Senior Software Engineer, Roku
User Interface
Convenient and affordable TV streaming players
Be an early applicant
Convenient and affordable TV streaming players
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
1001+ employees
Company mission
To provide its users with a more convenient and cost effective way of watching the programs they love.
Role
Who you are
- This is a hands-on position requiring a strong foundation in both embedded systems and UI development, with a focus on C++ for firmware and Javascript / Brightscript for UI
- You’ll have the opportunity to work across the stack, from low-level system components to user-facing features
- 3+ years of professional software development with modern C++ (C++14/17/20) in embedded, consumer electronics, or systems-level products
- Strong grasp of memory management and performance optimization, including smart pointers, RAII, move semantics, and cache-aware design
- Experience with multithreading, synchronization primitives, and latency-sensitive pipelines
- Proficiency in on-device debugging and profiling, including crash triage, core dump analysis, instrumentation, and performance tracing
- Experience integrating C++ services with UI layers and defining stable, versioned APIs or interfaces
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience
- Familiarity with BrightScript, JavaScript, or TypeScript for embedded UI development; experience with SceneGraph is a plus
- Exposure to embedded Linux or RTOS environments, cross-compilation toolchains, and build systems such as CMake or Bazel
- Experience with graphics or rendering pipelines, shaders, or GPU/CPU performance tuning on embedded devices
- Background in consumer electronics, media/content, or ad product development
- Experience using AI coding assistants and prompt engineering to accelerate development
What the job involves
- Our products are known for their seamless integration and intuitive design that delights users right out of the box
- These qualities are the result of meticulous engineering and a commitment to excellence
- As part of the engineering team, you’ll work on both firmware and UI development, contributing to features for Screensavers, Themes, Static & Dynamic Wallpapers, and Microsites
- You’ll also support customer applications on the Roku platform, incorporating new features to meet evolving requirements
- Designing and implementing firmware features for Themed Experiences using modern C++ in embedded environments, and integrating them with UI layers
- Writing efficient, high-quality C++ with strong attention to memory ownership, concurrency, and performance on constrained devices
- Profiling, optimizing, and debugging on device targets using tools such as gdb, sanitizers, perf, and structured logging
- Defining and maintaining APIs, data models, and contracts that connect firmware capabilities to compelling UIs
- Building proof-of-concepts and hardening them for production with robust testing, telemetry, and reliability safeguards
- Investigating, diagnosing, and resolving issues end-to-end across system layers to deliver durable fixes
- Optimizing performance and memory usage across firmware and UI components
- Contributing to build systems and CI to ensure reliable releases of firmware and UI components
Application process
- We ask that you remove any photos from your resume or CV before submitting your application
Our take
According to Nielsen data, the average streamer spends over seven minutes searching for something to watch. Streaming services use customers' viewing history to make suggestions, but these are limited to programs licensed for that particular service.
Roku provides an integrated streaming service that offers TV channels, movies and third-party streaming services, resulting in an all-in-one streaming platform. The service can be accessed through a variety of customized subscription packages and fees.
Roku stands out in the streaming industry by bringing many competitors together in one package. The startup provides further innovative services such as a weekly TV series named 'Roku Recommends' which uses first-party data to recommend essential viewing to users. Alongside funding filmmakers through its "Change Makers Program", Roku also acquired its own original library of shows through its acquisition of now-defunct Quibi's library in 2021. After successful collaborations with TCL and Hisense, the first in-house "Roku Television" was released in 2023, further exemplifying the streaming company's wider ambitions in the media sector.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
-6% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 9 rounds)
Jan 2016
$45.5m
LATE VC
Nov 2015
$45.5m
SERIES H
Total funding: $247.8m
Company benefits
- Medical, wellness and financial benefits
- Unlimited paid time off policy
- Work from home opportunities
Company HQ
Newhall, San Jose, CA
Leadership
Anthony Wood
(CEO)Studied Engineering at Texas A&M before founding their first company in 1986. They held VP roles at both Adobe and Netflix.
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