Description
Staff Software Engineer | Android TV Video Playback | ExoPlayer, Kotlin, Widevine DRM, HLS, DASH | Hyderabad | Work From Office | Full Time
We are hiring a Staff Software Engineer for the Player Engineering team of a large scale streaming platform, specialising in Android TV playback inside hybrid application environments. You will design, build and optimise playback that combines native Android media capabilities with HTML5 based user interfaces, set the engineering standards for Android TV player architecture, and influence technical direction across teams without holding formal authority over them. This is a deep specialist role for someone who has spent years in Android video and wants scope rather than a management ladder.
POSITION SNAPSHOT
• Role: Staff Software Engineer, Android TV Video Playback (Streaming and Broadcasting, Player Engineering)
• Experience: 8+ years of professional software engineering with a strong delivery track record
• Location: Hyderabad, Telangana (Work From Office)
• Employment type: Full Time, Permanent
• Compensation: INR 45 to 65 LPA
• Industry: OTT, video streaming, connected TV and digital media
• Notice period: Immediate to 60 days preferred
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Design and implement Android native solutions that improve network handling, ABR algorithms and playback resiliency using ExoPlayer and related technologies
• Optimise the interaction between native video pipelines and web layers
• Drive innovative improvements to the Android TV playback experience across a wide range of devices
• Lead engineering delivery as the primary technical contact for new Android TV playback initiatives
• Establish and evolve engineering standards for Android TV player architecture, performance and observability
• Motivate and sponsor junior engineers to improve processes and software quality
• Work cross functionally with Streaming and Broadcasting teams on platform wide playback challenges
REQUIRED TECHNICAL SKILLS
• Minimum 8+ years of professional software engineering experience with a strong delivery track record
• Deep expertise in Android video playback, including ExoPlayer, MediaCodec and Widevine DRM
• Strong understanding of streaming protocols such as HLS and DASH, particularly in TV and embedded environments
• Experience building and maintaining Android SDKs or shared platform components used across multiple apps or teams
• Proven ability to manage multiple initiatives independently
• Proficiency in Kotlin and or Java, with strong knowledge of performance optimisation, device fragmentation and mobile system constraints
• Experience with hybrid applications where native Android components sit alongside HTML5 based UIs
PREFERRED / BONUS SKILLS
• Other connected TV platforms such as Fire TV, tvOS, Tizen, webOS or Roku
• Playback observability, QoE instrumentation and experimentation on TV apps
• Low latency streaming, CDN behaviour and manifest level debugging
• Contributions to open source player or media tooling
PREFERRED INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE
• OTT, video streaming or connected TV products
• Consumer platforms delivering video to millions of viewers across highly fragmented device estates
SOFT SKILLS
• Influence without authority across teams and disciplines
• Mentoring and sponsorship of engineers, not just code review
• Clear technical communication with engineering, product and video specialists
• Judgment about which problems deserve a platform level fix and which do not
TOOLS YOU WILL USE
ExoPlayer, MediaCodec, Widevine DRM, Kotlin, Java, Android SDK, Android TV, HLS, DASH, HTML5 and WebView integration, Git, CI/CD pipelines, playback profiling and observability tooling
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
• Sits in the Player Engineering team within Streaming and Broadcasting
• Acts as primary technical contact for Android TV playback initiatives
• Works cross functionally with platform, video, product and device partner teams
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
• INR 45 to 65 LPA, depending on experience and current compensation
• Base location Hyderabad, Telangana, working from office
• Staff level scope on playback watched by millions of viewers
• Ownership of architecture and standards rather than ticket level delivery
• Collaborative global engineering teams working on genuinely hard media problems
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
A senior Android media engineer who has stopped wanting a bigger team and started wanting a harder problem. If you have built an Android TV player that holds up on low end hardware, shipped an SDK other teams depend on, and can explain an ABR decision to a product manager without losing them, this role is the right shape.
HOW TO APPLY
Apply through this posting with an updated CV. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by our recruitment team.
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