Team Red Dog is seeking a Media Codec Telemetry & Validation Engineer to support a Fortune 100 technology leader advancing the reliability and quality of Windows media experiences at global scale. This onsite role (Redmond, WA) is ideal for an engineer who thrives at the intersection of video codecs, hardware validation, and telemetry, owning the signals and tests that determine when media features ship—or stop. If you are passionate about codec quality, real-hardware validation, and turning telemetry into actionable insight, this role offers direct, measurable impact on products used by billions.
Top Required Skills (Must Haves):
1. Codec & Media Pipeline Expertise — 4–6 years - Experience with video and image codecs such as H.264, HEVC, and AV1 across encode and decode paths. Strong understanding of codec profiles and color formats (8/10-bit, 4:2:0, 4:2:2, 4:4:4), failure modes, and performance behaviors within real-world media pipelines.
2. Video Feature Test Development on Real Hardware — 3–5 years - Hands-on experience designing and writing video validation tests that confirm hardware devices (GPU, SoC, accelerator) correctly support specific codec features or capabilities, including: Crafting functional validation tests/Verifying hardware feature enablement/Confirming decoding and encoding behavior/Validating performance and correctness on real devices
3. Telemetry / Observability Engineering — 4+ years - Proven experience instrumenting systems, defining telemetry events and schemas, analyzing large datasets, and building dashboards that transform raw signals into meaningful reliability, quality, and regression insights.
Opportunity Overview:
This role is a unique opportunity to own and evolve the telemetry and validation signals that gate codec quality across Windows. You will expand profile-level visibility for modern codecs, strengthen HLK encoder coverage, and integrate MVHV scenarios to reduce hardware partner friction. Your work directly influences driver readiness, codec reliability, and the confidence with which new media features ship.
How you will make an impact:
The expertise you bring:
What makes a candidate highly successful in this role:
Highly successful candidates naturally connect codec behavior, telemetry signals, and validation coverage. They proactively identify blind spots, design instrumentation or tests to close those gaps, and translate complex data into clear, actionable insights that improve reliability and partner outcomes.
Why Work with Team Red Dog?
At Team Red Dog, people are at the heart of everything we do. Our commitment to personalized service and our deep experience in matching talented professionals with meaningful roles at some of the world’s most inspiring companies is what sets us apart. We take the time to understand your unique skills, strengths, and passions—because we believe your career should reflect who you are.
Whether you're looking to grow, pivot, or simply find a place where your work truly matters, we offer opportunities that empower you to make a positive impact. With excellent benefits, a supportive team, and a role where you can thrive while doing what you love, we’re here to help you take the next step with confidence. Join us—and discover what it means to be genuinely valued in your career.
Generous benefits package for qualified employees includes:
• Health insurance (medical, dental, vision, and life)
• Employer-matched 401K plan
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays
• Profit sharing
Estimated Start Date: Immediately
Location: Onsite, Redmond, WA
Job #: 2442
Job Type and Estimated Duration: W2/Contract, through 6/30/2026, extension possible
Rate: $66–$73/hr
Team Red Dog is committed to providing equal opportunities to everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic. If you need accommodation during the recruitment process, reach out to hr@teamreddog.com, and we will work to ensure an accessible experience. We strictly adhere to federal, state, and local laws to maintain a workplace free from discrimination and harassment.
We offer competitive compensation aligned with U.S. industry standards, and our final offer will reflect the candidate’s location, job-specific skills, experience, and knowledge.
• All applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for sponsorship.
• Team Red Dog is an E-Verify employer.
• Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a reference and background check.
• Please no solicitations from C2C or recruiting firms.