Software Engineer 5 - TV & Web Player

Netflix•Los Gatos, CA

2d•$388,000 - $558,000

About The Position

Netflix is seeking a senior software engineer passionate about streaming media security and playback to join its TV & Web Player team. The team builds the player client engine used for Netflix streaming across living-room consumer electronics devices—including Smart TVs, set-top boxes, and streaming sticks—and web browsers. The role leads client content-protection architecture, designs DRM solutions, and secures client-server communications across the player stack. It also develops playback capabilities for Live, ad-supported, and SVOD streaming, extends DRM to enforce content policies, and contributes to player user-experience interfaces. The engineer partners with teams across Streaming Algorithms, Encoding Technologies, Security, Content, UI, Open Connect, and device partners to deliver secure, high-performance playback optimized for memory and quality of experience. The position includes writing and reviewing design documents, making durable architecture decisions, investigating complex playback issues across clients, devices, networks, and backends, and addressing root causes. The engineer defines and runs A/B experiments, sets and improves playback quality targets, and leads improvements to existing designs, including components for memory-constrained and low-power devices. Responsibilities also include improving continuous integration, test automation, and release management, mentoring other engineers, and demonstrating Netflix values. The stated annual compensation range is $388,000–$558,000. Netflix describes its compensation structure as annual salary and stock options, with no bonuses. Benefits include health plans, mental health support, a 401(k) retirement plan with employer match, stock options, disability programs, health savings and flexible spending accounts, family-forming benefits, life and serious injury benefits, and paid leave programs. Full-time hourly employees accrue 35 days annually for vacation, holidays, and sick paid time off; full-time salaried employees are immediately entitled to flexible time off.

Requirements

Deep knowledge of DRM systems and streaming-media content protection, with extensive experience in client-server security protocols and adaptive streaming technologies such as MPEG-DASH, HTML5 MSE, and EME.
At least 8 years of software development experience, including expertise in streaming-media playback and content-protection technologies.
Experience architecting content security and player solutions for complex streaming problems and carrying them from design through production rollout.
Expertise in TypeScript and Node.js, and proficiency in C++.
Solid understanding of HTTP, TCP, UDP, WebSockets, and transport security mechanisms.
Experience designing experiments, analyzing data, improving streaming quality, and influencing decisions beyond one's own team.
Experience shipping software at scale and developing software for Smart TVs, set-top boxes, or streaming sticks.
Experience growing and mentoring engineers, with the technical judgment to provide design feedback.
Ability to investigate root causes and reason across client, network, and backend interactions when playback problems are difficult to reproduce.
Ability to communicate complex technical issues clearly to engineering, product, data science, and leadership audiences, and collaborate across team boundaries.
Curiosity, self-motivation, selflessness, and willingness to seek other perspectives.

Nice To Haves

Experience with live streaming or Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI).

Responsibilities

Lead client content-protection architecture and security aspects of client-server communication across TV and web player clients.
Design, develop, and deliver foundational playback capabilities for SVOD, Live, and ad-supported viewing, including dynamic ad insertion, across TV and web player clients.
Write design documents, drive partner-team reviews, and make architecture decisions that account for changes in the player, device ecosystem, and product.
Investigate complex, difficult-to-reproduce playback problems spanning the player, device, network, and backend, and fix underlying causes.
Define and run A/B experiments for encodes, player behavior, and streaming algorithms; use results to guide shipping decisions and establish team experimentation standards.
Set and improve playback quality-of-experience targets, including startup time, rebuffering, and playback error rates, and lead work to achieve them.
Reconsider and rebuild existing designs when data supports a better approach, including components for memory-constrained and low-power TV devices.
Partner with UI, Encoding, Streaming Algorithms, Security, Open Connect, and device partner teams on product requirements and technical plans.
Improve continuous integration, test automation, and video-player release management so features ship safely at scale.
Mentor engineers through code reviews, design reviews, and pairing, and help peers develop scope and technical depth.
Understand, advocate, and demonstrate Netflix culture and values.

Benefits

Health plans
Mental health support
401(k) retirement plan with employer match
Stock option program
Disability programs
Health savings and flexible spending accounts
Family-forming benefits
Life and serious injury benefits
Paid leave of absence programs
Full-time hourly employees accrue 35 days annually for vacation, holidays, and sick paid time off.
Full-time salaried employees are immediately entitled to flexible time off.