Staff Software Engineer, Programmatic Ads

Staff Software Engineer, Programmatic Ads at Pinterest scores 45 out of 100 on AI centrality, which makes it AI Level 2 of 4 (Uses AI) on this board. The level measures how much of the work is AI, not seniority.

Remote (San Francisco, CA, US; Remote, US)senior

AI in this role

Build and scale programmatic ad systems while utilizing AI tools to accelerate backend software engineering execution.

backenddistributed-systemsapiad-techab-testing

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 conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, status as a protected veteran, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other consideration made unlawful by applicable federal, state or local laws. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you require a medical or religious accommodation during the job application process, please complete this form for support. By submitting this application, I certify that all information submitted in my application and throughout the hiring process is true, accurate, and complete to the best of my knowledge. I understand that any false statement, omission, or misrepresentation may disqualify me from employment consideration or result in termination if discovered after hire.

Prepare for this job

A free preview built only from this posting: what it asks for, what you could be asked in an interview, and how to adjust your resume.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

BackendDistributed SystemsApiAd TechAb Testing

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where backend was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where distributed systems was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where api was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where ad tech was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where ab testing was part of your work. What did you do?

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Backend, Distributed Systems, Api, Ad Tech, and Ab Testing. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them — a tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
Put the AI tool in a bullet point about what you did, not just in a skills list — this role treats it as a required part of the job.

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