Software Engineering Manager, Ads API

Details

Reddit is a community of communities. It’s built on shared interests, passion, and trust and is home to the most open and authentic conversations on the internet. Every day, Reddit users submit, vote, and comment on the topics they care most about. With 100,000+ active communities and approximately 101M+ daily active unique visitors, Reddit is one of the internet’s largest sources of information.

Team Description

The Ads API is a critical business unit. This team owns both horizontal and vertical responsibilities: the platform layer other product teams use to surface endpoints and features, public APIs used by third-party partners to manage campaigns and generate reports, and products used by external customers such as rate limiting, authentication, and SDKs. The team’s mission is to provide world-class tools and infrastructure to enable partners to grow their business and Reddit’s.

Role description

This role requires a leader with a strong sense of agency who can navigate ambiguity and take decisive ownership to drive the platform forward. The Ads API team builds the public-facing platform that provides programmatic access to Reddit’s advertising ecosystem. The role focuses on empowering advertisers and partners to succeed at scale by delivering a reliable, scalable, and well-designed API platform.

Responsibilities

• Set Technical Vision: Define long-term vision and technical roadmap for the Ads API platform. Translate business needs into a clear technical strategy and concrete milestones.
• Lead & Mentor: Hire, coach, and develop a high-performing team of software engineers. Foster a culture of ownership, technical excellence, and proactive problem-solving.
• Architect for Scale: Drive architectural decisions to ensure the Ads API is highly available, performant, and can scale to meet growing demands.
• Drive Best Practices: Establish and enforce best practices for API design, versioning, security, and developer experience. Be accountable for end-to-end platform quality and uptime.
• Collaborate & Partner: Work closely with product management, partner management, and other engineering teams to ensure the Ads API meets internal and external developer needs.

Who You Are

You are a high-agency leader who sees what needs to be done and takes initiative. You have strong ownership, can work through ambiguity, and enjoy solving complex challenges in a dynamic environment.

Requirements

• 5+ years of industry experience as a Software Engineer.
• 2+ years managing (coaching, mentoring, developing) engineering teams.
• Demonstrated ability to drive projects from inception to completion as the primary agent of change.
• Proven experience designing, building, and operating scalable, public-facing APIs (e.g., REST, gRPC).
• Experience with at least two general programming languages such as Python, Go, Scala, Java, or C++.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to work effectively with product managers, data scientists, and other cross-functional stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing Infrastructure or Platform teams.
• Experience in the advertising technology space.
• Experience with API gateways, authentication/authorization protocols (e.g., OAuth), and rate limiting.

Benefits

• 100% remote (offices based in NY, SF & Chicago if you prefer hybrid/in-office)
• Comprehensive healthcare benefits
• 401(k) matching
• Workspace benefits for your home office
• Personal & professional development funds
• Family planning support
• Flexible vacation & Reddit Global Wellness Days
• 4+ months of paid parental leave
• Paid volunteer time off

Pay Transparency

Base pay range for this U.S.-based position: $217,000 - $303,900 USD. The role may also be eligible for equity (RSUs) and, depending on the position, commission. Final offers depend on skills, experience, and other factors.

Interview & Privacy Notes

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Equal Opportunity

Reddit is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. If you need accommodation during the interview process, inform your recruiter.