Senior Computational Linguist

Teamwork makes the stream work.

Roku is changing how the world watches TV

Roku is the #1 TV streaming platform in the US and Mexico, and we've set our sights on powering every television in the world. Roku pioneered streaming to the TV. Our mission is to be the TV streaming platform that connects the entire TV ecosystem. We connect consumers to the content they love, enable content publishers to build and monetize large audiences, and provide advertisers unique capabilities to engage consumers.

From your first day at Roku, you'll make a valuable - and valued - contribution. We're a fast-growing public company where no one is a bystander. We offer you the opportunity to delight millions of TV streamers around the world while gaining meaningful experience across a variety of disciplines.

About the team

With so many people using our products globally, we’ve become well-known for products that “just work” right out of the box and integrate almost by magic. That doesn’t happen by accident, which is why we are committed to making sure our products aren’t just intuitive, they’re obvious. To support that commitment, the Roku Voice team focuses on allowing users to launch channels, search for movies, TV shows, and music, discover new content, and control their TVs and Smart Home devices with natural spoken requests.

Our goal is to help people find what they want and make it easier for people to stream. We accomplish this using state-of-the-art technology and engineering to make it happen, with consideration for the customer as the center of all that we do.

About the role

We are looking for a top-notch Sr. Computational Linguist who is passionate about using language data and modeling to help our users connect effortlessly to Roku content and functionality. In this role, you will have the opportunity to analyze data from our users around the world and incorporate your insights into our products.      

You will be joining a talented, high-performance team with a history of delivery. We are looking for someone who can help us keep up this pace and continue delivering high quality as we grow.

What you’ll be doing

• You will develop models to extend voice support to new Roku features and across languages internationally
• You will collect and analyze spoken and written language data to improve our models, capturing a wide variety of expressions in rule-based or machine-learned systems
• You will maintain our existing systems, recognizing issues and applying the right tools to debug and solve problems

We’re excited if you have

• Master’s or Ph.D. degree in Linguistics, Computer Science, or related field
• Proficiency in at least one non-English language, ideally at the native or near non-native competence level, with Spanish, Portuguese, French or German preferred
• At least two years of experience with spoken natural language applications
• Solid knowledge of core linguistics: semantics, syntax, morphology, phonology, phonetics, discourse, and dialogue
• Experience with rule-based grammars and machine learning for NLP
• Practical experience with cleaning, manipulating, and analyzing large natural language data sets
• Experience with scripting languages, preferably Python
• Experience with version control and collaborative software development
• Experience creating and adapting database queries in SQL

Benefits

Roku is committed to offering a diverse range of benefits as part of our compensation package to support our employees and their families. Our comprehensive benefits include global access to mental health and financial wellness support and resources. Local benefits include statutory and voluntary benefits which may include healthcare (medical, dental, and vision), life, accident, disability, commuter, and retirement options (401(k)/pension). Our employees can take time off work for vacation and other personal reasons to balance their evolving work and life needs. It's important to note that not every benefit is available in all locations or for every role. For details specific to your location, please consult with your recruiter.

The Roku Culture

Roku is a great place for people who want to work in a fast-paced environment where everyone is focused on the company's success rather than their own. We try to surround ourselves with people who are great at their jobs, who are easy to work with, and who keep their egos in check. We appreciate a sense of humor. We believe a fewer number of very talented folks can do more for less cost than a larger number of less talented teams. We're independent thinkers with big ideas who act boldly, move fast and accomplish extraordinary things through collaboration and trust. In short, at Roku you'll be part of a company that's changing how the world watches TV. 

We have a unique culture that we are proud of. We think of ourselves primarily as problem-solvers, which itself is a two-part idea. We come up with the solution, but the solution isn't real until it is built and delivered to the customer. That penchant for action gives us a pragmatic approach to innovation, one that has served us well since 2002. 

To learn more about Roku, our global footprint, and how we've grown, visit https://www.weareroku.com/factsheet.

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