Staff Software Engineer, Ads

Ladders; United States; Remote; USD 165,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work options

Unlimited vacation

Technology stipend every 2 years

WFH stipend

Wellness stipend

Health benefits

Company match retirement

Parental leave up to 20 weeks

Employee discount

Job summary

Ladders is seeking a Staff Software Engineer, Ads to lead the technical direction of our advertising platform. You will shape architecture, drive scalability for video ads, and partner with product teams to invest in new ad capabilities. This is a remote opportunity open to US-based candidates.

You will mentor engineers, improve system observability, and steer design decisions across teams to deliver reliable, high-performance advertising solutions.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of software development experience with technical leadership on large-scale systems.
• Experience designing and evolving distributed, high-scale production systems.
• Background in advertising technology systems, especially backend engineering and video advertising.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the technical strategy for the advertising platform.
• Provide technical leadership for video ads, server-side advertising, and new ad formats.
• Partner with Engineering and Product to identify technical investments for new capabilities.
• Lead architecture and system design for cross-functional initiatives involving advertising and video.
• Evaluate architectural approaches and third-party technologies, communicating tradeoffs effectively.
• Improve reliability, observability, and scalability of advertising systems.
• Mentor engineers and raise the technical bar through design and code reviews.

Skills

Leadership

Advertising technology

Video ads backend engineering

API design & distributed systems

Job description

For our client, we are seeking a Staff Software Engineer, Ads to join the team of a leader in the Consumer Technology space.

In this role, you will shape the technical direction of the advertising platform and help drive the systems that support video ads and emerging ad formats. You will partner closely with Product and Engineering to evaluate tradeoffs, guide architecture, and identify the right technical investments for new capabilities. This is a highly collaborative role focused on building scalable, reliable, and observable advertising technology in a consumer-facing environment.

Location: Remote - US based candidates only, no visa sponsorship available

Compensation: $165,000 – $185,000 annually

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the technical strategy for the advertising platform
• Provide technical leadership for video ads, server-side advertising, and new ad formats
• Partner with Engineering and Product to identify technical investments for new capabilities
• Lead architecture and system design for cross-functional initiatives involving advertising and video
• Evaluate architectural approaches and third-party technologies, communicating tradeoffs effectively
• Improve reliability, observability, and scalability of advertising systems
• Mentor engineers and raise the technical bar through design and code reviews

Qualifications

• 8+ years of software development experience with technical leadership on large-scale systems
• Experience designing and evolving distributed, high-scale production systems
• Proven background in advertising technology systems, particularly backend engineering and video advertising
• Familiarity with modern advertising ecosystems such as ad serving, programmatic advertising, and SSAI/CSAI
• Strong understanding of API design, distributed systems, and system performance
• Experience mentoring senior engineers and influencing technical decisions across teams
• Preferred experience with live streaming video systems and connected TV advertising

Benefits

• Remote work options or a modern office in Manhattan, NY
• Unlimited vacation policy
• Paid volunteer opportunities
• $4,000 technology stipend every 2 years
• $500 annual WFH stipend
• Monthly wellness and learning stipend through Holisticly
• Comprehensive health benefits including medical, dental, and vision
• Retirement savings with immediate company match
• Company-paid parental leave up to 20 weeks for birthing parents
• Teammate discount at DICK'S Sporting Goods

Our client is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every qualification—your background could be exactly what this team needs.