Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Ads Bidding & Pacing
About this role
Designing target ROAS and automatic bidding algorithms forms the core of daily operations for the ads bidding and pacing team at Pinterest. Engineers in this group build and refine systems that help advertisers reach their goals while driving revenue growth across a rapidly expanding online ad platform. Candidates will spend their time exploring bid landscapes, analyzing performance through A/B experiments, and partnering with product and sales departments to shape strategies for new ad products.
Operating as a senior individual contributor requires driving technical direction and aligning multiple teams without formal people management duties. The ideal candidate brings extensive background in ads delivery and machine learning, alongside a practical ability to integrate AI tools into daily engineering workflows for tasks like coding, debugging, and data exploration. Anyone who thrives in collaborative environments and enjoys tackling complex marketplace dynamics will find a strong fit within this organization.
What you will do
- Design and implement target ROAS, automatic bidding, and pacing algorithms for ads.
- Explore bid landscapes with the goal of maximizing revenue and advertiser value.
- Partner with product and sales groups to build bidding strategies for new ad products.
- Run A/B experiments to test and improve various bidding algorithm concepts.
- Collaborate across different teams to spot and capture new bidding and budgeting opportunities.
What you need
- Hold a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Statistics, engineering, a related field, or possess equivalent practical experience.
- Accumulate at least six years of professional experience in machine learning, ads delivery, automatic bidding, pacing, or target ROAS bidding.
- Demonstrate proven Staff-level technical leadership as an individual contributor by guiding technical direction and cross-team alignment.
- Show the ability to use AI tools for improving workflow speed and quality while validating and stress-testing the outputs.
- Maintain familiarity with LLM-powered productivity assistants for documentation search, data exploration, and workflow acceleration.
Nice to have
- Direct experience specifically with bidding or pacing
Benefits
- Base salary range of $222,716 to $389,753 USD
- Eligibility for equity
Skills and tech stack
Questions candidates ask
What is the compensation range for this position?
The base salary range spans from $222,716 to $389,753 USD, and the position is also eligible for equity. Final compensation depends on factors such as location, travel, relevant prior experience, and specific skills.
What are the remote and in-office work requirements?
The role follows a hybrid model where presence in the office is required three times per quarter for in-person collaboration. Consequently, candidates must live within a commutable distance from the San Francisco, Palo Alto, or Seattle offices.
Is relocation assistance provided for this role?
This position is not eligible for relocation assistance.
What kind of technical leadership is expected?
The job requires proven Staff-level technical leadership as an individual contributor, which involves driving technical direction and cross-team alignment without formal people management duties.