Principal Software Engineer, Ads Platform

Snap Inc.; Bellevue (WA); On-site; USD 235,000 - 414,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity eligibility (RSUs)

Paid parental leave

Comprehensive medical coverage

Flexible work arrangements

Job summary

A leading social media company is searching for a seasoned technical leader to develop innovative advertising solutions. This role demands over 10 years of software development experience, with a focus on building backend infrastructure. Collaboration across teams will be key to deliver high-quality products and ensure operational excellence. The company offers a comprehensive benefits package and a competitive salary ranging based on location, with salaries reaching up to $414,000 in certain zones.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of post-Bachelor’s software development experience.
• Experience in technical leadership, setting technical direction for projects.
• Strong ability to solve ambiguous problems.

Responsibilities

• Build ads formats and backend infrastructure to deliver value for advertisers.
• Work end-to-end across new ads product ideas and solutions.
• Provide technical direction that influences the entire company.

Skills

Programming and software design

Debugging

Performance analysis

Test design

Collaboration

Mentorship

Ads domain expertise

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a technical field

Job description

Responsibilities

• Build the next generation ads formats and backend infrastructure and solutions to deliver more clicks, conversions, and value for advertisers.
• Work end‑to‑end across new ads product, format ideas, or infrastructure ideas, including experimentation, analysis, and optimization.
• Collaborate across teams to understand product requirements, evaluate trade‑offs, and deliver solutions for innovative products or services.
• Advocate for and apply best practices related to availability, scalability, operational excellence, and cost management.
• Provide technical direction that influences the entire company.
• Collaborate across teams to deliver solutions needed to support Snap’s performance advertising suite.
• Provide technical influence that spans the entire company.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Excellent programming and software design skills, including debugging, performance analysis, and test design.
• Proven track record of operating highly‑available systems at scale.
• Ability to proactively learn new concepts and technologies and apply them at work.
• Skilled at solving ambiguous problems.
• Strong collaboration and mentorship skills.
• Ads domain expertise and a strong interest in Ads.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field such as computer science, mathematics, statistics, or equivalent years of experience.
• 10+ years of post‑Bachelor’s software development experience; or a Master’s degree + 9+ years of post‑grad experience; or a PhD + 6+ years of post‑grad experience.
• 2+ years of experience with technical leadership or acting as the domain expert in a technical organization.
• Experience in technical leadership/ownership and setting technical direction for engineering projects.
• Experience architecting, designing, and developing distributed systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in technical leadership/ownership and setting technical direction for engineering projects.
• Proven track record of delivering large‑scale projects in attribution and measurement.
• Experience operating highly‑available systems at significant scale.
• Experience with backend services or distributed systems.
• Ads domain experience.

EEO Statement

Snap is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected classification, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. EOE, including disability/vets.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law (e.g., the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, where applicable).

Benefits & Compensation

• Base salary range depends on location: Zone A – $276,000–$414,000; Zone B – $262,000–$393,000; Zone C – $235,000–$352,000 (US).
• Potential eligibility for equity (RSUs).
• Paid parental leave, comprehensive medical coverage, and emotional/mental health support programs.
• Other benefits include flexible work arrangements and long‑term incentive programs.