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Video Encoder Jobs in New York (NOW HIRING)

Senior Software Engineer

Manhattan, NY

$134K - $177K/yr

Our team is also in charge of managing services tasked with ingesting content into video cms, encoding, packaging with DRM, delivery and content distribution of premium content to millions of users ...

About the Role We're looking for a motivated Video Editor to help create storytelling-led, visually ... encode, and deliver final videos in multiple aspect ratios and codecs optimized for social and ...

Optimizing and improving video codec efficiency, encode rate control, speed, video, pre- and post-processing and error resilience * Debugging and diagnosing quality of end-to-end video experience on ...

The team manages services for content ingestion into the video CMS, encoding, DRM packaging, delivery, and content distribution to millions of users every day. The Role We are seeking a Senior ...

Video Editor - Freelance

Manhattan, NY ยท On-site

$125 - $150/hr

The video editor is someone who can always keep the bigger picture in mind while implementing notes ... Media Encoder, and Audition * Able to work within low budgets * Enthusiasm for educating about ...

Senior Hardware Engineer

Manhattan, NY ยท Hybrid

$165K - $210K/yr

Knowledge of audio/video encoder/decoders and interfaces * Experience in electromagnetic capability (EMC) testing and design * Knowledge of military certification/qualification testing * Experience ...

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Video Encoder information

Is encoding a hard job?

Video encoding can be technically demanding, requiring knowledge of codecs, formats, and encoding software. It often involves attention to detail and troubleshooting skills, especially when optimizing video quality and file size. The difficulty level varies based on the complexity of projects and experience with encoding tools like Adobe Media Encoder or HandBrake.

What are some common challenges a Video Encoder faces when working with large-scale video streaming platforms?

One of the main challenges Video Encoders encounter on large-scale streaming platforms is optimizing video quality while maintaining efficient compression to reduce bandwidth usage. Encoders must balance factors such as file size, resolution, and latency, particularly when handling live events or adaptive streaming. Additionally, staying current with evolving codecs and platform-specific requirements is essential, as well as troubleshooting encoding errors and ensuring compatibility across a wide range of devices. Collaboration with developers, content creators, and network engineers is often necessary to resolve issues and implement improvements.

What is the difference between Video Encoder vs Video Editor?

AspectVideo EncoderVideo Editor
Primary RoleConverts raw video files into compressed formats for distributionAssembles, trims, and enhances video footage for final production
Skills & CertificationsKnowledge of codecs, encoding software, and compression standardsProficiency in editing software like Adobe Premiere, Final Cut, and creative skills
Work EnvironmentTypically in post-production or broadcasting settingsIn film, TV, or digital media production environments
Industry UsageUsed by broadcasters, streaming services, and content creatorsUsed by filmmakers, video production companies, and content creators

While both roles involve working with video files, a Video Encoder focuses on compressing and converting videos for optimal playback and distribution, whereas a Video Editor is responsible for assembling and enhancing footage to create a polished final product. Understanding these differences helps in choosing the right career path or job role in the video production industry.

What does a video encoder do?

A video encoder converts raw video footage into compressed digital formats suitable for streaming, storage, or broadcasting. The role involves using encoding software or hardware to optimize video quality and file size, often requiring knowledge of codecs and video standards. Video encoders work in environments such as media production and broadcasting, and familiarity with tools like FFmpeg or Adobe Media Encoder is common.

Is coding required for encoder jobs?

Video encoder jobs typically do not require extensive coding skills, as they mainly involve operating encoding software and adjusting settings. However, some roles may benefit from basic scripting knowledge to automate tasks or customize workflows. Familiarity with encoding tools and standards is usually sufficient for most positions.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Video Encoder, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Video Encoder, you need a solid understanding of video formats, compression techniques, and digital media workflows, often supported by experience or a degree in media technology or a related field. Familiarity with encoding software like Adobe Media Encoder, FFmpeg, and media asset management systems is typically required. Strong attention to detail, problem-solving abilities, and effective communication are valuable soft skills in this role. These competencies are crucial to ensure high-quality video output, efficient workflow management, and seamless collaboration with production and post-production teams.

What are video encoders?

Video encoders are professionals or devices that convert raw video files into compressed digital formats suitable for streaming, broadcasting, or storage. They use specialized software or hardware to encode video data, reducing file size while maintaining visual quality. Video encoders optimize videos for different platforms, ensuring compatibility and efficient delivery. This role is essential in media production, live streaming, and post-production workflows.

What is an encoder job salary?

The salary for a video encoder typically ranges from $30,000 to $70,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and the complexity of encoding tasks. Skilled encoders with knowledge of video compression tools and standards may earn higher wages, especially in specialized or senior roles.
Infographic showing various Video Encoder job openings in New York as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 70% Full Time, 10% Part Time, and 20% Contract. Highlights an 70% In-person, 20% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution.

Research Scientist, Video Understanding & World Models

Mecka AI

New York, NY โ€ข On-site

$200K - $250K/yr

Full-time

Posted 25 days ago


Job description

About Mecka AI
Mecka AI is building the data infrastructure layer for robotics and embodied AI.
We partner with leading AI labs and robotics companies to deliver high-quality, real-world datasets used to train, evaluate, and deploy robotic systems. Our work sits directly between research, data, and real-world execution - where model performance is dictated by data quality.
Our Mission
Robotics will become the largest industry in human history - larger than anything that has come before it. As intelligent machines move into the physical world, they will dramatically expand global GDP, raise the material standard of living for everyone, and ultimately help make humanity a multiplanetary civilization. None of that happens without one thing: enormous amounts of high-quality, real-world data.
Mecka AI builds that foundation. We are the data infrastructure layer for robotics and embodied AI - the substrate that teaches machines to perceive, reason, and act in reality. Get this right, and we accelerate the most important technological transition of our time.
Our Culture
  • Excellence as the baseline. We hold an extremely high bar and expect the best work of your career. Mediocrity isn't interesting to us.
  • Highly technical. We reason from first principles, not by analogy. The best argument wins - regardless of title or tenure.
  • Truth-seeking. We are relentlessly honest with ourselves and each other. We chase reality - measured, not assumed - and kill our own bad ideas fast.
  • Maniacal urgency. The work matters and the clock is real. We move fast, ship, measure, and iterate.
  • Extreme ownership. You own outcomes end-to-end - no hand-offs, no excuses, no waiting for permission.
  • Hardcore. This is a high-intensity environment for people who want to do the defining work of their lives.
The Role
We are looking for a Research Scientist, Video Understanding to own Mecka's video understanding agenda end-to-end: train large-scale video representation and video-language models on our egocentric + stereo corpus, and turn the resulting checkpoints into production signals the rest of the stack ships on.
This role is focused on large model training, video encoders, video-language models, VLMs/VLAs, and temporal representation learning on real-world robotics data.
What You'll Work On
Large-Scale Training & Architecture
  • Own model architecture and training strategy across Mecka's task families (manipulation, locomotion, daily activity, long-horizon behavior).
  • Run self-supervised and multimodal pretraining (VideoMAE / VJEPA / VideoPrism / InternVideo-class) with rigorous evals and clean ablations.
Video-Language & Multimodal Modeling
  • Train and fine-tune video encoders and video-language models (temporal transformers, joint-embedding models, contrastive objectives, masked modeling, instruction/video alignment).
  • Incorporate useful priors (pose, depth, camera motion, optical flow) when it improves representation quality.
Research โ†’ Production Signals
  • Turn checkpoints into usable artifacts: embeddings and model outputs that downstream systems can reliably consume (retrieval, labeling, QA, analytics).
  • Build a disciplined training + eval workflow with regression tracking and reproducible runs.
Who You Are
Required Background
  • Deep experience training large models in PyTorch (or equivalent), including multi-GPU or distributed training.
  • Strong understanding of modern video representation learning and/or multimodal modeling.
  • Ability to run rigorous experiments and communicate results clearly.
  • Warning: Research Scientist positions require hyper-specific expertise. Please limit your applications to one research role. Applying to multiple Research Scientist positions suggests a lack of focus and may result in the rejection of all submissions. You may, however, apply to other non-research roles alongside your research application.

Strong Signals:
  • Experience with video VLMs / VLA-adjacent systems (VideoCLIP, InstructBLIP-Video, LLaVA-Video-class).
  • Experience with egocentric / embodied datasets (Ego4D, EgoExo4D, EPIC-Kitchens, Something-Something).
  • Strong software engineering discipline: you write research code that can be shipped.
Why This Role
  • Work on a domain - egocentric embodied video - where data is scarce everywhere except here.
  • Own a research agenda that directly feeds production systems and product outcomes.