At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the technical direction for data accessibility and solve complex platform challenges.
- Company: The Trade Desk, a global leader in digital advertising technology.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Join a culture of trust, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Why this job: Make a worldwide impact by enhancing data tools that support diverse teams.
- Qualifications: Experience in backend services and solving complex technical problems.
The predicted salary is between 59400 - 72600 £ per year.
The Trade Desk is a global technology company and the world's leading independent platform for digital advertising, with nearly 4,000 employees across more than 30 offices.
Our technology helps advertisers reach the right audiences across the open internet - from streaming TV and podcasts to mobile apps, news, and more.
Advertising powers the content people love.
By making it more transparent, effective, and responsible, we help support trusted journalism, quality entertainment, and creators worldwide.
The world's brands and agencies rely on us to reach their customers and grow their businesses responsibly.
The scale of our platform brings unique technical challenges - from processing massive datasets in real time to building systems that operate reliably on a global scale.
When you work here, your impact is worldwide.
We welcome diverse perspectives, encourage curiosity, and build teams that learn from one another.
If you're driven to solve meaningful challenges, we'd love to meet you.
What we do
The User Trail team owns the analytics and observability platform that captures how people actually use The Trade Desk's products - things like page views, clicks, and other interactions across our core web applications.
This event data flows into our data platform and powers everything from product analytics to an AI-powered internal tool our team built, which lets people across the company investigate what happened in the platform in plain language instead of digging through logs by hand.
That tool has become a genuine business asset: it's helped support and trading teams give clients clear, evidence-backed answers about what happened in their accounts, and we're actively extending access so teams beyond engineering - including business and commercial teams - can explore this data themselves without needing to write a query.
We work closely with teams across the company to make sure the right signals are captured and easy to query.
This is a growth investment for the team: as more products and teams come to rely on our data, we need someone who can help set technical direction across multiple parts of the platform, not just execute within one.
What you'll do
- Help set the technical direction for how we unlock our data for the rest of the company - from self-service tools and dashboards to the AI-powered assistant our team built - not just how we collect and store it.
- Solve complex, multi-layered problems that span multiple areas of the platform, where your judgment on tradeoffs (e. g. how broadly to open up access, how much to invest in self-service vs. bespoke support) is relied on broadly.
- Anticipate problems and scaling needs several steps ahead of obvious requirements, as more teams across the company come to depend on our data and tools.
- Proactively identify and drive improvements not just to what the team ships, but to how the team works - tooling, process, and quality practices.
- Influence decision-making within the team by weighing in with a strong, ROI-driven perspective on which capabilities matter most to the teams we serve.
- Develop and share expertise across multiple areas of the platform, and act as a resource other engineers - on and off the team - can turn to for guidance.
- Partner directly with the teams building on top of our data - support, trading, business, and product - to shape what gets built next and how it's exposed.
Who you are
Our culture is much deeper than just having fun together (though, we do that well too...).
We take pride in our engineers being trust-builders, generous givers, scrappy problem solvers, and gritty pursuers of excellence.
You do not have to meet all the requirements below, but we believe that people who meet most of them will have a higher likelihood of succeeding in this role:
- You have a track record of solving hard, ambiguous technical problems end-to-end, and you're comfortable being the person a team turns to when something spans multiple systems.
- You have deep expertise in backend services and/or data-intensive systems (e. g. event pipelines, data warehouse/lakehouse platforms, or SDK development), and you're able to apply that expertise across more than one area.
- You think in terms of return on investment - you can weigh technical tradeoffs against business impact and communicate that reasoning clearly to others.
- You're a change agent: you don't just solve the problem in front of you, you look for ways to improve how the team works and proactively push those changes forward.
- You communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders, from engineers to non-technical partners, and you
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Staff Software Engineer - User Trail employer: Thetradedesk
The Trade Desk is an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration, making it an ideal place for a Lead Staff Systems Reliability Engineer. With access to cutting-edge technology and the opportunity to work on global-scale challenges, employees are encouraged to grow through mentorship and diverse perspectives. The company's commitment to inclusivity and employee development ensures that every team member can thrive in a supportive environment while making a meaningful impact in the digital advertising space.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Staff Software Engineer - User Trail
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Thetradedesk or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Thetradedesk.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Thetradedesk.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Thetradedesk that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Staff Software Engineer - User Trail
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Thetradedesk.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Thetradedesk and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Thetradedesk
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Thetradedesk uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
