Principal Software Engineer, Ads Platform

Snap Inc.; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 276,000 - 414,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid parental leave

Comprehensive medical coverage

Mental health support programs

Equity in the form of RSUs

Job summary

Snap Inc. is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to join their Ads Platform team. This role is crucial for building innovative ads formats and backend solutions while ensuring the scalability and operational excellence of systems.

The ideal candidate will have a strong programming background, with at least 10 years of experience in software development and technical leadership. Snap offers a competitive salary range based on location and qualifications, along with various benefits.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of post-Bachelor’s software development experience.
• 2+ years of technical leadership experience.
• Experience in architecting and developing distributed systems.

Responsibilities

• Build next generation ads formats and backend infrastructure.
• Support Snap’s performance advertising suite.
• Provide technical direction that influences the entire company.

Skills

Programming skills

Debugging

Performance analysis

Test design

Collaboration skills

Ads domain expertise

Technical leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Job description

We’re looking for a Principal Software Engineer to join the Ads Platform team at Snap.

What you’ll do:

• Build the next generation ads formats and backend infrastructure and solutions to deliver more clicks and conversion and value for advertisers.
• Work end-to-end across innovating new ads product, format ideas, or infrastructure ideas experimentation, analysis and optimization.
• Work across teams to understand product requirements, evaluate trade-offs, and deliver the solutions needed to build innovative products or services.
• Advocate for and apply best practices in availability, scalability, operational excellence, and cost management.
• Provide technical direction that influences the entire company.
• Support Snap’s performance advertising suite through cross-team collaboration.
• Leverage AI tools and high‑velocity engineering workflows to design and ship scalable services while upholding rigorous standards for code correctness, security, and production‑ready quality.

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 technology and apply them at work.
• Skilled at solving ambiguous problems.
• Strong collaboration and mentorship skills.
• Ads domain expertise and a strong interest in Ads.
• Adaptability in learning and applying evolving AI systems and tools.

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; or a PhD + 6+ years.
• 2+ years of experience with technical leadership or acting as a domain expert to 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.

Accommodation Statement:

We provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities upon request.

Benefits:

Paid parental leave, comprehensive medical coverage, emotional and mental health support programs, and compensation packages that enable sharing in Snap’s long‑term success.

Compensation:

In the United States, work location determines the salary range for this position. Starting pay will be based on skills, experience, qualifications, location, and market conditions. The position may be eligible for equity in the form of RSUs.

Zone A (CA, WA, NYC): $276,000–$414,000 annually.

Zone B: $262,000–$393,000 annually.

Zone C: $235,000–$352,000 annually.

Equal Opportunity & Diversity:

Snap is an equal‑opportunity employer. We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable laws. We provide employment opportunities regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, gender identity, sexual orientation, veteran status, age, or other protected classifications. EOE, including disability/vets.