Senior Software Engineer, Cobalt
Tubi
CA$186,400 - CA$266,300 / year
Need a reasonable accommodation to apply or interview? Contact us.
JobMinglr uses automated technology to recommend jobs based on profile information and job preferences. Match Score does not determine eligibility for a position, prevent a user from viewing or applying to a job, or make hiring decisions on behalf of an employer.
Description
About the Role:
We are hiring a Senior Software Engineer to build Tubi's native app runtime for connected TVs on Cobalt, the lightweight, open-source browser engine behind YouTube on living room devices. You will own the layer between Tubi's React app and the device: the Cobalt engine, its Starboard porting layer, and new native components we write in C++ and Rust.
The goal is a Tubi app that launches faster, uses less memory, and behaves the same on every device, starting with Fire TV and expanding to other CTV platforms. This is a hands-on, high-ownership role on a small team, working closely with our web engineers, QA, and device partners.
This is a hybrid role which is two days in the SF office.
What You'll Do:
- Build, integrate, and ship Cobalt as the runtime for Tubi's CTV apps, packaged as a native library inside our Android (Fire TV) app and later on other platforms
- Implement and maintain Starboard platform integrations: graphics, input, audio/video playback, DRM, and system services
- Write new native modules in modern C++ and Rust, including safe FFI boundaries between the two
- Drive startup and memory performance on low-end, memory-constrained devices (1 GB RAM class): profile, measure, and fix
- Keep us current with upstream Cobalt releases, track and contribute fixes upstream, and manage security patches for the engine we ship
- Work with media and playback teams on video pipeline needs such as demuxing, adaptive streaming, and ad playback
- Build tooling that runs the Tubi app on Cobalt on developer machines and in CI, so we can test UI and automation without a device farm
- Work directly with device partners' engineering teams on platform issues
- Mentor engineers and raise the team's native and systems engineering bar
Your Background:
- 6+ years of professional software engineering, most of it in systems or native code
- Expert-level modern C++ (C++17/20): memory management, concurrency, templates, and debugging large codebases
- Strong production experience in Rust: ownership and lifetimes, async, unsafe code, and C/C++ interop (FFI, bindgen/cxx)
- Experience with large C++ build systems (GN/Ninja, CMake, or Bazel) and cross-compiling for ARM and embedded Linux or Android targets
- Hands-on performance work: profiling CPU, memory, and startup time with tools like perf, Perfetto, or heaptrack, and turning findings into measurable wins
- Comfort debugging on real hardware: Android NDK, adb, native crash analysis, and symbolication
- Clear written communication and a track record of leading technical initiatives across teams
Nice to Have
- Experience with Cobalt, Starboard, Chromium, or another browser engine (Blink, WebKit, Servo)
- JavaScript engine internals, especially V8: code caching, snapshots, or GC tuning
- Graphics on embedded devices: OpenGL ES, Skia, or WebGPU
- Media pipelines: MSE/EME, ExoPlayer or native players, demuxers, Widevine or PlayReady DRM
- Shipping on TV platforms such as Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, or Roku
- Open-source contributions to C++ or Rust projects
- Enough React and TypeScript to work with the web app running on top of the engine
#LI-CL1
#LI-Hybrid
Pursuant to state and local pay disclosure requirements, the pay range for this role, with final offer amount dependent on education, skills, experience, and location is listed annually below. This role is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus, long-term incentive plan, and various benefits including medical/dental/vision, insurance, a 401(k) plan, paid time off and other benefits in accordance with applicable plan documents.
Tubi is a division of Fox Corporation, and the FOX Employee Benefits summarized here, covers the majority of all US employee benefits. The following distinctions below outline the differences between the Tubi and FOX benefits:
- For US-based non-exempt Tubi employees, the FOX Employee Benefits summary accurately captures the Vacation and Sick Time.
- For all salaried/exempt employees, in lieu of the FOX Vacation policy, Tubi offers a Flexible Time off Policy to manage all personal matters.
- For all full-time, regular employees, in lieu of FOX Paid Parental Leave, Tubi offers a generous Parental Leave Program, which allows parents twelve (12) weeks of paid bonding leave within the first year of birth, adoption, surrogacy, or foster placement of a child in addition to applicable government leave program(s) and FOX’s short-term disability policy. This time is 100% paid through a combination of any applicable state, city, and federal leaves and wage-replacement programs in addition to contributions made by Tubi.
- For all full-time, regular employees, Tubi offers a monthly wellness reimbursement.
About Tubi:
Boldly built for every fandom, Tubi is a free streaming service that entertains over 100 million monthly active users. Tubi offers the world's largest collection of Hollywood movies and TV shows, thousands of creator-led stories and hundreds of Tubi Originals made for the most passionate fans. Headquartered in San Francisco and founded in 2014, Tubi is part of Tubi Media Group, a division of Fox Corporation.
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with applicable law.
Benefits
- health insurance
- 401(k)
- paid time off
- parental leave
- bonus
About this role
Building Tubi's streaming experience on connected TVs requires deep expertise in systems engineering and native code. This role centers on integrating Cobalt, an open-source browser engine, as the runtime layer for Tubi's CTV apps—starting with Fire TV and expanding across platforms. You'd own the critical path between the React web app and the device itself: the Cobalt engine, its Starboard porting layer, and new native modules written in C++ and Rust. The mission is concrete: make Tubi launch faster, consume less memory, and work consistently across devices, particularly on memory-constrained hardware.
The work spans the full stack of low-level systems engineering. You'll implement and maintain platform integrations for graphics, input, audio, video playback, and DRM; write performant native code in modern C++ and Rust with safe FFI boundaries; and drive measurable improvements in startup and memory performance through profiling and optimization. You'll also manage the upstream Cobalt relationship, handle security patches, collaborate with media teams on video pipelines, and build developer tooling so the team can test without a device farm. This is a hands-on, high-ownership position on a small team working directly with web engineers, QA, and device partners' engineering teams.
You'll need at least six years of professional software engineering with strong production experience in both C++17/20 and Rust, including unsafe code and FFI work. Hands-on performance profiling, cross-compilation for ARM and embedded Linux, and comfort debugging on real hardware are essential. Experience with large C++ build systems, browser engines, media pipelines, or TV platforms would be valuable. The role is hybrid, based in San Francisco, and offers a salary range of $186,400–$266,300 plus bonus, equity, and benefits including flexible time off and parental leave.
How this employer is doing
average
- H1B: Sponsors Visas
- Sponsors Visas
This role's local market on JobMinglr
Pay for this role
$186,400 to $266,300 per year
That is the employer's posted range, and where you land in it is usually decided in one conversation. Before that conversation, run the numbers: analyze an offer for this role.
Before you apply, worth reading
How JobMinglr reads this job
Every listing here is scored against your profile before you apply: skills overlap, experience level, location and work arrangement, each weighted and explained. You see the score and the reasons, not just a list. How the matching works.