Lead Engineer - Roundel, Target Product Ads

About the role

Target Tech powers the mission of Target by delivering systems, tools, and platforms that enable reliable, scalable, and secure experiences across the enterprise. As a Lead Engineer, you serve as the technical anchor for the engineering team that supports a product. You define and evolve application architecture to support scalable, reliable, and secure systems.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and introduce new technologies, including leading proof-of-concept initiatives
• Drive engineering standards, reusable patterns, and best practices across teams
• Lead design, development, and lifecycle management of services with enterprise impact
• Guide testing, debugging, and performance optimization at platform scale
• Partner with stakeholders to plan, prioritize, and deliver high-impact solutions
• Lead complex implementations, ensuring alignment with architectural and operational requirements
• Identify risks, remove obstacles, and ensure successful delivery of initiatives
• Establish monitoring, automation, and reliability practices, including disaster recovery strategies
• Design and optimize data models; contribute to data standards and governance
• Stay current with emerging technologies and Target’s evolving technical ecosystem

Requirements

• 4-year degree or equivalent experience
• 7+ years of software development experience, including at least one full lifecycle implementation
• Deep expertise in designing and building highly scalable distributed systems
• Strong proficiency in at least one JVM language (e.g., Java or Kotlin)
• Experience building RESTful services using Spring Boot, relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL), caching (e.g., Redis), and event-driven systems (e.g., Kafka)
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and modern deployment practices
• Strong understanding of system performance, scalability, and operational health
• Experience with data modeling and data lifecycle management concepts
• Familiarity with GenAI frameworks, patterns, and AI-assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot)
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills
• Effective communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts
• Proven ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and influence technical decisions
• Ad-tech domain experience is a plus

Qualifications

• Proven track record of success in software development roles
• Experience working in a hybrid/flex for your day work arrangement

Skills

• Technical leadership and architectural design
• Scalable and reliable system design
• CI/CD pipeline management
• Data modeling and lifecycle management
• GenAI frameworks and AI-assisted development tools
• Collaboration and influence within cross-functional teams
• Ad-tech domain knowledge

Benefits

Target offers comprehensive health benefits and programs, including medical, vision, dental, life insurance, and more, to support your and your family's well-being. Additionally, eligible team members receive 401(k), employee discounts, short-term and long-term disability, paid sick leave, paid national holidays, and paid vacation. For more information, visit https://corporate.target.com/careers/benefits.

Pay

The pay range is $132,000.00 - $238,000.00. Pay is based on several factors, including labor markets, education, work experience, and certifications.

Schedule

This position operates as a Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement, requiring the team member to perform core role responsibilities both onsite at the Target HQ MN location and virtually, depending on role, team, and task requirements.