Principal Software Engineer - Distributed Systems - FreeWheel (Chicago)

FreeWheel, a Comcast company, provides comprehensive ad platforms for publishers, advertisers, and media buyers. Powered by premium video content, robust data, and advanced technology, we’re making it easier for buyers and sellers to transact across all screens, data types, and sales channels. As a global company, we have offices in nine countries and can insert advertisements around the world.

Job Summary

The Principal Software Engineer - Ad Tech & Distributed Systems is responsible for leading reliability, performance, and operational excellence of the FreeWheel platforms. This role focuses on designing, operating, and troubleshooting large‑scale distributed systems while owning monitoring, incident response, change management, and capacity planning. As a technical subject matter expert, the Principal Software Engineer leads and resolves complex issues, automates operational workflows, and partners with engineering, vendors, and client services to deliver scalable, high‑quality solutions. The role operates with limited supervision, applying sound judgment and independently developing solutions for non‑routine and complex challenges.

Job Description

Core Responsibilities

• Own production reliability, availability, latency, and performance of large‑scale, mission‑critical systems
• Design, implement, and operate monitoring, alerting, and observability solutions to ensure system health and rapid detection of issues
• Lead incident response, root cause analysis, and post‑incident reviews to drive long‑term reliability improvements
• Support and ensure stable operations during high‑visibility, time‑sensitive live events and releases
• Drive automation initiatives to reduce operational toil, improve efficiency, and increase system resilience
• Partner with software engineering teams to influence architecture and design decisions with production readiness in mind
• Lead and execute change management, capacity planning, and production readiness reviewsChampion security, vulnerability management, and secure configuration practices across production environments
• Enforce and continuously improve Engineering Operations processes, standards, and best practices
• Participate in on‑call rotations, including weekend coverage, and provide escalation support for complex production issues

Job Requirements / Skills

• Requires 10+ years of professional experience in software development/engineering, with a proven track record of designing, building, and maintaining scalable applications.
• 5+ years experience with AWS.
• Expert‑level coding, debugging, and troubleshooting skills across complex, distributed production systems.
• Proven ability to lead and mentor engineers in automation, reliability engineering, and production problem‑solving.
• Strong experience designing and operating server‑side applications or services using Python, Go‑Lang, or Scala.
• Experience developing, operating, and troubleshooting distributed systems and backend services.
• Familiarity with data processing platforms, data pipelines, and large‑scale system architectures.
• Deep knowledge of Linux systems, system internals, networking, and production infrastructure.
• Extensive experience with AWS cloud architecture and services including VPC, subnets, NACLs, security groups, EC2, S3, IAM, Route 53, Lambda, and related services.
• Proficiency with infrastructure‑as‑code and configuration management tools and practices.
• Mastery of CI/CD and SDLC tools (Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins, Git, Ansible, Chef, and Puppet).
• Strong understanding of database technologies, SQL, performance tuning, and operational data management.
• Advanced analytical and data‑driven problem‑solving skills, including use of metrics to guide decisions.
• Strong communication skills, attention to detail, adaptability, and ability to work effectively within a global, cross‑functional team.

Disclaimer

• This information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees in this role. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications.

Comcast is an equal opportunity workplace. We will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

Skills

C++ Programming Language; AWS OpsWorks; Python (Programming Language); Systems Design

Salary

Primary Location Pay Range: $152,828.79 - $229,243.19

Comcast intends to offer the selected candidate base pay within this range, dependent on job‑related, non‑discriminatory factors such as experience. The application window is 30 days from the date job is posted, unless the number of applicants requires it to close sooner or later.

Base pay is one part of the Total Rewards that Comcast provides to compensate and recognize employees for their work. Most sales positions are eligible for a Commission under the terms of an applicable plan, while most non‑sales positions are eligible for a Bonus. Additionally, Comcast provides best‑in‑class Benefits to eligible employees. We believe that benefits should connect you to the support you need when it matters most, and should help you care for those who matter most. That’s why we provide an array of options, expert guidance and always‑on tools, that are personalized to meet the needs of your reality — to help support you physically, financially and emotionally through the big milestones and in your everyday life. Please visit the compensation and benefits summary on our careers site for more details.

Education

Bachelor's Degree

While possessing the stated degree is preferred, Comcast also may consider applicants who hold some combination of coursework and experience, or who have extensive related professional experience.

Relevant Work Experience

7‑10 Years