Principal Software Development Engineer, Ads Intelligence

Who we are

At CarGurus (NASDAQ: CARG), our mission is to give people the power to reach their destination. We started as a small team of developers determined to bring trust and transparency to car shopping. Since then, our history of innovation and go-to-market acceleration has driven industry-leading growth. In fact, we're the largest and fastest-growing automotive marketplace, and we've been profitable for over 15 years.

What we do

The market is evolving, and we are too, moving the entire automotive journey online and guiding our customers through every step. That includes everything from the sale of an old car to the financing, purchase, and delivery of a new one. Today, tens of millions of consumers visit CarGurus.com each month, and ~30,000 dealerships use our products. But they're not the only ones who love CarGurus-our employees do, too. We have a people-first culture that fosters kindness, collaboration, and innovation, and empowers our Gurus with tools to fuel their career growth. Disrupting a trillion-dollar industry requires fresh and diverse perspectives. Come join us for the ride!

Role overview

CarGurus' Ads Intelligence group is looking for a highly experienced and accomplished Principal Software Engineer to set the technical direction for our platform that will deliver complex market insights through intuitive dealer-facing experiences.

In this high-impact role, you will be the primary technical owner, responsible for setting the multi-year architectural strategy for all market intelligence solutions. You will partner closely with leaders across Product, Data Science, and Product Data Analytics to transform complex competitive data into scalable, insightful, and strategic market intelligence products. If you are an architect focused on solving complex challenges at scale, balancing robust design with long-term stability, we'd love to hear from you!

What you'll do

• Work closely with engineers, product managers, and stakeholders across the company to gather complex product requirements and transform them into effective, robust, and production-ready solutions.
• Define, socialize, and lead the technical vision and architectural roadmap for the entire Ads platform, ensuring long-term performance, reliability, and security across the entire data lifecycle.
• Serve as a technical leader by establishing clear engineering practices, ensuring high standards for code quality, testability, observability, and operational excellence across the team and adjacent groups.
• Guide the technical direction in both our important Java backend services (e.g., microservices, APIs) and sophisticated modern web applications (React) that provide data visualization and intuitive user experiences.
• Mentor, coach, and support the growth of engineers, leading technical design reviews and promoting sound technical decision-making throughout the organization.
• Evaluate, advocate for, and incorporate advanced technologies, including AI/ML capabilities, to enhance the accuracy, breadth, and strategic value of our market intelligence data products.

What you'll bring

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science or similar; or equivalent experience in computer science fundamentals including data structures, algorithms, design patterns, and complexity analysis.
• 8+ years of professional software development experience, including 3+ years of experience leading technical strategy or serving as a Principal/Staff Engineer working with Java (or similar languages), and frameworks such as Spring Boot.
• 5+ years of experience designing, building, deploying, scaling, testing, and evolving distributed systems and high-volume transaction applications using service-oriented architecture in 24/7 production environments. Strong proficiency in cloud infrastructure, AWS preferred, including familiarity with infrastructure-as-code concepts (e.g., Terraform).
• 2+ years of experience using cloud infrastructure technologies such as AWS, Terraform or similar cloud services.
• 3+ years of hands-on experience working with both relational and NoSQL databases, applying the right data models to diverse needs.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication abilities, with a proven talent for articulating complex technical roadmaps and trade-offs to executive leaders, business stakeholders, and engineering teams, ensuring alignment on long-term strategy and execution.
• Experience with full-stack development, especially modern web applications like React, is a strong plus.

The displayed range represents the expected annual base salary / On-Target Earnings (OTE) for this position. On-Target Earnings (OTE) is inclusive of base salary and on-target commission earnings, which applies exclusively to sales roles.

Individual pay within this range is determined by work location and other factors such as job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

This annual base salary forms part of a comprehensive Total Rewards Package. In addition to benefits, this role may qualify for discretionary bonuses/incentives and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs).

Position Pay Range

$168,000-$210,000 USD

Working at CarGurus

We reward our Gurus' curiosity and passion with best-in-class benefits and compensation, including equity for all employees, both when they start and as they continue to grow with us. Our career development and corporate giving programs, as well as our employee resource groups (ERGs) and communities, help people build connections while making an impact in personally meaningful ways. A flexible hybrid model and robust time off policies encourage work-life balance and individual well-being. Thoughtful perks like daily free lunch, a new car discount, meditation and fitness apps, commuting cost coverage, and more help our people create space for what matters most in their personal and professional lives.

We welcome all

CarGurus strives to be a place to which people can bring the ultimate expression of themselves and their potential-starting with our hiring process. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, or sexual orientation. We foster an inclusive environment that values people for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. That's why we hope you'll apply even if you don't check every box listed in the job description. We also encourage you to tell your recruiter if you require accommodations to participate in our hiring process due to a disability so we can provide the appropriate support. We want to know what only you can bring to CarGurus. #LI-Hybrid