Senior Software Engineer, AD Serving

Roku; Manchester (NH); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Roku is hiring a Senior Software Engineer for the Advertising Platform to build a real-time, highly scalable ad system. You will join a global, fast-moving team and work closely with product and other engineering groups to deliver impactful features at scale.

The ideal candidate brings extensive experience with Java or C++, a passion for high-performance software, and a strong sense of ownership. Roku embraces hybrid work with in-office collaboration most days and remote flexibility on Fridays.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience building large-scale, low-latency distributed systems.
• Strong command of Java or C++ and solid knowledge of algorithms and data structures.
• Experience with distributed caching, SQL/NoSQL, and cloud services is a plus.
• Background in advertising domain is a big plus.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain large-scale, real-time applications.
• Own building features, drive collaboration with product and other teams.
• Communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Advocate for best practices across developers, QA, and ops.
• Promote platform innovation and reuse across teams.
• Deliver high-quality software in a timely fashion.

Skills

Java

C++

Distributed systems

Multi-threading

Real-time programming

Education

B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science or related field

Job description

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.

About the Team

A highly scalable and highly available real-time advertising platform is crucial for supporting and growing Roku's advertising business. The mission of the Ad Engineering Team is to build this platform. We are hiring a Senior Software Engineer for the Advertising Platform to play a vital role in this mission. If you bring extensive experience building complex systems, love great technology at scale, enjoy mentoring, jumping in, and figuring things out in any system, this role is for you!

About the Role

Roku pioneered TV streaming and continues to innovate, leading the industry. The Roku Channel has us well-positioned to help shape the future of streaming. Continued success relies on investing in Advertising Engineering. The ideal candidate will possess endless curiosity and be able to pair a global mindset with locally relevant execution. The successful candidate will demonstrate a balance of hard and soft skills, including the ability to respond promptly to evolving business needs.

Building a real-time, highly scalable, and available advertising platform is critical for our success. Our team’s mission is to build a best-in-class advertising platform to support and grow Roku’s exploding ad business. Our platforms are highly performant, deployed at scale, and set new standards for enabling effective advertising while protecting user privacy.

What You'll Be Doing

• Work alongside a highly skilled engineering team to design, develop, and maintain large-scale, highly performing, real-time applications
• Own building features, driving directly with the product, and other engineering teams
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills in working with technical and non-technical audiences
• Be an evangelist for best practices across all functions – developers, QA, and infrastructure/ops
• Be an evangelist for platform innovation and reuse
• Deliver top-quality software in a timely fashion

We're Excited If You Have

• 10+ years of experience building large-scale and low-latency distributed systems
• Command of Java or C++
• Solid understanding of algorithms, data structures, performance optimization techniques, object-oriented programming, multi-threading, and real-time programming
• Experience with distributed caching, SQL/NoSQL, and other databases is a plus
• Experience with Big Data and cloud services such as AWS/GCP is a plus
• Experience in the advertising domain is a big plus
• B.S. or M.S. degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent
• Self‑motivated individual with a high level of accountability and ownership
• Critical thinking and practical decision‑making
• Can do, results‑oriented mindset
• Nonpolitical, collaborative, and team‑oriented
• Desire to win in a highly competitive industry
• AI literacy and curiosity. You have either 1) tried Gen AI in your previous work or outside of work or 2) are curious about Gen AI and have explored it

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 [e-mail].

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.