Lead Software Engineer

Lead Software Engineer - WebParamount is looking for a Lead Software Engineer to join our Web Engineering organization. In this role, you'll own the technical direction and delivery of frontend experiences across Paramount+ and the other brands we support. You'll lead a team of engineers, drive execution on high-impact projects, and raise the bar on code quality, performance, and developer experience — all while shipping features that millions of users interact with every day. This is a hands-on leadership role. You'll spend meaningful time in the codebase while also mentoring engineers, unblocking teams, and partnering closely with Product, Design, and Backend Engineering to deliver great user experiences. If you thrive at the intersection of technical depth and people leadership, this role is for you.Responsibilities:Lead the technical planning, execution, and delivery of frontend features for Paramount+ and Pluto.tv web applicationsBuild and maintain high-quality React and Next.js applications with a focus on performance, reliability, and scalabilityOwn and evolve frontend architecture decisions — component design, data fetching patterns, state management, and rendering strategiesDevelop and maintain a GraphQL API layer (Apollo Server) consumed by multiple frontend applicationsContribute to and steward shared packages across a monorepo (pnpm workspaces, Turborepo)Lead and mentor a team of engineers — provide technical guidance, conduct code reviews, and foster a culture of continuous improvementDrive web performance optimization across the application, with a focus on Core Web Vitals, critical rendering path, and perceived load timesWork with personalization and engagement teams to ship real-time recommendations, personalized artwork, sign-up flow optimization, and short-form video experiences across Paramount+ and Pluto.tv web surfacesPartner with Product and Design to translate requirements into well-scoped, well-executed technical solutionsCollaborate with Backend Engineering and DevOps/SRE teams to build and deploy high-performing servicesContinuously improve CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins), testing infrastructure, and developer toolingChampion the adoption of modern AI-powered development tools and workflows to accelerate team velocity and code qualityCommunicate tradeoffs, technical decisions, and project status clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholdersWrite things down — RFCs, ADRs, Confluence pages, Slack threads — and default to async communication that scalesBasic Qualifications:7+ years of experience in web application development2+ years of experience in a technical leadership or lead engineer roleBS degree in Computer Science, a similar technical field of study, or equivalent applicable experienceDeep knowledge of web application development, best practices, and modern frontend architectureDeep knowledge of Object Oriented Programming and Design, data structures, and algorithmsExpert-level JavaScript/TypeScript, CSS, Sass, HTMLStrong experience building production applications with React (including SSR) and Next.js or similar frameworksSolid understanding of GraphQL — schema design, resolvers, federationFamiliarity with monorepo tooling (pnpm workspaces, Turborepo or equivalent)Deep understanding of web performance, browser rendering, Core Web Vitals, and the critical rendering pathExperience with Webpack, Rspack, and/or TurbopackStrong testing discipline — Jest, Cypress, or equivalentGood understanding of protocol and caching layersSolid knowledge of the HTML DOM and Event APIsDemonstrated ability to lead engineers, make architectural decisions, and communicate design concepts clearly — in writing, design reviews, and real-time discussions with engineers at all levelsExperience using modern AI agents and tools (e.g., Copilot, Claude, Cursor) to improve personal and team productivityAdditional Qualifications:Familiarity with micro-frontend architectures, multi-zones, or platform/design system integrationExperience with microservices and distributed systemsExperience with GraphQL, PHPExperience with E2E testing frameworks — Cypress, Synergy, or similarWorking knowledge of Docker and CI toolsObservability experience (New Relic, Datadog, or similar)Understanding or experience with Atomic Design conceptsYou've integrated recommendation or personalization APIs into production frontend applicationsYou've worked with streaming event pipelines or real-time decisioning systemsTrack record of inspiring and coaching engineers to adopt AI-powered tools and workflows, maximizing team efficiencyEagerness to collaborate with Product and Design to ensure a high standard of UXPassion for delivering without compromising standardsHumility to speak up when lacking knowledge or experience in an areaExperience working asynchronously across time zones