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 environments (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Strong experience with CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and API validation strategies
• Experience using or familiarity with AI-powered development tools (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT)
• Excellent communication skills and ability to drive technical alignment across teams
• Demonstrated ability to balance technical excellence with pragmatic delivery

Additionally, the ideal candidate will also have the following skills and experience:

• Experience incorporating AI into the software development lifecycle, including code generation, testing, documentation, and system design
• Familiarity with content management domains, editorial workflows, or media/streaming platforms. 
• Experience with multi-region or multi-tenant architectures. 
• API design expertise — OpenAPI/Swagger, contract-first development, versioning strategies.
• Infrastructure as code and deployment tooling (Helm, ArgoCD, Terraform).
• Observability and monitoring platforms (Grafana, Prometheus, Datadog, or similar).
• Experience with Redis (caching, RediSearch) and NoSQL data stores.
• OAuth2/OIDC authentication and authorization patterns.
• Experience with automated testing at scale — integration testing with TestContainers, E2E with Playwright or similar.

#LI-TG1

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, including live and original channels. Paramount+, digital subscription video-on-demand and live streaming service, combines live sports, breaking news, and A Mountain of Entertainment™. Paramount+ features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including SHOWTIME®.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Hiring Salary Range: $157,000.00 - 200,000.00. 

The hiring salary range for this position applies to New York, California, Colorado, Washington state, and most other geographies. Starting pay for the successful applicant depends on a variety of job-related factors, including but not limited to geographic location, market demands, experience, training, and education.  The benefits available for this position include medical, dental, vision, 401(k) plan, life insurance coverage, disability benefits, tuition assistance program and PTO or, if applicable,  as otherwise dictated by the appropriate Collective Bargaining Agreement. This position is bonus eligible.  

• Attractive compensation and comprehensive benefits packages. Check out our full list of benefits here: https://www.paramount.com/careers/benefits
• Generous paid time off.
• An exciting and fulfilling opportunity to be part of one of Paramount’s most dynamic teams.
• Opportunities for both on-site and virtual engagement events.
• Unique opportunities to make meaningful connections and build a vibrant community, both inside and outside the workplace.
• Explore life at Paramount: https://www.paramount.com/careers/life-at-paramount

Paramount is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) including disability/vet.

At Paramount, the spirit of inclusion feeds into everything that we do, on-screen and off. From the programming and movies we create to employee benefits/programs and social impact outreach initiatives, we believe that opportunity, access, resources and rewards should be available to and for the benefit of all. Paramount is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, creed, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, gender expression, and Veteran status.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access https://www.paramount.com/careers as a result of your disability. You can request reasonable accommodations by calling 212.846.5500 or by sending an email to paramountaccommodations@paramount.com. Only messages left for this purpose will be returned.