Senior Software Engineer - Data Platform

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?

Roku is in the process of modernizing and enhancing its Big Data Platform. We are working on defining the new architecture to improve performance, user experience, minimize the cost and increase efficiency.

What is the role?

This role is for an expert in Big Data Technologies who is interested in helping build a state-of-the-art big data platform. You will be responsible for architecture of the platform, streamlining and tuning existing Big Data systems, the platform, pipelines and building new ones, making sure the systems run efficiently and with minimal cost. You will also be making changes to the underlying systems and contributing work back into open source when opportunities arise. You will be responsible for supporting internal customers and on-call services for the systems we host, ensuring we provide a stable environment and great user experience.

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?

• Architect platform components, optimize current big data systems, pipelines, and develop cost-effective new systems.

• Make changes to the underlying systems and contribute work back into open source when opportunities arise

• Support internal customers and on-call services for the systems we host

• Ensure a stable environment and great user experience

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

• 12+ years of production experience building big data platforms based upon Spark, Trino or equivalent

• Strong software fundamentals and programming expertise in Java, Scala, Kotlin or another JVM language

• A robust grasp of distributed systems concepts, algorithms, and data structures

• Experience modifying or extending the internals of at least 3 of - Spark, Trino, Presto, Flink, Airflow, Druid, Hive, Hadoop, Hbase, Iceberg, Delta Lake, Pinot, Storm, Kafka, Pulsar, Clickhouse etc

• Strong familiarity with the Apache Hadoop ecosystem & deep expertise in the internals of distributed processing / query engines

• Extensive experience diagnosing performance bottlenecks, tuning distributed engines, and implementing system-level optimizations to maximize throughput and minimize operational costs

• Extensive hands-on experience with public cloud AWS or GCP

• Production grade Agentic AI development experience

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in computer science or equivalent

#LI-DS4 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 EmployeeRelations@Roku.com .

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 .

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