Lead Software Engineer

#WeAreParamount on a mission to unleash the power of content… you in?
We’ve got the brands, we’ve got the stars, and 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 that values authenticity and embraces inclusion for all. We are searching for individuals 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. You fuel our culture of purpose, passion, and collaboration. We’re in this together.

 

Overview and Responsibilities:

 

The Discovery Services team powers the algorithms and services behind Pluto TV’s search and personalization features is seeking a Lead Software Engineer to craft the technical vision, guide the team, promote collaboration across departments to improve Pluto TV’s search and personalization capabilities, and deliver high-performance middleware APIs and backend services that handle thousands of requests per second (RPS)!

 

The Lead Software Engineer partner closely with multi-functional agile teams, including software engineers, data engineers, and ML experts, to drive end-to-end feature delivery. The ideal candidate for this role excels in Java with Spring Boot, Golang, Python, and multi-cloud environments (AWS and GCP), with a passion for hands-on development, technical leadership, and crafting reliable, robust systems!

 

Responsibilities Include:

· Architect and develop high-performance middleware APIs and backend services using Java with Spring Boot, Golang, and Python, ensuring they handle thousands of RPS for search and personalization services.

· Own the full lifecycle of feature development, from design and coding to testing, deployment, and monitoring, ensuring timely and high-quality delivery.

· Guide engineers through technical challenges, promote standard processes, and cultivate a collaborative, innovative team culture.

· Partner with product, data, ML, and DevOps teams, as well as external partners like the programming and consumer product teams, to align solutions with business and user needs.

· Develop and improve systems on AWS (EKS, ECS, Lambda, Elasticache, Aurora/RDS, OpenSearch, Step Functions) and GCP (Pub/Sub, GKE, Cloud SQL, Spanner) for performance and scalability.

· Define roadmaps that balance innovation, reliability, and operational excellence in a multi-cloud environment.

· Integrate services with Paramount’s streaming ecosystem to deliver cohesive, high-quality functionality.

· Cultivate a positive, inclusive team environment grounded in mutual respect and shared goals.

· Champion code quality, system design, and agile practices to deliver reliable, scalable solutions.

 

Basic Qualifications:

 

· 12+ years of software development experience, including 7+ years building scalable middleware APIs and backend services handling thousands of RPS. A bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, or related field, or equivalent work experience is also required.

· 5+ years of technical leadership, mentoring teams, and driving architectural decisions, along with 4+ years working with containerized applications (Docker) and orchestration platforms (Kubernetes, ECS).

· Expertise in Java with Spring Boot and proficiency in Golang, and strong experience in python for high-performance backend systems. Strong experience with cloud platforms (AWS: EKS, ECS, Lambda, Elasticache, Aurora/RDS, SQS, SNS, Step Functions; GCP: Pub/Sub, GKE, Cloud SQL, Spanner)..

 

Additional Qualifications:

 

· Superb communication skills to convey complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.

· Proven ability to collaborate optimally in global, multi-functional teams and align technical solutions with business goals.

· Previous experience crafting and building architecture for high-traffic services (thousands of RPS, millions of monthly active users).

· Extensive experience with GCP technologies (Pub/Sub, GKE, Cloud SQL, Spanner).

· Hands-on expertise with Kubernetes (EKS, GKE, or vanilla).

· Experience with Apache Spark and Python libraries such as PySpark for large-scale data processing.

· Previous experience with Golang is a plus.

· Previous experience with Django is a plus.

 

Paramount Streaming, a division within Paramount Global, is the home to the company's direct-to-consumer services spanning free and paid in the form of Pluto TV and Paramount+. Pluto TV is the global leader in free ad-supported TV, delivering more than 1,400 global channels and an extensive library of streaming content, includin