OTT Live Video Engineer, YouTube

As an OTT Live Video Engineer at YouTube, your primary responsibilities include providing integration assistance for network and software buildouts to support a globally scaled live streaming platform. You'll collaborate with content companies and third-party aggregators to ensure premium live content is ingested effectively. Automating onboarding processes and enhancing metrics for stream quality will also be significant parts of your role.

To qualify for the OTT Live Video Engineer position at YouTube, you need a bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience, along with a minimum of 9 years of experience in architecting and implementing networks for high-bandwidth applications focused on video streaming. Further, experience in managing infrastructure build-outs and automating network configurations will set you apart.

The OTT Live Video Engineer role plays a crucial part in YouTube's mission by ensuring that the technologies and processes behind live video streaming are not only functional but optimized for quality and reliability. This helps in delivering a rich viewing experience to users while supporting the platform's goal of sharing stories and connecting communities.

Essential skills for an OTT Live Video Engineer at YouTube include a strong foundation in video streaming technologies, network troubleshooting, and the ability to work with cross-functional teams. Additionally, experience in cloud migrations and workflow automation are beneficial, allowing for scalable solutions in a fast-paced environment.

As an OTT Live Video Engineer at YouTube, you can expect extensive collaboration with software engineering teams, content partners, and cross-functional business groups. This role encourages teamwork to drive innovative solutions and enhance how live content is ingested, processed, and delivered.

When designing live media workflows, I focus on understanding both the technical requirements and the user experience. I start by analyzing content ingestion and processing needs, then I work on creating efficient metadata handling and distribution strategies that ensure reliable delivery during peak times.

For troubleshooting video streaming systems, I employ a systematic approach: first, I identify the problem area—be it transport issues, quality degradation, or equipment failures. I then leverage logging and monitoring tools to gather data, followed by a step-by-step diagnostic process to pinpoint and resolve the issue efficiently.

Once, I encountered latency issues during a live event due to network congestion. I quickly collaborated with network engineers to analyze the traffic patterns and implemented compression techniques along with adaptive bitrate streaming, which significantly improved the user experience during the event.

I regularly follow industry leaders and forums, attend webinars and conferences, and participate in online courses. This helps me keep up with the latest trends and technologies in video streaming, enabling me to apply cutting-edge solutions in my work.

Critical metrics for monitoring stream quality include startup time, buffering ratio, and bitrate consistency. I also focus on user feedback metrics such as viewer drop-off rates and engagement levels, as they inform overall service quality from the viewer's perspective.

My experience with cloud migrations includes assessing existing infrastructure, planning the migration process, and implementing a multi-step transition to a cloud environment. I ensure minimal downtime and thorough testing to confirm that performance meets or exceeds pre-migration standards.

When facing tight deadlines, I prioritize tasks based on their impact on overall project goals. I break larger tasks into smaller, manageable parts and focus on critical deliverables first, ensuring that I communicate effectively with my team to align on priorities.

Collaboration is crucial in my engineering process. Engaging with diverse teams allows for the exchange of ideas and perspectives, leading to innovative solutions. I actively participate in team meetings, utilize collaborative tools, and build relationships that facilitate open communication.

To ensure the security and reliability of video streaming infrastructures, I implement secure access protocols, conduct regular security audits, and use encryption for data in transit. Additionally, I design redundancy measures to safeguard against potential failures in the system.

I find that Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform are very effective for deployment automation. Combined with CI/CD pipelines, they enable streamlined, repeatable deployments, reducing the margin for human error and significantly speeding up the development process.