Sr. Software Engineer

VERSANT (Nasdaq: VSNT) is an industry‑changing media and entertainment business and home to trusted brands that shape culture, inform audiences, and build lasting connections. It operates across four core markets: political news and opinion, business news and personal finance, golf, and sports and genre entertainment. These markets are served through a powerful portfolio of iconic and innovative brands, including CNBC, MS NOW, USA Network, Golf Channel, Oxygen, E!,

SYFY, and Versant’s sports division USA Sports, along with complementary digital assets such as Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, Golf Now and Golf Pass.

Versant’s Software Engineering team provides core services to our business, underpinning our strategy and execution of linear & digital distribution of content, platforms, and data. As a leader of our engineering team, you will have a direct role in defining our roadmap towards our future vision in the video landscape.

The Senior Software Engineer (Video Platform) role is a technology subject matter expert responsible for the implementation of service architecture, delivery, and operation of VERSANT’s video platform ecosystem across digital, OTT, and authenticated experiences.

• Video Platform & Client Playback Engineering
• Lead development of video player frameworks and SDKs across multiple platforms (web, iOS, Android, CTV)
• Ensure seamless integration of playback experiences with authentication, personalization, and analytics systems
• Optimize startup time, buffering, bitrate adaptation, and overall QoE across device types and network conditions
• Ensure systems support real‑time and near‑real‑time workflows for live sports, news, and event‑based programming
• Implement solutions for advertising through DAI and core ad tech integrations across our platform landscape
• Ensure secure, scalable integration with MVPDs, identity providers, and subscription platforms
• Integrate with personalization services and data platforms to provide user‑specific context and optimizations
• Engineering Leadership & Delivery
• Drive execution across multiple concurrent initiatives, ensuring predictable delivery, high quality, and alignment with business priorities
• Participate in code reviews, pair programming, and knowledge‑sharing sessions to elevate team quality
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to a culture of continuous learning and improvement
• Ensure security, performance, and maintainability are core to all solutions
• Cross‑Functional Partnership
• Partner closely with Product, Distribution, Ad Tech, Data, and Editorial teams to deliver integrated video experiences
• Align with infrastructure, cloud, and Dev Ops teams to ensure scalable, reliable platform operations
• Work closely with product and architecture teams to align on technical direction and business priorities

• 6+ years of experience in video engineering or streaming platforms supporting media, broadcast, or OTT environments
• Experience with HLS/DASH, DRM, CDNs, encoding/transcoding, and player frameworks
• Skilled in modern JavaScript/Type Script, HTML/CSS, and frameworks like React, Vue or Angular
• Experience developing and integrating backend services in languages like Node, Python, or Go
• Familiarity with ad‑supported video (AVOD) and monetization workflows
• Strong understanding of Identity, Personalization, Authentication and Subscription systems
• Expertise with analytics, observability, and performance monitoring
• Experience and familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure) and CI/CD methodologies
• Strong communication skills and a collaborative mindset

Location:

New York City, NY or Englewood Cliffs, NJ – Hybrid – 3 days onsite.

VERSANT Media’s policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require support…