Principal Software Engineer

Kargo; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 290,000; Full time

Job summary

Kargo is seeking a Principal Engineer for Surface Ad Delivery to own the technical strategy and architecture of our ad serving infrastructure behind the programmatic platform at scale.

The role oversees full-stack responsibilities across real-time bidding, partner integrations, inventory expansion, and delivery across web, mobile, and DOOH, driving multi-year technical direction and high-impact delivery.

Responsibilities

• Delivered architectural initiatives across multiple teams from strategy to production
• Set technical direction for ad delivery to stay ahead of industry shifts with measurable impact
• Became the go-to expert on SSP architecture and real-time bidding decisions
• Mentored staff and senior engineers to raise technical capabilities and promotions
• Drove adoption of new technologies and patterns from POC to production across teams
• Provided strategic technical leadership across cross-system initiatives
• Built multi-year technology strategy for critical business areas
• Made high-stakes technical decisions balancing business needs and engineering excellence
• Influenced peers through credible demonstrations of new approaches
• Resolved complex multi-team challenges and established reusable standards
• Sustained high-impact delivery across programs and teams
• Delivered well-tested code with recovery plans for issues
• Developed technical talent with measurable growth outcomes
• Enhanced engineering practices through code reviews and knowledge sharing

Job description

• The Principal Engineer for Surface Ad Delivery (SAD) owns the technical strategy and architecture for the ad serving infrastructure behind Kargo’s programmatic platform at scale


• The SAD team carries full-stack responsibility for real-time bidding, partner integrations, exclusive inventory expansion, proprietary ad formats, and delivery across web, mobile, and DOOH


• When this role is firing on all cylinders, the platform is positioned ahead of industry and scaling shifts, the hardest architectural problems have a clear owner, and the team is building on patterns set years before the rest of the market catches up


• Outcomes — What Success Looks Like in 6–12 Months


• Delivered a cross-team architectural initiative. Designed and shipped at least one major system or architectural change spanning multiple teams, carried from strategy through production rollout and adoption


• Set the technical direction for ad delivery. Anticipated industry standards, programmatic shifts, and scaling demands, and repositioned the platform ahead of the curve with measurable business impact


• Became the recognized authority on ad serving. Established as the org’s go-to expert on SSP architecture and real-time bidding decisions, and a trusted advisor to engineering leadership on high-stakes calls


• Raised the technical bar across the department. Mentored Staff and Senior Engineers with measurable impact on their growth and promotion readiness, creating capability that outlasts individual projects


• Drove org-wide adoption of new practices. Moved new technologies, patterns, or standards from POC to production across multiple teams, improving quality, scalability, or velocity beyond a single team


• Strategic technical leadership


• Builds multi-year technology strategy for business-critical areas that cross multiple systems and teams


• Makes high-stakes, long-horizon technical decisions and is trusted to balance business needs against technical excellence


• Influence without authority


• Drives adoption of new technologies and patterns through demonstration and credibility, not mandate


• Resolves the most complex challenges that span multiple teams or product areas, and establishes standards others choose to follow


• Sustained high-impact delivery


• Carries complex, multi-team initiatives from concept to production and across the finish line


• Ships code that’s well-reasoned and tested, with a clear recovery plan when things go wrong


• Developer of technical talent


• Mentors Staff and Senior Engineers with measurable impact on their growth and promotion readiness


• Raises the bar through code reviews, architectural guidance, and knowledge sharing that becomes a force multiplier