Software Engineer (L5) - Traffic Engineering

Netflix•Los Gatos, CA

2d•$388,000 - $619,000

About The Position

The Traffic Engineering team designs, builds, and operates the core infrastructure that manages how traffic flows across Netflix’s cloud and edge environments. Our systems ensure that every member receives a fast, reliable, and high-quality streaming experience, even during massive live events and unexpected spikes in demand. The TMF team is instrumental in driving Netflix’s cloud scalability and resiliency by building robust capabilities for end-to-end traffic management, including region failover, traffic shaping, and predictive scaling. We work closely with Data Science to develop and operationalize predictive models, translating them into actionable strategies for scaling our infrastructure in real time. By automating and optimizing traffic management, we enable Netflix to deliver uninterrupted entertainment to hundreds of millions of members worldwide—making our work critical to Netflix’s reputation, member satisfaction, and continued growth. Why our work is important The work of the Traffic Engineering team is critical to Netflix’s ability to deliver a seamless, high-quality streaming experience to hundreds of millions of members worldwide. As Netflix expands into live events and continues to grow its global audience, the demands on our infrastructure for speed, reliability, and scalability have never been higher. Our team ensures that Netflix can handle massive spikes in traffic—such as during live sporting events or global premieres—without interruption or degradation in quality. By building resilient systems for traffic management, automated scaling, and rapid failover, we protect the member experience and uphold Netflix’s reputation for reliability. The innovations and solutions developed by the TMF team directly enable Netflix to push the boundaries of what’s possible in streaming, supporting new business opportunities and ensuring that our members can enjoy their favorite stories anytime, anywhere, without compromise.

Requirements

7+ years experience in crafting complex, scalable distributed data infrastructure.
Proficiency in Java, Golang, or Python with a solid understanding of multi-threading and memory management
Able to break down complexity, iterate, and communicate progress to a wide variety of partners and stakeholders.
Proven track record of developing and maintaining high-impact systems
Experience building and operating scalable, fault-tolerant, distributed systems
Automation and orchestration frameworks for scaling and reliability
Experience in predictive modeling and data pipelines for traffic shaping and scaling
BS in Computer Science or a related field

Nice To Haves

Experience in traffic is preferred

Responsibilities

Designs, builds, and operates the core infrastructure that manages how traffic flows across Netflix’s cloud and edge environments.
Ensures that every member receives a fast, reliable, and high-quality streaming experience, even during massive live events and unexpected spikes in demand.
Drives Netflix’s cloud scalability and resiliency by building robust capabilities for end-to-end traffic management, including region failover, traffic shaping, and predictive scaling.
Works closely with Data Science to develop and operationalize predictive models, translating them into actionable strategies for scaling our infrastructure in real time.
Automates and optimizes traffic management to enable Netflix to deliver uninterrupted entertainment to hundreds of millions of members worldwide.
Solves real business needs at a large scale by applying software engineering and analytical problem-solving skills.
Architects and builds robust, scalable, and highly available distributed infrastructure.
Evangelizes, establishes, and iterates on best practices for engineering excellence.
Collaborates with multiple teams on creating solutions and supporting solutions with a myriad of sometimes conflicting requirements.
Works on ambiguous problems where the solutions are not (yet) well defined.