platform products and services, used both by Roku engineers from across the company, and directly by consumers across millions of devices
• Work with Product and Design teams to iterate and build software, taking a concept from ideation to its production deployment and support
• Lead efforts to evaluate new technologies and continue to push for best practices across the entire development life cycle, including code and design reviews
• Manage project priorities, deadlines, and deliverables
• Participate in Agile development process, including scoping, technical design, coding, testing, deployment, and maintenance

What experience would help someone be successful in this role at Roku?

• 8+ years of experience building large-scale distributed systems
• 5+ years working with cloud-based platforms and infrastructure
• An understanding of system concepts and approaches such as eventual consistency and CAP theorem
• Ability and desire to lead the design and implementation of backend services coupled with a deep understanding of different data platforms
• Deep experience in building microservices using Java for container platforms such as Docker or Kubernetes
• Solid understanding of databases such as Aurora MySQL and DynamoDB
• Hands-on experience working with AWS ALB, ECS, RDS, or similar cloud services
• Experience with a breadth of protocols and data formats such as REST, WebSockets, HTTPS, JSON, and Protobuf
• Demonstrated ability to drive timely consensus in design with other senior team members
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent
• You have built fluency across the agentic engineering toolchain - coding harnesses like Claude Code or Cursor, MCP servers, custom skills, or agent frameworks. And you can describe projects where you shipped real work with these tools. You know how to drive an agent, verify its output, and ramp on an unfamiliar codebase with an agent helping you

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What's Roku's approach to hybrid working?

Roku fosters an inclusive and collaborative environment where teams generally work in the office Monday through Thursday. Fridays are generally flexible for remote work, except for employees whose specific roles or assigned office location require five days' a week attendance.

What are some of the 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). Employees are supported in taking time off, in accordance with local leave policies and other personal needs to support 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 [email protected].

What should I know about Roku's 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.

By providing your information, you acknowledge that you want Roku to contact you about job roles, that you have read Roku's Applicant Privacy Notice, and understand that Roku will use your information as described in that notice. If you do not wish to receive any communications from Roku regarding this role or similar roles in the future, you may unsubscribe at any time by emailing [email protected].