Director of Engineering, Activation

Samba TV tracks streaming and broadcast video across the world with our proprietary data and technology. We are on a mission to fundamentally transform the viewing experience for everyone. Our data enables media companies to connect with audiences for new shows and movies, and enables advertisers to engage viewers and measure reach across all their devices. We have an amazing story with a unique perspective on culture formed by a global footprint of data and AI-driven insights.

We are seeking a highly experienced and independent Director of Engineering to lead our Activation division. This pivotal role involves overseeing the engineering teams responsible for our core advertising products, which are built upon Samba TV's extensive television viewership data and rich web visitation data. You will be at the forefront of integrating these powerful datasets to deliver innovative solutions for ad targeting. This is a leadership role for a growing team, and you will be expected to provide technical guidance and mentorship to your teams, and to own the technical roadmap for your organization.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of high-performing engineering managers and individual contributors, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and excellence.
• Define and execute the technical vision and roadmap for the Activation product suite, aligning with product and business objectives to deliver best-in-class advertising solutions.
• Own the end-to-end software development lifecycle for your teams, from strategic planning and prioritization to execution, deployment, and maintenance, establishing and enforcing best practices along the way.
• Drive the architectural evolution of our activation platforms, including the successful integration and future development of the Semasio activation technology stack.
• Partner closely with Product Management, Data Science, and other cross-functional teams to translate product requirements into scalable, robust, and reliable technical designs and systems.
• Serve as a key technical voice in discussions with senior leadership and non-technical stakeholders, effectively communicating complex technical concepts, risks, and opportunities.
• Manage team resources, project timelines, and deliverables to ensure predictable and high-quality outcomes.

WHO YOU ARE

• Based in SF, with the ability to work in a hybrid model (3 days/week in the office) and maintain a flexible schedule to ensure overlap with Europe-based teams.
• 8-10+ years of overall software development experience, with a proven track record of designing and delivering complex, large-scale systems.
• At least 5 years of engineering management experience, with a proven track record of developing and managing other managers as well as ICs.
• Familiarity with fundamental concepts of the  adtech ecosystem
• Hands-on experience with digital ad targeting, and familiarity with both ID-based and contextual advertising technologies and methodologies.
• Proficiency with cloud computing environments, preferable AWS and Google Cloud.
• Demonstrated experience building and maintaining pipelines with large-scale ETL systems and data processing frameworks–preferably Spark or Databricks.
• Solid experience with API design, development, and maintenance, and a strong understanding of web application architecture.
• The proven ability to quickly learn unfamiliar technologies and support teams using them.

Desired Attributes

• Exceptional Leadership: An ability to inspire and develop technical talent, providing effective feedback and coaching to grow managers and leaders within your teams.
• Strategic Thinker: The capacity to generate and execute a long-term technical roadmap, making informed decisions about priority, scope, and trade-offs.
• Outstanding Communicator: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical information clearly and concisely to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Data-Driven Mindset: Familiarity with foundational machine learning and AI concepts, such as lookalike modeling techniques and vector embeddings, and an understanding of their practical applications.
• Process-Oriented: A passion for establishing and refining software development best practices, including defining and introducing new tools, processes, and quality metrics to improve team velocity and product quality.

$200,000 - $225,000 a year Samba TV expects to offer a base salary between $200,000 - $225,000 per year for roles to be performed in New York or California; actual base salary offered will depend on various factors, including but not limited to, location, experience, and performance. Base salary is just one component of Samba TV's total compensation package for employees. Other rewards may include bonuses, short-term incentives, and long-term incentives. In addition, Samba provides health insurance, wellness offerings, life and disability insurance, a retirement savings plan, paid holidays and paid time off (PTO), and other employee benefits.

Samba TV is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.  We strive to empower connection with one another, reflect the communities we serve, and tackle meaningful projects that make a real impact.

Samba TV may collect personal information directly from you, as a job applicant, Samba TV may also receive personal information from third parties, for example, in connection with a background, employment or reference check, in accordance with the applicable law. For further details, please see Samba's Applicant Privacy Policy. For residents of the EU , Samba Inc. is the data controller.

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