Senior Backend Software Engineer

Chicory; United States; Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive healthcare (dental + VIs

Flexible PTO

14 paid holidays

One Medical membership

ClassPass membership

Learning & development stipend

Flexible remote/hybrid work style

Dog-friendly office in NYC

Stock options

FSA + HSA

401k

Commuter benefits

Pet insurance

Job summary

Chicory is seeking a Senior Software Engineer, Backend in a collaborative, fast-paced environment in NYC with flexible remote/hybrid options. You will lead backend architecture, drive programmatic advertising initiatives, and shape scalable systems that power ad delivery and marketplace dynamics.

Expect to mentor engineers, own critical components, and push for reliability and performance. The role demands deep expertise in distributed systems, OpenRTB, and cross-functional collaboration with

Qualifications

• 7+ years of backend software engineering experience.
• 2+ years in programmatic advertising systems (SSPs/DSPs/auctions).
• Experience with OpenRTB and ad-tech protocols.
• Ability to influence roadmaps and drive cross-team alignment.
• Strong instrumentation, monitoring, and performance analysis.

Responsibilities

• Lead backend architecture and initiatives across Chicory’s platform.
• Design and optimize high-throughput, latency-sensitive systems.
• Mentor engineers and enforce coding standards.
• Collaborate with Product, Campaign Management, and stakeholders.
• Perform rigorous code reviews and drive reliability.

Skills

OpenRTB

Programmatic advertising

Distributed systems

Backend architecture

Code reviews

Mentorship

Performance optimization

Tools

OpenRTB

Ad exchanges

Auction systems

APIs

Job description

• As our Senior Software Engineer, Backend, you’ll have the opportunity to shape the technology behind a rapidly evolving adtech company. You’ll tackle complex, high-impact engineering challenges where strong technical judgment can meaningfully influence the scalability of our platform, the performance of our products, and the growth of the business
• You’ll have the autonomy to make an impact while partnering closely with a talented, collaborative team that values thoughtful engineering, continuous learning, and building things the right way
• Lead backend architecture and strategic engineering initiatives across Chicory’s programmatic advertising platform, including ad serving, OpenRTB, SSP/DSP integrations, auction systems, identity and signal flows, and related backend services
• Independently drive complex backend projects from concept through delivery, , balancing scalability, reliability, performance, and maintainability while meeting high technical standards
• Serve as a technical subject-matter expert on programmatic advertising and translate industry standards and emerging technologies into engineering decisions
• Design, implement, and troubleshoot integrations with SSPs, DSPs, exchanges, and other external advertising platforms
• Optimize high-throughput, latency-sensitive systems, including auction and ad-serving workflows, while maintaining reliability and scalability
• Mentor backend engineers, fostering technical growth and a culture of engineering excellence within the team
• Proactively identify architectural improvements, performance optimizations, and system enhancements
• Trace and optimize the end-to-end lifecycle of an ad opportunity across Chicory’s backend systems and external programmatic partners
• Engage closely with Engineering, Product, Campaign Management, and other stakeholders to align technical solutions with business objectives
• Conduct rigorous code reviews, establishing and enforcing standards of high-quality software development
• Innovate on backend tooling, infrastructure automation, and process improvements to optimize engineering productivity
• Collaborate cross-functionally to ensure backend solutions integrate seamlessly across the broader technology ecosystem
• Champion best practices in software design, performance engineering, and reliability engineering
• Monitor developments in programmatic advertising standards, protocols, identity solutions, and industry practices and translate relevant changes into technical strategy
• Build upon team and company culture and act as a champion of the Chicory Principles

Benefits

• Comprehensive healthcare benefits, including dental + vision plans
• Flexible paid time off policy for vacation, sick days, mental health days, and more!
• 14 paid holidays + flexibility to take paid time off for any other holidays you observe
• Employer-paid membership to One Medical
• Free ClassPass membership
• Annual learning & development stipend
• Flexible remote and hybrid work style arrangements
• Fun and friendly office in NYC stocked with free snacks
• Virtual and in-person outings and fun activities with our amazing team
• Dog-friendly workplace
• Competitive compensation package, including base salary + stock options
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) + Health Spending Account (HSA)
• 401k retirement plan
• Commuter benefits
• Discounted pet insurance

This is a highly visible role for an engineer who enjoys solving ambiguous problems, owning meaningful technical decisions, and raising the bar for the people around themAbility to connect engineering decisions to business outcomes such as revenue, ad delivery, reach, and customer needs, and communicate effectively with Product and non-technical stakeholdersProven ability to design, build, and operate high-throughput, latency-sensitive distributed systems at scale, with strong instincts for service boundaries, API design, asynchronous processing, and failure modes7+ years of professional backend software engineering experience, including 2+ years working directly on programmatic advertising systems such as SSPs, DSPs, ad exchanges, ad servers, or header bidding solutionsHands-on experience with OpenRTB and the mechanics of programmatic auctions, including bid request/response flows, timeouts, floor pricing, and deal typesDemonstrated ability to independently investigate ambiguous problems across multiple services, identify root causes, and evaluate solution tradeoffsTrack record of improving system performance and reliability through effective instrumentation, monitoring, load testing, and performance analysis (e.g., reducing latency, error rates, or improving availability)Experience leading major technical initiatives from architecture through production delivery, including influencing technical roadmaps and driving cross-team alignmentStrong mentorship and knowledge-sharing skills, with a history of raising the technical bar of a team through code review, documentation, and architectural guidanceExperience integrating complex external platforms and partners, with attention to versioning, data inconsistencies, operational dependencies, and graceful degradationApplied knowledge of Ad Tech ecosystem concepts including identity and cookie synchronization, audience targeting, measurement, and the end-to-end lifecycle of an ad request