Sr. Engineering Manager, Shopping Ads

About the Role

The Shopping Ads Engineering team plays a critical role in connecting advertisers with high-intent users, improving downstream ads performance, and driving revenue growth for the company. As the Sr. Engineering Manager, you will partner closely with cross-functional teams, including ML Platform, Ads Serving, Product, Data Science, Measurement, and Infrastructure, to define roadmaps and deliver advertiser impact.

Reddit is a community-driven platform, and the Shopping Ads team is committed to delivering ad experiences that are aligned with the company's values of authenticity, transparency, and user trust. As the leader of this team, you will be responsible for establishing strong engineering practices, fostering a culture of technical rigor and accountability, and driving innovation and experimentation in ads optimization.

What You Will Do

• Lead a team of software and machine learning engineers focused on Shopping Ads targeting, retrieval, ranking, and engagement models
• Drive technical execution for Dynamic Product Ads and Product Listing Ads across ads targeting, candidate retrieval, ranking integrations, model features, and engagement optimization
• Act as a hands-on technical leader, contributing to architecture reviews, technical design, debugging complex production issues, and guiding implementation decisions
• Partner with cross-functional teams to define roadmaps and deliver advertiser impact
• Improve scalability, latency, reliability, relevance, experimentation quality, and operational excellence across Shopping Ads systems
• Drive simplification and platformization efforts to improve developer velocity and reduce operational complexity
• Establish strong engineering practices around system design, experimentation, code quality, observability, and production ownership
• Mentor and develop engineers and technical leads, fostering a culture of technical rigor, accountability, speed, and pragmatic execution
• Identify architectural bottlenecks, technical debt, and scaling risks, and proactively drive solutions across organizational boundaries
• Stay current with industry trends in commerce advertising, recommendation systems, retrieval and ranking architectures, and Shopping Ads optimization

What We Are Looking For

• 8+ years of software engineering or ML engineering experience, including experience leading engineering teams
• Strong hands-on technical depth in ads ranking, retrieval, targeting, recommendation systems, engagement modeling, or ML-driven optimization systems
• Experience building and operating large-scale distributed systems or ML systems in production
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to drive technical execution, innovation, and experimentation
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to partner with cross-functional teams
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to debug complex production issues and drive technical solutions
• Experience with machine learning frameworks and tools, such as TensorFlow or PyTorch
• Strong understanding of software engineering principles, including system design, architecture, and testing

Nice to Have

• Experience with cloud-based infrastructure, such as AWS or GCP
• Familiarity with containerization technologies, such as Docker
• Knowledge of programming languages, such as Java, Python, or C++
• Experience with agile development methodologies and version control systems, such as Git

Benefits and Perks

• Competitive salary and equity package
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
• Flexible PTO policy and paid holidays
• Remote work stipend and equipment allowance
• Professional development opportunities, including training and conference sponsorship
• Access to Reddit's internal learning and development platform
• Opportunity to work on high-impact projects and contribute to the company's mission

• Tip: Showcase your experience in driving technical execution and innovation in fast-paced environments, highlighting your ability to lead high-performing teams and drive results.
• Tip: Be prepared to discuss your technical expertise, particularly in machine learning and ads optimization, and provide examples of how you've applied these skills in previous roles.
• Tip: Demonstrate your understanding of the digital marketing landscape and the role of Shopping Ads in driving revenue growth and user engagement.
• Tip: Highlight your experience working with cross-functional teams, including product, data science, and infrastructure, and your ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Tip: Emphasize your commitment to fostering a culture of technical rigor, accountability, and innovation, and provide examples of how you've established strong engineering practices in previous roles.
• Tip: Prepare to discuss your experience with machine learning frameworks and tools, as well as your understanding of software engineering principles, including system design, architecture, and testing.