(USA) Principal, Software Engineer

Reference: R-2638175Posted: 2026-09-25Location: SUNNYVALE, CA, United StatesSalary: $143000 - $286000/yearType: Full time / Regular/PermanentCompany: WalmartBusiness Segment: Home OfficeRole summary: As a Principal Software Engineer, you will be responsible for designing, developing and improving algorithms for ads optimization, including budgeting, pacing, bidding and ranking. You will work closely with Data Science and Product on problem formulation, collaborate with multiple engineering teams to build scalable and high-performance services with high observability, establish insights for optimization opportunities, and iterate over system and algorithm improvements. You are a sharp software engineer with great math intuition. By applying sound technical judgment and continuous improvement, you are committed to building reliable and high-performance solutions that meet customers' needs while advancing Walmart’s technology vision. About the team: The mission of Walmart Display Ads is to connect brand owners and shoppers with relevant display ads. We bring brand awareness and rich product information to shoppers and help brand owners grow their business. The Display Ad Serving team builds advanced services with cutting edge technologies, to understand shopper intent and surrounding context, serve relevant ads and optimize campaign performance. The team emphasizes strong project and stakeholder management, continuous improvement, and engineering excellence. It fosters a culture of coaching, problem solving, and innovation to drive impactful results while maintaining operational efficiency and alignment with strategic priorities. What you'll do:Collaborate with stakeholders to translate business needs into actionable technical requirements and measurable outcomes. Collaborate with Data Scientists to prototype new optimization algorithms and build roadmaps. Collaborate with multiple engineering teams to build low latency data pipelines to support budgeting and pacing algorithms as well as real-time bidding decisions. Design, implement, test and improve campaign optimization algorithms as well as training prediction models, to achieve advertiser goals with actional insights.Build offline simulation tools and online dark canary systems to support quick iterations of algorithm development with minimum risks.What you'll bring:Proficiency in one of the programming languages, Java, Python, C++, etc. Proven records for developing, deploying, and operating feedback control or reinforcement learning algorithms with fault tolerance. Bachelor's degree in operation research, computer science, or related fields. Master and PhD are preferred. Extensive experience in platform engineering leadership, delivering scalable infrastructure and reusable tooling aligned with strategic roadmaps.Demonstrated technical leadership, mentorship, and influence on architectural standards across teams.Excellent problem-solving skills with a focus on operational metrics and customer-centric solutions.AdTech experience is a strong plus. At Walmart, we offer competitive pay as well as performance-based bonus awards and other great benefits for a happier mind, body, and wallet. Health benefits include medical, vision and dental coverage. Financial benefits include 401(k), stock purchase and company-paid life insurance. Paid time off benefits include PTO (including sick leave), parental leave, family care leave, bereavement, jury duty, and voting. Other benefits include short-term and long-term disability, company discounts, Military Leave Pay, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, and more. You will also receive PTO and/or PPTO that can be used for vacation, sick leave, holidays, or other purposes. The amount you receive depends on your job classification and length of employment. It will meet or exceed the requirements of paid sick leave laws, where applicable. For information about PTO, see . Live Better U is a Walmart-paid education benefit program for full-time and part-time associates in Walmart and Sam's Club facilities. Programs range from high school completion to bachelor's degrees, including English Language Learning and short-form certificates. Tuition, books, and fees are completely paid for by Walmart. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to a specific plan or program terms. For information about benefits and eligibility, see One.Walmart. The annual salary range for this position is $143,000.00 - $286,000.00 Additional compensation includes annual or quarterly performance bonuses. Additional compensation for certain positions may also include : - StockMinimum qualifications["Option 1: Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, software engineering, or related area and 5 years’ experience in software engineering or related area.Option 2: 7 years’ experience in software engineering or related area."]Preferred qualifications["Master’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, software engineering, or related area and 3 years' experience in software engineering or related area.", "We value candidates with a background in creating inclusive digital experiences, demonstrating knowledge in implementing Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standards, assistive technologies, and integrating digital accessibility seamlessly. The ideal candidate would have knowledge of accessibility best practices and join us as we continue to create accessible products and services following Walmart’s accessibility standards and guidelines for supporting an inclusive culture."]