Demo

Principal Engineer

Pinterest
San Francisco, CA Full Time
POSTED ON 4/3/2025
AVAILABLE BEFORE 5/2/2025
About Pinterest

Millions of people across the world come to Pinterest to find new ideas every day. It’s where they get inspiration, dream about new possibilities and plan for what matters most. Our mission is to help those people find their inspiration and create a life they love. In your role, you’ll be challenged to take on work that upholds this mission and pushes Pinterest forward. You’ll grow as a person and leader in your field, all the while helping Pinners make their lives better in the positive corner of the internet.

Creating a life you love also means finding a career that celebrates the unique perspectives and experiences that you bring. As you read through the expectations of the position, consider how your skills and experiences may complement the responsibilities of the role. We encourage you to think through your relevant and transferable skills from prior experiences.

Our new progressive work model is called PinFlex, a term that’s uniquely Pinterest to describe our flexible approach to living and working. Visit our PinFlex landing page to learn more.

This Principal Engineer L18 IC role on the Monetization Team requires a senior technical leader with a strong background in both core software engineering and machine learning. This role will lead the development and execution of the technical strategy for ad products that cater to both end users and advertisers on the platform. The individual we hire will oversee the core technical outputs of approximately 200 engineers and remain a hands-on contributor, shipping their own deliverables in the process. The ideal candidate is a brilliant technical contributor with a proven history of delivering complex architectural solutions within the ads domain.

What You'll Do

  • Lead and mentor engineering teams, inspiring innovation and excellence, while fostering future technical leaders within the organization.
  • Architect and implement cutting-edge strategies to refine advertiser experiences and launch user-centric products.
  • Guide and evaluate complex technical plans, ensuring they align with Pinterest’s strategic objectives and elevate operational efficiency.
  • Proactively manage project milestones, anticipate risks, and adapt strategies to ensure timely, successful delivery.
  • Oversee projects that improve developer efficiency, service reliability, and engineering quality, promoting best practices in software architecture.
  • Cultivate strong relationships with key stakeholders, ensuring alignment with business goals, and drive consensus on strategic initiatives.
  • Lead development initiatives that leverage new generative AI models and strategies to enhance product offerings, ensuring alignment with business goals.
  • Champion best practices and drive architectural improvements that enhance system performance and extensibility.


What We're Looking For

  • Masters or Bachelor's degree with relevant experience in computer science or a closely related discipline.
  • 10 years of professional experience in software engineering.
  • 5 years of professional experience in machine learning engineering.
  • Robust comprehension of advertising technology.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead significant technical initiatives across organizations, with an emphasis on scalability, quality, and maintainability.
  • Recognized as a thought leader, driving strategic outcomes while promoting a culture of accountability and diversity.
  • Proven experience shipping products which leverage generative ai technologies.
  • Fundamental understanding of machine learning systems and the capacity to guide decisions regarding build, leverage, or acquisition.


In-Office Requirement Statement

  • We let the type of work you do guide the collaboration style. That means we're not always working in an office, but we continue to gather for key moments of collaboration and connection.


Relocation Statement:

  • This position is not eligible for relocation assistance. Visit our PinFlex page to learn more about our working model.


At Pinterest we believe the workplace should be equitable, inclusive, and inspiring for every employee. In an effort to provide greater transparency, we are sharing the base salary range for this position. The position is also eligible for equity. Final salary is based on a number of factors including location, travel, relevant prior experience, or particular skills and expertise.

Information regarding the culture at Pinterest and benefits available for this position can be found here.

US based applicants only

$233,302—$480,328 USD

Our Commitment To Inclusion

Pinterest is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. We want to have the best qualified people in every job. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, status as a protected veteran, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other consideration made unlawful by applicable federal, state or local laws. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you require a medical or religious accommodation during the job application process, please complete this form for support.

Salary : $233,302 - $480,328

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