Senior Software Engineer - TV Playback (C++)

What You'll Do

• Design, build, and evolve the C++ integration layer that powers Spotify’s audio and video playback on TV devices running our new Rust runtime
• Integrate Spotify’s playback experience with platform-native media frameworks such as AVPlayer, ExoPlayer, or equivalent TV player stacks
• Own critical playback areas including 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 closely with Playback platform teams and device teams to ensure shared APIs and designs translate cleanly into real-world TV implementations
• Improve test coverage, tooling, and observability to detect regressions and speed up iteration cycles
• Contribute to thoughtful technical design discussions and raise the bar for playback quality through code reviews and knowledge sharing

Who You Are

• You have strong of experience building low-level systems in C++, ideally within video, media, or playback domains
• You have hands-on experience integrating native playback frameworks such as AVPlayer, ExoPlayer, vendor SDKs, or similar media stacks
• You have a deep understanding of video playback fundamentals including codecs, streaming formats, adaptive bitrate (ABR), buffering behavior, and A/V synchronization trade-offs
• You are comfortable working close to the OS and media framework layer and diagnosing issues that span multiple system boundaries
• You have experience contributing to the design and evolution of scalable technical systems across platforms
• You are confident debugging performance and reliability issues using logs, traces, profilers, and system diagnostics tools
• You collaborate effectively across teams and communicate technical trade-offs clearly
• You care deeply about delivering reliable, high-quality playback experiences for millions of users

Where You'll Be

• This role is based in London or Stockholm.
• We offer you the flexibility to work where you work best. While some in-person collaboration is expected, you’ll also have the option to work from home.