Principal AI/ML Engineer - AdTech

About the role

Zeta Global is seeking a Principal AI/ML Engineer to join our AdTech team. The ideal candidate will have 10+ years of experience in software engineering or data science, with at least 3-5 years in a principal engineer or lead ML role, preferably in the AdTech/MarTech industry. They should have deep expertise in the programmatic advertising ecosystem, including Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs), real-time bidding (RTB), Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs), and ad exchanges. Proficiency in programming languages such as Java, Go, and Python, and hands-on experience with machine learning frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow, are required.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of scalable, high-performance, and resilient ML solutions for AdTech use cases.
• Architect and evolve the end-to-end machine learning pipeline – from data ingestion and training to real-time inference, for our real-time bidding, targeting, and optimization algorithms.
• Ensure that models seamlessly integrate with our ad serving architecture and handle low-latency, high-throughput requirements.
• Define the technical roadmap and vision for AI/ML in our platform, evaluating new tools and techniques (including the latest in deep learning and LLMs) and making strategic build-vs-buy decisions.
• Develop intelligent systems using AI agents and agentic workflows to automate and optimize end-to-end campaign processes.
• Leverage LLMs and generative AI to enable autonomous campaign management tasks such as audience segmentation, dynamic bid adjustments, and creative asset generation.
• Partner with engineering, product, and data science teams to translate marketing objectives into ML-driven solutions.
• Mentorship & Best Practices: Provide technical guidance and mentorship to other engineers and data scientists, fostering a culture of excellence in engineering and ML best practices.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in software engineering or data science, with at least 3-5 years in a principal engineer or lead ML role (preferably in the AdTech/MarTech industry).
• Proven experience designing and building high-throughput, low-latency distributed systems or data pipelines for large-scale applications.
• Deep expertise in the programmatic advertising ecosystem, including Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs), real-time bidding (RTB), Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs), and ad exchanges.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Java, Go, and Python for building both data-intensive backend services and ML tools.
• Hands-on experience with machine learning frameworks and libraries, especially PyTorch or TensorFlow, for developing and training models.
• Strong experience with big data and streaming frameworks (e.g., Apache Spark, Kafka, Hadoop) for processing and analyzing large datasets.
• Expertise with cloud platforms (preferably AWS) and related services for scalable ML model deployment and data storage.
• Experience with various data stores, including both SQL and NoSQL databases (e.g., MySQL/PostgreSQL, Cassandra, DynamoDB, Redis).
• Familiarity with containerization and orchestration technologies (Docker, Kubernetes) for deploying and managing services at scale.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with ability to convey complex ML concepts to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Benefits & Perks

• Unlimited PTO
• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Employee Equity
• Employee Discounts, Virtual Wellness Classes, and Pet Insurance
• And more!

Salary Range

The salary range for this role is $300,000 - $400,000, depending on location and experience.

People & Culture at Zeta

Zeta considers applicants for employment without regard to, and does not discriminate on the basis of an individual’s sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, status as a veteran, or national or ethnic origin; nor does Zeta discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. We’re committed to building a workplace culture of trust and belonging, so everyone feels invited to bring their whole selves to work. We provide a forum for employees to celebrate, support and advocate for one another.

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