Software Engineer 5 - Ads Programmatic

Socket.dev; Los Gatos (CA); On-site; USD 388,000 - 558,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plans

401(k) Retirement plan with employer‑m

Stock option program

Disability programs

Health Savings and Flexible Spending

Family‑forming benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

Netflix is building the future of ads within its world‑class streaming platform. We’re seeking a candidate with deep ad tech expertise to design, scale and optimize programmatic ad systems, and to drive experimentation that improves publisher revenue and advertiser outcomes.

You will collaborate across product, engineering and operations to shape a data‑driven ad platform that respects member experience while delivering strong business results.

Qualifications

• Experience with ad serving systems or bidders, including signals experiments.
• Built large-scale real-time, low-latency online advertising infrastructure.
• Understanding of programmatic deals, traffic shaping and revenue optimization.
• Led user experimentation, A/B testing and lift studies.
• Familiar with industry standards like VAST and OpenRTB.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking with leadership qualities.
• Collaborated cross-functionally with product, engineering and ops.

Skills

Ad serving systems

Real-time ad infra

Programmatic advertising

Experimentation & A/B testing

VAST/OpenRTB

Analytical thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

At Netflix, our mission is to entertain the world. Together, we are writing the next episode - pushing the boundaries of storytelling, global fandom and making the unimaginable a reality. We are a dream team obsessed with the uncomfortable excitement of discovering what happens when you merge creativity, intuition and cutting‑edge technology. Come be a part of what’s next.

In April 2022, we introduced a new, more affordable, ad‑supported tier for our customers, marking a significant milestone for Netflix. Our focus is now on expanding choices for consumers and providing advertisers with a premium TV brand experience that surpasses traditional linear formats. The challenge ahead involves scaling our ad tech to maximize its impact on our business.

Our Team

The Ads Platform Engineering teams build advertising systems and integrations that power the delivery of ads using our world‑class content delivery ecosystem. We use a number of Netflix investments and innovations to power our ads - unique mix of client and server‑side ad insertions, state of the art content delivery system, ad encoding recipes, content understanding and metadata. We deliver ads in a manner that’s thoughtful of our member’s viewing experience and drive great outcomes for advertisers. We also ensure that advertiser brand safety is ensured during serving, members only see the most appropriate ads for them.

The Ads Programmatic team is a vital part of the core Ads Serving group and plays a key role in shaping the future of advertising on one of the world’s leading entertainment platforms. The team is at the forefront of advancing Netflix’s programmatic strategy, building seamless connections with DSP partners globally, and driving significant growth in ad revenue through PG and PMP programmatic deals. Beyond developing innovative programmatic offerings, the team creates robust workflow productivity solutions, provides critical insights, and builds comprehensive reporting tools that empower users to effortlessly create, launch, and troubleshoot programmatic deals.

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to a rapidly evolving space, enabling autonomy in the CTV marketplace. If you’re passionate about high‑impact work, cutting‑edge ad tech, and contributing to a global product, we invite you to help us define the next era of advertising at Netflix.

Skills & experience we’re seeking:

• Professional experience with ad serving systems or bidders, including experimentation with signals.

• Experience building large-scale infrastructure for real‑time, low‑latency online advertising environments.

• General understanding of the advertising marketplace and landscape, with a focus on programmatic challenges such as PG/PMP deal transactions, traffic shaping, and maximizing both publisher revenue and advertiser outcomes.

• Proven track record of building systems that power sophisticated user experimentation, A/B testing, and lift studies.

• Familiarity with ad tech industry standards such as VAST and OpenRTB

• Strong analytical and strategic thinking, demonstrating product sense and leadership.

• Track record of collaborating with cross‑functional stakeholders (product, engineering, operations, design, consumer research, etc.) to develop and deploy models at scale.

Nice to haves:

• Experience building DSP or SSP integrations

• Experience working in the CTV space and knowledge of its unique constraints.

• Contributed to an ads industry technology standard or worked on an industry consortium effort, working group etc.

Generally, our compensation structure consists solely of an annual salary; we do not have bonuses. You choose each year how much of your compensation you want in salary versus stock options. To determine your personal top of market compensation, we rely on market indicators and consider your specific job family, background, skills, and experience to determine your compensation in the market range. The range for this role is $388,000.00 - $558,000.00.

Netflix provides comprehensive benefits including Health Plans, Mental Health support, a 401(k) Retirement Plan with employer match, Stock Option Program, Disability Programs, Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts, Family‑forming benefits, and Life and Serious Injury Benefits. We also offer paid leave of absence programs. Full‑time hourly employees accrue 35 days annually for paid time off to be used for vacation, holidays, and sick paid time off. Full‑time salaried employees are immediately entitled to flexible time off. See more details about our Benefits here.

Netflix is a unique culture and environment. Learn more here.

Inclusion is a Netflix value and we strive to host a meaningful interview experience for all candidates. If you want an accommodation/adjustment for a disability or any other reason during the hiring process, please send a request to your recruiting partner.

We are an equal‑opportunity employer and celebrate diversity, recognizing that diversity builds stronger teams. We approach diversity and inclusion seriously and thoughtfully. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, caste, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic makeup, marital status, or military service.