Staff Software Engineer, Programmatic Ads

Pinterest; United States; Hybrid; USD 177,000 - 365,000; Full time

Job summary

Pinterest is seeking an experienced Backend Engineer to lead multi-partner integrations and drive high-impact AI-augmented development. You will partner with product managers, data scientists and external partners to translate requirements into reliable, scalable software solutions.

You will independently own the full software development lifecycle, apply AI to accelerate design and decisions, and guide product iterations through structured experimentation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of hands-on backend software engineering in large-scale distributed systems.
• Experience with ad serving platforms, ad exchange, SSP/ DSP.
• Demonstrated ability to use AI to accelerate team execution and design decisions.
• Strong communication and stakeholder alignment skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead one or two partner integrations with product, data science, and external partners.
• Apply AI to accelerate system design, decision-making, and execution.
• Own the full software development lifecycle from ideation to release.
• Drive problem solving and product iterations using A/B testing.
• Uphold high standards for technical excellence and production quality.
• Mentor junior engineers with design and coding feedback.

Skills

Backend distributed systems

AI-augmented development

Communication

Analytical mindset

Ad tech experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science

Job description

About Pinterest:

Millions of people around the world come to our platform to find creative ideas, dream about new possibilities and plan for memories that will last a lifetime. At Pinterest, we’re on a mission to bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love, and that starts with the people behind the product.

Discover a career where you ignite innovation for millions, transform passion into growth opportunities, celebrate each other’s unique experiences and embrace the flexibility to do your best work. Creating a career you love? It’s Possible.

At Pinterest, AI isn’t just a feature, it’s a powerful partner that augments our creativity and amplifies our impact, and we’re looking for candidates who are excited to be a part of that. To get a complete picture of your experience and abilities, we’ll explore your foundational skills and how you collaborate with AI.

Through our interview process, what matters most is that you can always explain your approach, showing us not just what you know, but how you think. You can read more about our AI interview philosophy and how we use AI in our recruiting process here.

The Programmatic Ads team integrates with external demand partners (DSPs, SSPs, etc) through OpenRTB. We drive performance optimization (latency, conversion, engagement, fill rate, etc) for our programmatic ad products. We are also responsible for building internal tools to better enable cross-functional teams.

What you’ll do:

• Lead one or two partner integrations, and work closely with product managers, data scientists, other cross-functional teams, and external partners to understand business requirements and translate them into technical solutions.
• Use AI to accelerate team execution, system design, and decision-making, applying sound judgment to validate outputs and ensure correctness and quality.
• Independently drive the full software development lifecycle, including ideation, technical design, prototyping, development, and release.
• Independently drive problem-solving and product iterations by utilizing A/B testing.
• Establish and maintain a high standard for technical excellence and production quality.
• Mentor junior engineers on the team and provide design and coding feedback.

What we’re looking for:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, a related field or equivalent experience
• 7+ years of hands-on backend software engineering experience in large-scale distributed systems.
• Passion for working on ad products work.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder alignment skills.
• Strong problem-solving skills and analytical mindset, with the ability to use data to guide decisions
• Experience with ad serving platform, ad exchange, supply-side platform, or demand-side platform.
• Demonstrated ability to use AI to accelerate team execution, system design, and decision-making, paired with sound judgment in validating outputs, maintaining quality, and taking ownership of final outcomes.
• Strong track record of critical evaluation and verification of AI-assisted work (e.g., testing, source-checking, data validation, peer review).
• High integrity and ownership: you protect sensitive data, avoid over-reliance on AI, and remain accountable for final decisions and deliverables.
• Demonstrated ability to transform a team’s engineering workflow using AI-from pilot to broad adoption-through tooling, enablement, and change leadership, with clear metrics (cycle time, defect rate, on-call load, incident rate).

In-Office Requirement Statement:

We let the type of work you do guide the collaboration style. That means we’re not always working in an office, but we continue to gather for key moments of collaboration and connection.

This role will need to be in the office for in-person collaboration once a month, therefore needs to be in a commutable distance from the Seattle, San Francisco, Palo Alto, or NYC office.

Relocation Statement:

This position is not eligible for relocation assistance. Visit our PinFlex page to learn more about our working model.

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At Pinterest we believe the workplace should be equitable, inclusive, and inspiring for every employee. In an effort to provide greater transparency, we are sharing the base salary range for this position. The position is also eligible for equity. Final salary is based on a number of factors including location, travel, relevant prior experience, or particular skills and expertise.

Information regarding the culture at Pinterest and benefits available for this position can be found here .

US based applicants only

$177,185 - $364,795 USD

Our Commitment to Inclusion:

Pinterest is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. We want to have the best qualified people in every job. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condi