Senior Software Engineer, Ad Auctions

About the role

The Advertising Performance group focuses on outcomes for all participants in the advertising ecosystem: advertisers, publishers, and Roku. The systems and solutions span multiple disciplines and technologies to perform real-time multi-objective optimization with distributed systems at large scale and low latency. We use machine learning, reinforcement learning, AI, control systems, optimization systems, and auction dynamics to solve a broad set of complex problems. At the core of this is our machine learning, experimentation, and inference platform, which powers the ecosystem and is continuously evolved over time. In this role, you will build teams focused on the Ads Auction and Marketplace to optimize yield and gross profit while performing real-time multi-objective optimization across short- and long-term objectives. You will help build control and simulation systems, design and run experiments, and extend the experimentation framework. You will also partner closely with Engineering, Inventory, and Product teams to define the vision and strategy for your group and to build and deliver the roadmap. This role is ideal for a leader who can combine deep technical judgment with strong cross-functional collaboration. You will contribute to systems that directly impact marketplace efficiency, advertiser outcomes, and platform revenue.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, and evolution of real-time ads auction systems powering Roku's CTV advertising across The Roku Channel and the Roku platform
• Own and enhance core auction capabilities including ad pod construction, bid evaluation, ranking, pricing, pacing, budget enforcement, and frequency capping
• Build low-latency, highly reliable distributed services that operate at massive scale and serve billions of ad opportunities with strict latency and uptime requirements
• Design auction logic that balances viewer experience with advertiser performance, publisher yield, and platform revenue
• Develop and optimize SSP-side auction mechanisms and integrate with multiple DSPs, programmatic demand sources, and direct-sold campaigns
• Partner closely with product managers, data science, and ads research teams to translate marketplace and monetization goals into scalable technical solutions
• Drive yield optimization through auction design, demand shaping, floor strategies, and pricing experiments
• Lead experimentation using A/B testing, auction simulations, and offline replay frameworks, and make data-driven decisions using statistical rigor
• Ensure auction correctness, fairness, explainability, and transparency while maintaining compliance with privacy, regulatory, and brand-safety requirements
• Influence the long-term technical roadmap for Roku Ads by proposing architecture improvements, scalability strategies, and performance optimizations
• We're Excited If You Have
• 5+ years of experience building large-scale distributed systems
• 5+ years of experience working with cloud-based platforms and infrastructure
• Deep experience building microservices in Java for container platforms such as Docker or Kubernetes
• Solid understanding of SQL and NoSQL databases
• Hands-on experience with AWS, GCP, or similar cloud services
• Experience with protocols and data formats such as REST, WebSockets, HTTPS, JSON, and Protobuf
• Demonstrated ability to drive timely consensus in design with senior engineering partners
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or an equivalent field
• #LI-MS3
• Our Hybrid Work Approach
• Roku fosters an inclusive and collaborative environment where teams work in the office Monday through Thursday. Fridays are flexible for remote work except for employees whose roles are required to be in the office five days a week or employees who are in offices with a five day in office policy.

Benefits

Additional Information

Teamwork makes the stream work. Roku is changing how the world watches TV Roku is the #1 TV streaming platform in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and we've set our sights on powering every television in the world. Roku pioneered streaming to the TV. Our mission is to be the TV streaming platform that connects the entire TV ecosystem. We connect consumers to the content they love, enable content publishers to build and monetize large audiences, and provide advertisers unique capabilities to engage consumers. From your first day at Roku, you'll make a valuable - and valued - contribution. We're a fast-growing public company where no one is a bystander. We offer you the opportunity to delight millions of TV streamers around the world while gaining meaningful experience across a variety of disciplines.

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