About this Senior Software Engineering Manager, Ads Auction & Marketplace Optimization role at Roku
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.
About the team
The Advertising Performance group focuses on performance 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 across distributed systems at large scale and with low latency. We use Machine Learning, Reinforcement Learning, AI, Control and Optimization Systems, and Auction Dynamics to solve a large set of complex problems. At the core of this is our Machine Learning, Experimentation, and Inference Platform, which powers the entire landscape, and we continuously evolve.
About the role
In this role, you will build teams focused on the Ads Auction and Marketplace to optimize yield and gross profit, perform real-time multi-objective optimization across short- and long-term objectives, build control and simulation systems, design and run experiments, and extend the experimentation framework.
You will partner closely with other Engineering, Inventory, and Product teams to define the vision and strategy for your group and to build and deliver the roadmap.
For California Only - The estimated annual salary for this position is between $328,500 - $451,600 annually. Compensation packages are based on factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, certifications, and specific geographical location. This role is eligible for health insurance, equity awards, life insurance, disability benefits, parental leave, wellness benefits, and paid time off.
What you’ll be doing
- Building teams and mentoring engineers across geographic locations and time zones
- Defining the strategy and building the long-term roadmap by partnering with Product, Science, and Engineering teams
- Leading the design, implementation, and evolution of real-time ads auction and marketplace systems
- Building and enhancing core auction capabilities, including ad pod construction, bid valuation, ranking, pricing, pacing, and budget enforcement
- Designing auction logic that balances viewer experience (ad load, relevance, repetition) with advertiser performance, publisher yield, platform revenue, and gross profit
- Driving yield and gross profit optimization through auction design, floor strategies, and pricing experiments
- Leading experimentation using A/B testing, auction simulations, offline replay frameworks, and making data-driven decisions based on performance metrics and statistical rigor
- Stay at the forefront of advancements in related areas
We’re excited if you have
- 3+ years of experience leading teams that apply auction theory, quantitative optimization, and advanced statistical methods to large, sophisticated datasets
- 5+ years of experience in leading engineering teams from design to implementation, ensuring scalability and reliability
- Deep mathematical understanding of auction theory, game theory, economics, quantitative optimization, and statistics
- Hands-on experience with Python and Java in a production environment
- BS or higher in CS, Economics, Mathematics, or a related quantitative field
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in the Advertising domain
- 5+ years of experience applying auction theory, game theory, economics, quantitative optimization, and advanced statistical methods to large, sophisticated datasets
- MS or PhD in CS, Economics, Math, or a related quantitative field
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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
Roku is committed to offering a diverse range of benefits as part of our compensation package to support our employees and their families. Our comprehensive benefits include global access to mental health and financial wellness support and resources. Local benefits include statutory and voluntary benefits which may include healthcare (medical, dental, and vision), life, accident, disability, commuter, and retirement options (401(k)/pension). Employees are supported in taking time off, in accordance with local leave policies and other personal needs to support their evolving work and life needs. It's important to note that not every benefit is available in all locations or for every role. For details specific to your location, please consult with your recruiter.
Accommodations
Roku welcomes applicants of all backgrounds and provides reasonable accommodations and adjustments in accordance with applicable law. If you require reasonable accommodation at any point in the hiring process, please direct your inquiries to EmployeeRelations@Roku.com.
The Roku Culture
Roku is a great place for people who want to work in a fast-paced environment where everyone is focused on the company's success rather than their own. We try to surround ourselves with people who are great at their jobs, who are easy to work with, and who keep their egos in check. We appreciate a sense of humor. We believe a fewer number of very talented folks can do more for less cost than a larger number of less talented teams. We're independent thinkers with big ideas who act boldly, move fast and accomplish extraordinary things through collaboration and trust. In short, at Roku you'll be part of a company that's changing how the world watches TV.
We have a unique culture that we are proud of. We think of ourselves primarily as problem-solvers, which itself is a two-part idea. We come up with the solution, but the solution isn't real until it is built and delivered to the customer. That penchant for action gives us a pragmatic approach to innovation, one that has served us well since 2002.
To learn more about Roku, our global footprint, and how we've grown, visit https://www.weareroku.com/factsheet.
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