Software Development Engineer III, Advertising Technology

Expedia Group

Software engineer building real-time ad delivery, ranking, and bidding systems for Expedia Group’s global travel advertising platform. Scaling low-latency backend services and integrating ML-driven signals.

Posted 8/21/2026full-timeChicago • Illinois • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $136,000 - $190,500 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in backend software development, focusing on building scalable, low-latency services and integrating machine learning-driven signals. Proficient in optimizing ad delivery systems and mentoring junior engineers while advocating for high-quality code and operational best practices.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Backend Software DevelopmentAPI Development (gRPC)Data-Driven SystemsMachine Learning IntegrationDistributed Systems

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

JavaKotlinFlinkSparkMicroservicesAlgorithmsData StructuresA/B ExperimentationRelevance RankingVector Databases

Soft Skills

MentoringCollaborationContinuous Improvement

Tools & Technologies

Cloud EnvironmentsAd Serving SystemsObservability Tools

Industry Keywords

E-CommerceTravel PlatformsMarketplacesAds

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

CloudDistributed SystemsGRPCJavaKotlinMicroservicesSpark

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Optimize bidding, ranking, and pacing for guaranteed and non-guaranteed ad delivery
Build and scale systems supporting ad serving and ad selection across Expedia Group’s advertising network
Apply software design principles, algorithms, and data structures to build scalable, low-latency, high-throughput services
Collaborate with Product, ML data scientists, and data teams on relevance optimization, targeting, and performance modeling
Integrate APIs and microservices and bring ML-driven signals into backend services
Advocate for high-quality code, automated testing, and strong observability practices
Participate in operational reviews and drive continuous improvement
Mentor junior engineers, lead design discussions, and elevate the team’s technical bar

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Science or a related technical field
5+ years of experience in backend software development
Experience working with data-driven systems, ML-powered features, or A/B experimentation platforms
Strong proficiency in at least one modern programming language (e.g., Java, Kotlin)
Experience building and deploying backend APIs (e.g. gRPC) and streaming or batch data processing services (e.g., Flink, Spark) in cloud environments
Solid understanding of distributed systems, data flows, and operational best practices
Experience with search and retrieval systems, including relevance ranking, vector databases, embeddings, or AI/semantic search
Experience designing and implementing agent-to-agent (A2A) and multi-agent AI systems
Background in ads, marketplaces, e-commerce, or travel platforms
Must work in the Chicago office at least three days a week
No relocation assistance is offered

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical, dental, and vision coverage
Paid time off
Employee Assistance Program
Wellness reimbursement
Travel reimbursement
Travel discounts
International Airlines Travel Agent Network (IATAN) membership
Flexible work model