Hybrid opportunity at
SpotifySenior Software Engineer - TV Playback (C++)
Spotify is seeking a Senior Software Engineer specializing in TV Playback to join the Native Playback team in London or Stockholm on a hybrid basis. Spotify…
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About This Role
Spotify is seeking a Senior Software Engineer specializing in TV Playback to join the Native Playback team in London or Stockholm on a hybrid basis. Spotify builds consumer experiences across multiple platforms and screens, helping billions of people enjoy audio and video content. As television viewership and listening expand, Spotify is investing significantly in high-performance, video-first playback systems for TV hardware. In this position, you will engineer the C++ integration…
Job Description
Spotify is seeking a Senior Software Engineer specializing in TV Playback to join the Native Playback team in London or Stockholm on a hybrid basis. Spotify builds consumer experiences across multiple platforms and screens, helping billions of people enjoy audio and video content. As television viewership and listening expand, Spotify is investing significantly in high-performance, video-first playback systems for TV hardware.
In this position, you will engineer the C++ integration infrastructure connecting Spotify's playback logic with native platform media frameworks. Your responsibilities include handling buffering strategies, managing playback states, ensuring precise audio and video synchronization, and optimizing adaptive bitrate settings. Operating near the operating system and media framework layer, you will tackle complex performance hurdles, troubleshoot system reliability issues, and collaborate closely with device and platform teams to deliver robust TV streaming features.
This role is ideal for a software professional with deep expertise in low-level C++ programming and media playback fundamentals. Candidates should feel comfortable diagnosing intricate technical challenges that span hardware acceleration, OS-level frameworks, and application logic. If you possess experience integrating native player stacks such as AVPlayer or ExoPlayer and want to shape how millions consume media on their televisions, this hybrid position offers an opportunity to make a direct impact on Spotify's core TV strategy.
Responsibilities
- Design, build, and evolve the C++ integration layer powering audio and video playback on television devices utilizing the new Rust runtime
- Integrate the playback experience with platform-native media frameworks including AVPlayer, ExoPlayer, or equivalent TV player stacks
- Manage critical playback areas encompassing buffering strategies, playback state handling, A/V synchronization, adaptive bitrate configuration, track selection, and rendering paths
- Debug complex performance and reliability issues across multiple layers from application logic to OS-level frameworks and hardware acceleration
- Partner with Playback platform teams and device teams to ensure shared APIs and designs translate effectively into real-world TV implementations
- Improve test coverage, tooling, and observability to detect regressions and accelerate iteration cycles
- Contribute to technical design discussions and elevate playback quality standards through code reviews and knowledge sharing
Requirements
- Experience building low-level systems in C++, ideally within video, media, or playback domains
- Hands-on experience integrating native playback frameworks such as AVPlayer, ExoPlayer, vendor SDKs, or similar media stacks
- Deep understanding of video playback fundamentals including codecs, streaming formats, adaptive bitrate, buffering behavior, and A/V synchronization trade-offs
- Comfort working close to the OS and media framework layer and diagnosing issues spanning multiple system boundaries
- Experience contributing to the design and evolution of scalable technical systems across platforms
- Proficiency debugging performance and reliability issues using logs, traces, profilers, and system diagnostics tools
Benefits
- Flexibility to work where you work best with the option to work from home alongside some in-person collaboration
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the location and remote policy for this job?
This role is based in London or Stockholm. Spotify offers the flexibility to work from home with some in-person collaboration expected.
What programming language and technology domains are required?
The position requires strong experience building low-level systems in C++, specifically within video, media, or playback domains, as well as working with native playback frameworks like AVPlayer or ExoPlayer.
What is the salary for this position?
The job posting does not specify the salary.
What team will I be working on?
You will be working on the Native Playback team, which sits at the heart of Spotify's TV strategy and focuses on video-first playback experiences.
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