Senior Software Engineer, Ad Auctions

Roku; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mental health support

Financial wellness resources

Healthcare benefits

401(k)/pension options

Job summary

Roku, based in Leeds, is seeking a talented professional to lead the design and implementation of real-time ads auction systems. The perfect candidate will have 5+ years of experience in large-scale distributed systems, cloud platforms, and microservices with Java. You will work closely with engineering and product teams, building innovative solutions that enhance the ad auction marketplace. The role offers hybrid work arrangements and comprehensive benefits to support employee well-being.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience building large-scale distributed systems.
• 5+ years working with cloud-based platforms and infrastructure.
• Deep experience in building microservices using Java for container platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of real-time ads auction systems.
• Enhance core auction capabilities like bid evaluation and pricing.
• Build distributed services serving billions of ad opportunities.

Skills

Large-scale distributed systems

Cloud-based platforms

Microservices using Java

Databases SQL and NoSQL

AWS or GCP

REST, WebSockets, HTTPS, JSON, Protobuf

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Science

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Teamwork makes the stream work.

Roku is changing how the world watches TV

Roku is the #1 TV streaming platform in the U.S., Canada, 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

The Advertising Performance group focuses on performance for all participants in the Advertising ecosystem - Advertisers, Publishers and Roku. The systems and solutions span across different disciplines and technologies to perform real-time multi-objective optimization with distributed systems at large scale and low latencies. We use Machine Learning, Reinforcement Learning, AI, Control and Optimization Systems and Auction Dynamics to solve a large set of complex problems. At the core of this is our Machine Learning, Experimentation and Inference Platform that powers the entire landscape which we continuously evolve over time.

About the role

In this role you will build teams focused on the Ads Auction and Marketplace to optimize yield, gross profit, perform real-time multi-objective optimization across various short and long term objectives, build control and simulation systems, design and run experiments and extend the experimentation framework.

You will partner closely with other Engineering, Inventory and Product teams to define the vision and strategy for your group and to build and deliver the roadmap.

What you’ll be doing

• Lead the design, implementation, and evolution of real-time ads auction systems powering Roku’s CTV advertising across The Roku Channel and the Roku platform.
• Own and enhance core auction capabilities including ad pod construction, bid evaluation, ranking, pricing, pacing, budget enforcement, and frequency capping.
• Build low-latency, highly reliable distributed services that operate at massive scale, serving billions of ad opportunities with strict latency and uptime requirements.
• Design auction logic that balances viewer experience (ad load, relevance, repetition) with advertiser performance, publisher yield, and platform revenue.
• Develop and optimize SSP-side auction mechanisms, integrating with multiple DSPs, programmatic demand sources, and direct-sold campaigns.
• Partner closely with product managers, data science, ads research teams to translate marketplace and monetization goals into scalable technical solutions.
• Drive yield optimization through auction design, demand shaping, floor strategies, and pricing experiments.
• Lead experimentation using A/B testing, auction simulations, and offline replay frameworks, and make data-driven decisions based on performance metrics and statistical rigor.
• Ensure auction correctness, fairness, explainability, and transparency, while maintaining compliance with privacy, regulatory, and brand-safety requirements.
• Influence the long-term technical roadmap for Roku Ads by proposing architecture improvements, scalability strategies, and performance optimizations.

We are excited if you have

• 5+ years of experience building large-scale distributed systems
• 5+ years working with cloud-based platforms and infrastructure
• Deep experience in building microservices using Java for container platforms such as Docker or Kubernetes
• Solid understanding of databases SQL and NoSQL
• Hands-on Experience working with AWS, GCP or similar cloud services
• Experience with a breadth of protocols and data formats such as REST, WebSockets, HTTPS, JSON, and Protobuf
• Demonstrated ability to drive timely consensus in design with other senior team members
• Bachelors or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent

Our Hybrid Work Approach

Roku fosters an inclusive and collaborative environment where teams work in the office Monday through Thursday. Fridays are flexible for remote work except for employees whose roles are required to be in the office five days a week or employees who are in offices with a five day in office policy.

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). Employees are supported in taking time off, in accordance with local leave policies and other personal needs to support their evolving work and life needs. Not every benefit is available in all locations or for every role; for details specific to your location, please consult with your recruiter.

Accommodations

Roku welcomes applicants of all backgrounds and provides reasonable accommodations and adjustments in accordance with applicable law. If you require reasonable accommodation at any point in the hiring process, please direct your inquiries to [e-mail].