Software Development Engineer III

Are you looking to Optimize your life? Start your exciting path to a rewarding career today!

We are Optimum, a leader in the fast-paced world of connectivity, and we're seeking driven and enthusiastic professionals to join our team, empower lives, fuel businesses, and drive innovation. Connectivity is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. A career at Optimum means you'll be enabling progress and enhancing lives by providing reliable, high-speed connectivity solutions that keep the world connected. Our successes, now and in the future, are powered by our amazing product, a commitment to our people and culture, and the connections we make in our communities.

If you are resourceful, collaborative, and passionate about delivering consistent excellence, Optimum is for you!

We are Optimum!

Optimum is a leading provider of Mobile, Broadband (DOCSIS, Fiber) and Video services in the United States. The Product Development organization is responsible for the technology enablement and development of these technologies for our customers along with the tools used by our teams to support them.

Reporting to the Engineering Manager, the SDE III will participate as part of a highly skilled software development team building Optimum's internal omni-channel API platform - the tools, services, and integration layers that enable broadband, video, mobile, and customer-support applications across the organization. We are looking for a passionate and engaged individual who is willing to take on the challenge of transforming software development at a Fortune 500 company and building the platform capabilities that allow our development teams to Go Fast!

• Define and drive API and service architecture using Go, gRPC, Protocol Buffers, and Google AIP conventions for new and evolving platform capabilities
• Contribute to the platform roadmap, accelerating development teams across broadband, video, mobile, and customer-support applications
• Lead design and delivery of complex features spanning multiple domains, services, and integration points across the omni-channel platform
• Establish and evolve service contracts, Protocol Buffer schemas, and platform standards for API development and code generation workflows
• Architect solutions that balance modern cloud-native capabilities across GCP, AWS, and private cloud environments with legacy system dependencies, including SOAP, GraphQL, and enterprise integration patterns
• Own technical decisions related to Cloud Spanner data modeling, Redis caching strategy, service boundaries, performance, and operational readiness
• Lead modernization initiatives and process improvement efforts that enhance platform architecture, reduce integration complexity, and accelerate migration toward gRPC-based service delivery
• Design and guide implementation of authentication, authorization, and secure service interaction patterns, including Azure AD, JWT, and custom IAM models where applicable
• Introduce capabilities to support effective release validation and experimentation across test populations
• Implement and leverage monitoring and observability tooling - such as Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk, and New Relic - to track key quality and operational metrics
• Analyze metrics to identify areas for improvement and leverage developer tools and test automation to transform software release processes
• Use prototypes and proof-of-concepts as primary tools for deep exploration of architecture and software designs
• Influence CI/CD, testing, deployment, and production support practices using GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, Terraform, Ansible, and Spacelift where relevant
• Design and guide data platform capabilities involving Apache Beam, Dataflow, Pub/Sub, and large-scale data synchronization patterns
• Contribute to a structured knowledge base that allows teams to create, maintain, and extend documentation for platform tools and processes
• Establish and gain acceptance for Key Results indicated by development pipeline and automation test frameworks
• Serve as a go-to advocate for platform engineering practices and continue to make Optimum a developer-friendly environment
• Mentor engineers across experience levels; lead design reviews, RFCs, and cross-team coordination for platform capabilities

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
• Minimum 7 years of software development engineering experience
• Expertise in programming languages such as Go, Python, or Java
• Deep experience with gRPC, Protocol Buffers, and API design using Google AIP or similar conventions
• Proficient in cloud environments including GCP, AWS, and private clouds
• In-depth understanding of software development methodologies and modern DevSecOps practices
• Production experience with distributed data stores such as Cloud Spanner, Pub/Sub, and Redis
• Proven experience implementing and optimizing CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitLab CI/CD, GitHub Actions)
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform and Ansible
• Proficiency in automating test cases (unit, functional, and end-to-end tests) using frameworks such as Selenium or Cypress
• Knowledgeable in monitoring and observability tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, and Splunk
• Familiarity with defect tracking systems such as JIRA
• Strong understanding of version control systems (Git)
• Hands-on experience with methodologies such as test-driven development (TDD), A/B testing, and continuous testing
• Demonstrated ability to lead process improvement initiatives and integrate meaningful testing metrics
• Solid grasp of software quality metrics, including defect rates and test coverage
• Experience in software architecture and design principles
• Capability to create proof-of-concept prototypes to validate technical solutions
• Skilled in collaborating with cross-functional teams to encourage tool and process adoption
• Strong analytical abilities for diagnosing and resolving technical challenges
• Passionate about fostering a developer-friendly environment and encouraging team collaboration
• Intuitive understanding of software design with a commitment to learning from diverse teams and projects
• Experience optimizing data formats and handling data locality for performance improvements
• Proven expertise in identifying and resolving performance and data-related issues
• Familiarity with AI tools and an AI-first mindset
• Contributed to creating and maintaining corporate technology policies

Preferred

• Telecom, cable, broadband, or mobile carrier domain experience
• Spacelift or GitOps experience for infrastructure and deployment automation
• Apache Beam and Dataflow pipeline development experience
• IAM and RBAC system design experience
• Familiarity with Google CEL rules engine or similar policy and eligibility frameworks
• Experience integrating modern services with legacy enterprise systems via SOAP, GraphQL, or similar protocols
• Experience with edge security and API gateway patterns such as Apigee and Cloud Armor

At Optimum, every action and interaction we take part in, is driven by our three Guiding Principles: Do What's Right, Drive One Optimum, and Make It Happen. These aren't just words, they help us build trust, create real community, and embrace new ways of thinking. Our employees are empowered to do the right thing for our customers and co-workers and to recognize and reward these behaviors when we see them. It's all part of the bigger picture of "Be The Difference" where each employee knows they have the power to enact real change, share new ideas, and understand that learning never stop.

If you have the drive to succeed and are ready to embark on a thrilling career, seize this opportunity today, and join our winning team. Together, we'll shape the future of connectivity.

All job descriptions and required skills, qualifications and responsibilities for a particular position are subject to modification by the Company from time to time, in the Company's discretion based on business necessity.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to recruiting, hiring and promoting qualified people of all backgrounds regardless of gender, race, color, creed, national origin, religion, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.

The Company collects personal information about its applicants for employment that may include personal identifiers, professional or employment related information, photos, education information and/or protected classifications under federal and state law. This information is collected for employment purposes, including identification, work authorization, FCRA-compliant background screening, human resource administration and compliance with federal, state and local law.

Applicants for employment with The Company will never be asked to provide money (even if reimbursable) as part of the job application or hiring process. Please review our Fraud FAQ for further details.

Pay is competitive and based on a number of job-related factors, including skills and experience. The starting pay rate/range at time of hire for this position in New York is $133,661.00 - $219,586.00 / year.

The starting payrate/range at time of hire for this position in Texas is $111,384.00 - $182,988.00 /year. For other locations, please inquire with your recruiter. The rates/ranges provided herein are the anticipated pay at the time of hire, and do not reflect future job opportunity.

We appreciate your interest in this opportunity. Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. Please note that at this time, we do not provide visa sponsorship for employment.