Lead Software Engineer, Backend Services

#WeAreParamount on a mission to unleash the power of content… you in?

We’ve got the brands, we’ve got the stars, we’ve got the power to achieve our mission to entertain the planet – now all we’re missing is… YOU! Becoming a part of Paramount means joining a team of passionate people who not only recognize the power of content but also enjoy a touch of fun and uniqueness. Together, we co-create moments that matter – both for our audiences and our employees – and aim to leave a positive mark on culture.

 

Location: In-Office, Los Angeles or San Francisco

 

Summary

As a Lead Software Engineer on the Backend Services team, you will take ownership of core API services and contracts within Paramount Streaming’s content discovery and engagement systems. You will drive API design, contribute to system architecture, and partner closely with peers, product managers, and stakeholders to deliver reliable, scalable, and high-performance APIs for Paramount+ and Pluto TV. This role is focused on leading API development for a next-generation streaming personalization engine, a real-time inference platform that dynamically determines the optimal streaming experiences for each viewer.

You will design and build APIs that:

• Expose real-time decisioning and personalization capabilities
• Integrate high-volume user event data and content metadata systems
• Enable seamless communication between content systems, video and ad services, and client applications

This role requires both deep technical expertise and the ability to lead engineers through influence, shaping platform direction and enabling engineering velocity at scale.

 

Responsibilities

This is a meaningful role with a wide range of responsibilities, including:

• Design, build, and maintain high-performance, scalable APIs that power content, personalization, and engagement experiences
• Define and enforce API standards and best practices, including versioning, contract design, and backward compatibility
• Lead the development of APIs supporting personalization engines, enabling real-time decisioning and low-latency responses
• Collaborate with frontend, backend, data, and platform teams to ensure clean, reliable system integrations
• Evolve existing content management and metadata APIs to support dynamic, personalized experiences
• Design APIs for event-driven systems, integrating with Kafka, Pub/Sub, or similar messaging platforms
• Optimize APIs for performance, scalability, and reliability under high traffic conditions
• Leverage AI-assisted development tools to accelerate API development, testing, and debugging
• Contribute to CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and release processes to ensure safe and efficient deployments
• Participate in architecture discussions, RFCs, and cross-team technical initiatives
• Mentor engineers and promote best practices in API design and system development

 

Experience 

• BS in Computer Science or related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience, with 2+ years in a technical lead or senior engineering role
• Proven track record of designing and delivering high-quality APIs and backend systems at scale
• Strong proficiency in Java (Spring Boot) or similar backend frameworks, building RESTful APIs and microservices
• Deep expertise in API design (REST, GraphQL, contract-first development, OpenAPI/Swagger, versioning strategies)
• Experience designing APIs for high-scale, low-latency systems (thousands of RPS, millions of users)
• Strong knowledge of event-driven architectures (Kafka, Pub/Sub, Kinesis) and asynchronous API patterns
• Experience integrating APIs with data pipelines, content systems, and real-time services
• Solid experience with relational databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL) and data modeling
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS or GCP) and containerized environm