Senior Software Engineer - Price Optimization & Bidding

The Trade Desk; Boulder (CO); Hybrid; USD 137,600 - 206,400; Full time

Job summary

The Trade Desk in Boulder, CO, is seeking an experienced software engineer to enhance our Performance Automation team's capabilities in developing tools that improve advertising campaign outcomes.

The ideal candidate will have over 7 years of experience in software development, proficiency with machine learning frameworks, and a strong understanding of Agile practices. This position operates under a hybrid work model with a competitive salary and benefits.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of demonstrated success in software development.
• Hands-on experience with multiple platforms and technologies.
• Excellent understanding of Agile development methodology.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain machine learning pipelines for data scientists.
• Integrate machine learning models into bidding infrastructure.
• Develop tools for real-time monitoring and performance adjustment.

Skills

Software development in high-scale enterprise environments

Machine learning frameworks (PyTorch, Tensorflow)

Distributed systems and microservices

Agile development practices

Service-Oriented systems design

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

Azure

.NET Core

Java

SQL Server

Spark

Job description

About the Role

The Performance Automation team is dedicated to developing optimization tools that enhance our clients' advertising campaign outcomes, ensuring they meet or surpass their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Responsibilities

Design, build, and maintain machine learning pipelines and tools that enable rapid iteration and refinement of models by data scientists. Create and optimize ETL processes that handle petabytes of data and experiment with novel model training architectures. Integrate machine learning models into our bidding infrastructure, where low latency and high performance are critical, ensuring our code runs millions of times per second across global datacenters.

Develop and improve debugging and analytical tools for monitoring and adjusting the bidding system in real time, enabling quick identification and resolution of performance issues to improve campaign efficiency and effective budget usage.

Contribute to all aspects of product development, from system design and architecture to implementation and delivery, for our clients. Participate in large‑scale distributed system projects coordinating thousands of servers across cloud and physical data centers, petabyte‑scale data challenges, machine learning, advanced visualizations, and interactive user interfaces.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of demonstrated success in software development within high‑scale enterprise environments.
• Hands‑on experience with multiple platforms and technologies, including PyTorch, Tensorflow, Spark, .NET Core, Java, SQL Server, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, Azure.
• Excellent understanding of Agile development methodology and practices.
• Experience designing Service‑Oriented systems.
• Exposure to Machine Learning concepts and frameworks (a plus, not required).
• Experience building distributed systems and microservices.

Key Attributes

• A sustained track record of making significant, self‑directed, end‑to‑end contributions to large and impactful software projects.
• Strong engineering fundamentals and the ability to evaluate and adapt solutions from first principles.
• Broad skill set across web services, always‑on systems, and multiple technologies and service layers.
• Product‑focused mindset, passionate about delivering client value and pushing industry standards toward openness and transparency.
• Confidence, humility, and ability to lead, advocate for sound decisions, and collaborate effectively.
• Commitment to diversity and the ability to build on common ground.
• Creative thinker who learns quickly and invents solutions rather than relying on existing answers.

Location & Work Arrangement

The position will be located in Boulder, CO, and requires engineers to work under a hybrid office attendance model.

Compensation

Base salary range: $137,600 – $206,400 USD. Additional variable compensation, stock‑based incentives, and benefits are also available.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The Trade Desk is an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.