Software Engineer V

Job Title: Contract Encoding Engineer: Live Event Broadcast

Location: Cupertino CA 95015 (Onsite)

Duration: May 4 June 12, 2026 (~6 weeks / ~264 hours)

Schedule: Weeks 1 4: 10-hour days, business hours Weeks 5 6: Extended days up to 14 hours, including evenings and weekend work

About This Engagement:

Client's Worldwide Events and Experiences team is seeking an elite-level contract Encoding Engineer to support a high-profile global live broadcast. This is a zero-tolerance-for-failure environment delivering to multi-million concurrent viewers worldwide. We need someone who has been in this seat before not someone learning on the job.

This is a highly focused, operationally intensive, 6-week engagement. The right candidate arrives ready to execute from day one, thrives in high-stakes broadcast environments, and holds themselves to the same bar we hold this event: extraordinary.

Engagement Schedule

Period Dates Days Focus

Week 1 Mon 5/4 Thu 5/7 4 days Workflow review, configuration validation

Week 2 Tue 5/12 Thu 5/14 3 days Encoding config testing, redundancy validation

Week 3 Tue 5/1U Thu 5/21 3 days Platform testing, pre-event rehearsals

Week 4 Tue 5/2G Thu 5/28 3 days Run-of-show prep, Pre-event rehearsals

Week 5 Tue 6/2 Sun 6/8 6 days Run-of-show prep, Final validations (Tue & Wed) Event: Asset staging & Final validations (Thu - Sun)

Week 6 Mon 6/8 Fri 6/12 5 days Event: Asset staging + Live broadcast (Mon)

Post-event reporting, archival, corrections (Tue - Fri)

Event Week Detail: The event spans Thursday 6/4 through Monday 6/8. The first 4 days (6/4 6/7) are asset preparation, staging, validations. 6/8 is the live broadcast day. Extended and overnight availability will be required.

What You'll Do

Pre-Event (Weeks 1 5)

Review existing transmission workflows and failsafe plans; identify risks and recommend updates

Validate all redundancy, failover, and backup procedures

Review, update, and test existing encoding configuration files and their execution

Prepare a detailed run-of-show checklist

Participate in all pre-show tests and platform validations

Assist with content QC to confirm proper asset delivery through all transmission pipelines

During the Event (Week 5/6)

Operate HLS encoders for looping test cycles, platform tests, rehearsals, and the live show

Continuously monitor the full signal path from Encoder to CDN boundary

Verify quality and health of encoding, delivery, and encoders in real time

Validate player output and behavior across multiple platforms

Serve as Point of Contact for the CDN team

Execute failover procedures as needed; provide real-time technical guidance

Manage state changes to the .com player

Perform test encodes and segment preparation for VOD

Maintain live incident logs throughout the broadcast

Assist with HLS VOD upload to CDN

Post-Event (Week 6)

Deliver a technical debrief and report documenting lessons learned

Restore all media and resources to archival locations

Complete all required documentation to GitHub and NAS

Perform any post-event asset corrections, including re-encodes or content replacement

Required Qualifications

Important for Recruiters: Given the stakes of this event, every requirement below is a genuine minimum bar. Please only submit candidates who can directly evidence all of the following.

10+ years of hands-on experience in online broadcast / live streaming operations at organizations that regularly deliver to

>5 million concurrent viewers internationally

Deep, expert-level command of HLS, including advanced manifest manipulation, multi-variant playlist generation, and adaptive bitrate (ABR) optimization

Proven, recent operational experience with both on-premises and cloud-based encoding systems. On-prem AWS Elemental experience is critical

Understanding of CDN behavior as it relates to encoding and packaging output, including packaging, downstream caching, origin configuration and ingest design.

Demonstrated experience deploying and operating real-time stream health monitoring systems dashboards, telemetry, alerting across HLS manifest health, segment availability, bitrate laddering, and viewer QoE metrics

Verifiable track record of designing and executing encoder failover and redundancy validation procedures at scale

Experience authoring run-of-show documentation, incident logs, and post-event technical reports

Fluency executing in high-pressure, zero-fail live broadcast environments candidates must be able to cite specific comparable engagements

Preferred Qualifications

Knowledge of accessibility and subtitle formats: WebVTT, TTML, CEA-C08/708

Familiarity with audio broadcast standards including Dolby Atmos and multi-channel formats

Comfort coordinating with international partners across varying technical levels

The Right Person

This role is not suitable for someone building toward this level of work. The right candidate:

Has done this exact job operated HLS encoders for global live events at the scale described above

Can demonstrate a clear track record of specific events, viewer scale, and incident management

Is comfortable with operational intensity extended days, fast decisions, and live event pressure

Can hit the ground running in Week 1 with minimal onboarding time