Lead Senior Software Engineer - Platform Security

The Trade Desk; New York (NY); On-site; USD 124,900 - 228,900; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive healthcare benefits

401(k) retirement plan

Tuition reimbursement

Paid time off and holidays

Job summary

The Trade Desk is seeking a Lead/Senior Software Engineer for Platform Security in New York, NY. This role demands technical leadership and expertise in security-critical systems, with responsibilities ranging from designing large-scale security services to mentoring engineering teams.

The ideal candidate will have over 7 years of experience in high-scale environments, a strong background in distributed systems, and proficiency in languages such as C#, Java, or C++. The position comes with a comprehensive benefits package and growth opportunities.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in a high-scale environment focusing on infrastructure as code.
• Proven experience with production systems and distributed systems.
• Bachelor’s/Master’s in Computer Science or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and implementation of security services.
• Influence architectural decisions on security and reliability.
• Mentor other engineers through code reviews and design discussions.

Skills

Infrastructure as code

C#, Java, C++

Distributed systems

System reliability

Technical mentoring

Collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Kubernetes

Cloud platforms (Azure, AWS)

Job description

The Trade Desk is a global technology company and the world’s leading independent platform for digital advertising, helping advertisers reach the right audiences across the open internet.

What We Do

Our Software Engineers are end-to-end owners who will participate in all aspects of designing, building, and delivering data-focused products for our stakeholders. We work on large-scale distributed systems, petabyte-scale data challenges, machine learning, advanced visualizations, and interactive user interfaces.

About the Team

The Platform Security team builds foundational systems that enable secure, reliable operation of The Trade Desk at scale. We focus on making security resilient, developer‑friendly, and deeply integrated into the platform.

• Authentication and authorization for users and services
• Workload identity (SPIFFE / SPIRE‑based)
• Secrets and certificate management
• Security health monitoring and risk mitigation
• Golden images, just‑in‑time access, and secure shared libraries

We partner with teams across the company to deliver tools, libraries, and frameworks that run across Kubernetes, cloud environments (Azure, AWS, Aliyun), and on‑prem infrastructure, supporting a global fleet of 15,000+ machines.

About the Role

As a Lead / Senior Software Engineer on Platform Security, you will serve as a technical leader and end‑to‑end owner for security‑critical systems that operate at massive scale. This role sits at the intersection of software engineering, reliability, and security. You will lead the design and evolution of core security platforms, drive complex initiatives across teams, and raise the bar for how security is built and operated across The Trade Desk. You will manage a small team of Engineers to include leading technical direction, mentorship, and ownership.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the design, implementation, and long‑term evolution of large‑scale security services, from architecture through production operations
• Own complex, cross‑cutting initiatives spanning authentication, authorization, identity, and secure access
• Make and influence architectural decisions that balance security, reliability, scalability, and developer experience
• Drive high‑quality engineering practices, including testing, observability, operational readiness, and incident response
• Build and maintain shared libraries and frameworks that standardize authentication, authorization, and security best practices across the company
• Partner closely with engineers, SREs, and stakeholders across teams to deliver secure‑by‑default platforms
• Mentor and guide other engineers through code reviews, design discussions, and technical leadership
• Participate in on‑call rotations and lead incident response for security‑critical systems
• Help shape future‑looking initiatives, including AI‑driven systems that reason about security posture, model architecture, and surface risk automatically
• This role requires comfort operating in ambiguity and driving outcomes that impact the broader platform.

Who you are

• 7+ years of established experience in a high‑scale environment that values infrastructure as code capabilities
• Previous Lead experience is desired in this role
• Significant professional experience building and operating production systems using an object‑oriented language such as C#, Java, C++, or similar
• Proven experience designing and delivering distributed systems at scale
• Strong experience deploying and operating services using infrastructure‑as‑code and automated deployment pipelines
• Deep understanding of system reliability, observability, and operational excellence
• Experience leading technical design and influencing architecture across teams
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with a track record of mentoring other engineers
• You have a Bachelor’s/Master’s level degree in a computer‑science or relevant engineering related field or equivalent experience. Not everyone has the same level of access to opportunities. What is most important to us is what and how you can contribute, which is why our consideration is not limited by the level of education you have.

Nice to Have Qualifications

• Experience designing or operating identity and access management (IAM) systems
• Familiarity with Kubernetes, cloud platforms, or hybrid infrastructure at scale
• Background in security engineering or site reliability engineering
• Interest in applying automation or AI to improve security posture and resilience

Compensation and Benefits

In accordance with various U.S. state laws, the range provided is The Trade Desk's reasonable estimate of the base compensation for this role. The actual amount may differ based on non‑discriminatory factors such as experience, knowledge, skills, and location. All employees may be eligible to become The Trade Desk shareholders through eligibility for stock‑based compensation grants, which are awarded to employees based on company and individual performance. The Trade Desk also offers other compensation depending on the role such as variable compensation‑based incentives and commissions. Expected benefits for this role include comprehensive healthcare (medical, dental, and vision) with premiums paid in full for employees and dependents, retirement benefits such as a 401(k) plan and company match, short and long‑term disability coverage, basic life insurance, well‑being benefits, reimbursement for certain tuition expenses, parental leave, sick time of 1 hour per 30 hours worked, vacation time for full‑time employees up to 120 hours thru the first year and 160 hours thereafter, and around 13 paid holidays per year. Employees can also purchase The Trade Desk stock at a discount through The Trade Desk’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

Base salary range for this role: $124,900—$228,900 USD.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, The Trade Desk is committed to creating an inclusive hiring experience where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Please reach out to us at [e-mail] to request an accommodation or discuss any accessibility needs you may require to access our Company Website or navigate any part of the hiring process. Any information you share will be handled confidentially and will not impact our hiring decisions.

The Trade Desk does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firm recruiters. Fees will not be paid in the event a candidate submitted by a recruiter without an agreement in place is hired; such resumes will be deemed the sole property of The Trade Desk.