Senior Software Engineer

Location: Hybrid (NYC) / Remote (UTC-8 to UTC+1)

About Chalice

Chalice ( chalice.ai ) is the leading AI solution for brands applying their own data and analytics to real-time decisioning in ad buying. Our platform automates data ingestion, predictive analytics, and the deployment of custom bidding logic across all major DSPs, Meta, and YouTube. Chalice has been recognized as “Best Demand Side Tech” by AdExchanger and powered AdWeek’s “Best Use of Programmatic” in the 2023 Media Plan of the Year awards.

Organizational Context

This role is for a senior figure on the Engineering team. They will report to the VP of Engineering, but be expected to operate without day-to-day direction. The Engineering team is responsible for maintaining core operational infrastructure and data ingress and egress with our platform partners. This person would interact closely with our Data Science and Machine Learning teams to ensure system compatibility and maximum support of our products.

We are evolving toward:

Event-driven system design

Container deployments to customer and partner infrastructure

Reduced architectural rigidity

Strong internal platform standards

What “Senior” Means at Chalice

The Senior Software Engineer role is a strong developer with extensive experience in building and deploying production-ready, scalable, and maintainable systems. In addition to this strong base, a Senior Software Engineer is a resource for junior developers to support their projects and aid in their skill development.

You will:

Develop secure and scalable APIs for internal and external use

Build portable, packaged code that is compatible with internal and external systems

Implement CI/CD and testing automation

Reduce systemic complexity

Introduce durable patterns

Identify architectural risk early

Define reliability standards across teams

Mission

As Senior Software Engineer, you are an individual contributor who can break down complex problems and deliver reliable code according to product timelines. In addition to the engineering team, you will work closely with the Product, Machine Learning, and SRE teams to inform platform decisions. You will have significant ownership of foundational platform code to support the migration to an API and Event Driven platform.

In addition to building systems, you will mentor and elevate other engineers in infrastructure best practices, operational rigor, and architectural thinking. You will help establish a culture of reliability, ownership, and continuous improvement across the organization.

You will help implement a scalable, event-driven, multi-tenant platform that supports:

Containerized product delivery to external customers

Internal event-driven services across AWS

Centralized state store driven orchestration

Governance across adtech integrations and third-party APIs

What You’ll Do

1. Platform Development

Create Technical Proposals from Product Specs

Build out integrations with partners

Implement APIs that expose platform functionality in a secure manner

Develop routes and pipelines which run within an event-based backend system

Emphasize portable coding practices and decoupled systems

Package reusable code for easy distribution

2. System Observability and Reliability

Ensure that all internal codebases adhere to strict observability and testing standards

Enforce proper production development procedures using automated CI/CD tools like GitHub Actions

Ensure that code failures are surfaced clearly and appropriate retry measures are taken

Support the adoption of proper documentation and production code best practices

3. Support Junior Developers

Act as a resource for junior developers to support early career development

Lead by example in implementing production code best practices

Provide mentorship and learning opportunities during projects

4. Identify and Mitigate Technical Debt

Support efforts to reduce and automate tech debt

Provide technical guidance in support of automation and process improvement proposals

Suggest successful patterns for reducing tech debt

Ideal Background

8–10 years of experience building and operating production systems

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or related field — or equivalent practical experience. Advanced degrees are welcome but not required.

Deep production experience with APIs, event-based platform designs, multitenant architectures, microservices, AWS tools, and Docker

Exposure to Databricks, including deploying jobs via Databricks Asset Bundles

Exposure to event-driven architectures

Experience improving testing and CI/CD practices for production workflows

Adtech experience preferred but not required

Experience with Kubernetes (EKS) preferred

Our Current Technology Environment

Languages: Python, SQL, Rust, JavaScript

Orchestration: Dagster, Databricks Workflows, SQS

Data Platform: Databricks (Delta Lake, Unity Catalog), Snowflake, AWS (S3, EC2, Lambda, DBT, DLT)

Containerization: Docker

Observability: Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog

CI/CD Tools: GitHub Actions

We are actively evolving toward containerization, event-driven design, and API-first integrations

What We’re Looking For

We want someone who:

Has built scalable backend systems from scratch

Has configured and worked extensively with AWS services

Has migrated or refactored outdated infrastructure

Has resolved production job failures

Has worked extensively with containerized solutions

Anticipated Interview Process

Conversational: A live discussion focused on past systems, tradeoffs, and a collaborative diagramming/troubleshooting exercise.

Take Home GitHub Exercise: A practical exercise evaluating how you think about structure, testing, reproducibility, and clarity.

Engineering Deep Dive: Technical and strategic discussion around platform development and technical skills.

CTO Conversation: Focused on technical alignment.

CEO Conversation: Focused on company alignment.

Why Chalice?

Joining Chalice means being at the forefront of AI for advertising, working in a dynamic environment that encourages creativity, growth, and innovation. We value diversity, collaboration, and dedication to making a meaningful impact in the advertising landscape.

Chalice is a profitable early-stage company with funding from industry insiders including Trade Desk’s TD7 Ventures and Aperiam Ventures. Our clients range from Fortune 100 companies and the world’s largest advertising agencies to up-and-coming brands and independent agencies across the globe.

Our Philosophy

AI is too important for brands to outsource

AI should be transparent and auditable

We strive for excellence while fostering learning and creating a supportive work environment

We are a team of non-conformist, independent thinkers

We are committed to diversity of thought, background, and experience, and creating psychological safety for all to thrive

Benefits

Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage

401(k) options

Unlimited PTO

11 Company Holidays

Office-wide closure between Christmas Eve and New Year’s

To learn more about Chalice, visit our website: www.chalice.ai

Chalice participates in E-Verify. Chalice will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization. For more information, visit https://www.uscis.gov/e-verify .