PubMatic

Principal Software Engineer - PubMatic AgenticOS (Buy Side Bidding Platform)

PubMatic$200K — $228K *
Information Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in engineering (CS/IT) or related field.
  • 8+ years of software engineering experience in ad tech/performance advertising.
  • Hands-on experience with Golang for building low-latency backend systems.
  • Proven design and operation of real-time bidding platforms or ad serving systems.
  • Strong background in campaign pacing, budget allocation, and optimization algorithms.
  • Experience with distributed systems (Kafka, Flink, Spark Streaming).
  • Familiarity with programmatic advertising protocols (OpenRTB, VAST).
  • Knowledge of SQL/PostgreSQL and large-scale analytics platforms.

Responsibilities

  • Architect and build high-throughput, ultra-low-latency real-time bidding systems.
  • Lead development of bidder services handling millions of queries per second.
  • Implement campaign pacing and optimization algorithms for diverse objectives.
  • Own systems for deal execution, auction participation, and bid shading.
  • Develop data pipelines for impressions, clicks, and conversions using Kafka or Spark.
  • Collaborate with ML engineers to deploy bid optimization and forecasting models.
  • Drive architectural decisions on scalability and fault tolerance.

Benefits

  • Paid leave programs and paid holidays.
  • Comprehensive healthcare, dental, and vision insurance.
  • Disability and life insurance coverage.
  • Commuter benefits and wellness programs.
  • Unlimited DTO in the US, mandatory usage encouraged.
  • Reimbursement for mobile expenses and fully stocked pantries.
  • In-office catered lunches five days a week.
Full Job Description
About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Principal Software Engineer - PubMatic AgenticOS to lead the design and development of highly scalable, low-latency buy-side ad tech systems. This role is ideal for someone with deep expertise in Golang, real-time bidding systems, and campaign pacing and optimization algorithms, with strong exposure to DSP / performance advertising domains.

As a technical leader, you will own critical components of the bidding and optimization stack, influence system architecture, mentor senior and junior engineers, and work closely with product, ML, and data teams to drive measurable performance outcomes across large-scale advertising campaigns.

What You'll Do
  • Architect, design, and build high-throughput, ultra-low-latency real-time bidding systems for buy-side advertising platforms.
  • Lead development of bidder services handling millions of QPS with strict latency and reliability SLAs using Golang/C/C++.
  • Design and implement campaign pacing, budget management, and delivery optimization algorithms across multiple objectives (CPA, ROAS, CTR, CVR).
  • Own core systems for deal execution, auction participation, bid shading, and supply path optimization.
  • Build and evolve real-time and near-real-time data pipelines for impressions, clicks, conversions, and attribution using Kafka, Flink, or Spark.
  • Collaborate closely with ML engineers to productionize models such as bid optimization, contextual bandits, reach forecasting, and incrementality models.
  • Integrate and maintain support for programmatic advertising protocols (OpenRTB, VAST, CTV-specific standards).
  • Drive architectural decisions around scalability, fault tolerance, data consistency, and latency optimization.
  • Ensure data quality, governance, privacy, and compliance across the performance advertising stack.
  • Conduct deep performance profiling, latency tuning, and debugging of distributed systems in production.
  • Mentor engineers, set coding and design standards, and lead technical reviews across teams.
  • Evaluate and introduce new technologies, auction strategies, and optimization frameworks to keep the platform competitive.

We'd Love for You to Have
  • Eight plus years of software engineering experience, with significant depth in ad tech / performance advertising/Building DSP bidder (Buy side).
  • Strong hands-on experience with Golang in building low-latency, high-scale backend systems.
  • Proven experience designing and operating real-time bidding platforms, bidders, or ad serving systems.
  • Deep understanding of campaign pacing, budget allocation, and performance optimization algorithms.
  • Experience with streaming and distributed systems (Kafka, Flink, Spark Streaming).
  • Strong familiarity with OpenRTB, VAST, and programmatic advertising workflows.
  • Solid knowledge of SQL,PostgreSQL and large-scale analytics platforms (Snowflake, BigQuery, or similar).
  • Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and containerized environments (Docker, Kubernetes).
  • Strong foundation in data structures, algorithms, and distributed system design.
  • Experience working cross-functionally with product, data science, analytics, and ML teams.
  • Demonstrated ability to own systems end-to-end, influence architecture, and deliver at scale.
  • Excellent communication skills with the ability to drive technical direction and mentor others.

Qualifications:
  • Should have a bachelor's degree in engineering (CS / IT) or equivalent degree from well-known Institutes / Universities.

Additional Information

Return to Office: PubMatic employees throughout the globe have returned to our offices via a hybrid work schedule (3 days "in office" and 2 days "working remotely") that is intended to maximize collaboration, innovation, and productivity among teams and across functions.

Benefits: Our benefits package includes the best of what leading organizations provide such as, paid leave programs, paid holidays, healthcare, dental and vision insurance, disability and life insurance, commuter benefits, physical and financial wellness programs, unlimited DTO in the US (that we actually require you to use!), reimbursement for mobile and fully stocked pantries plus in-office catered lunches 5 days per week.

#LI-HYBRID

Compensation Disclosure

In accordance with applicable law, the below salary range provided is PubMatic's reasonable estimate of the total compensation for this role. New hires and current team members are typically compensated toward the middle of our pay range. The actual amount may vary, based on non-discriminatory factors such as location, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities. In addition to salary PubMatic also offers a bonus, restricted stock units, and a competitive benefits package.

Total Compensation Range

$200,000-$228,750 USD

About PubMatic

PubMatic is a digital advertising technology company that provides a platform to publishers which includes real-time bidding (RTB), header bidding, and other monetization solutions. The company was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Redwood City, California. PubMatic's platform enables publishers to monetize their digital content across various devices and formats, including mobile, video, and display. The company has offices in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. PubMatic has received several awards for its technology and innovation, including being named a Deloitte Technology Fast 500 company in 2013 and 2014.
Learn more about PubMatic
Size
1,200 employees
Market Cap
$647.7 million
Industry
Founded
2006
Revenue
$148.7 million
NASDAQ

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