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Senior Software Engineer, C++ Real-time Systems
Bellevue, WA
Are you ready to revolutionize the advertising industry?
At Cognitiv, we are not just another AdTech company—we are industry trailblazers redefining media buying with our Deep Learning Advertising Platform. Since 2015, we have harnessed the power of cutting-edge deep learning technology and data science to transform how brands connect with their customers. Our mission? To bring intelligence to advertising and deliver unparalleled precision, relevance, and impact at scale.
With our innovative platform, advertisers enjoy unprecedented flexibility—whether it is activating Dynamic Deals through their preferred DSP, leveraging our managed service DSP, or utilizing our industry-first ContextGPT product. As a part of Cognitiv, you will be at the forefront of AI-driven advertising solutions, driving change and achieving remarkable growth in a rapidly evolving industry.
Now, we’re growing!
The Role
We are looking for a world class Senior Software Engineer for the RTS (real-time systems) team. The RTS team forms the heart of our programmatic bidding platform. Our systems process tens of trillions of auction bid requests every year and evaluate them using our AI models running in the hot path. The platform requires incredible throughput and tight latency to meet our customer’s needs.
Our RTS systems are written in modern C++, and we’re seeking an engineer passionate about building high-performance services.
This position will be in our Bellevue, WA office with a hybrid work schedule of 3 days in office (Mon/Tue/Wed) and 2 days remote (Thursday/Friday).
What You'll Do
- Design, implement, test, optimize, and maintain our core platform in the form of robust libraries and software development tools with a focus on high performance and reliability.
- Design complex software systems and participate in thorough, constructive reviews.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align on project goals and deliver high-quality solutions.
- Own the entire service management lifecycle for the systems you work on.
Who You Are
- Proficient in and enjoy working with modern C++. Candidates with strong experience in other unmanaged languages such as C or Rust and a desire to learn C++ will also be considered.
- Independent self-starter who takes ownership, sees the big picture, and drives creative solutions.
- A constructive, supportive team player, with good communication and interpersonal skills.
- Experience building very high-volume, low-latency, real-time back-end services in cloud environments (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure).
Bonus Points
- 5+ years in software engineering, ideally focused on real-time systems or high-performance back-end services.
- Professional experience with asynchronous architectures, such as event loop or actor model systems
- Strong foundation in operating systems and low-level programming, including memory management, data structures, concurrency, and lock-free programming.
Salary:
- $160,000 - $210,000 USD Base Salary + Equity
What We Offer
Compensation is based on experience, skills, and other factors. Base salary is just one part of your total rewards at Cognitiv—you’ll also receive equity and a comprehensive benefits package.
Highlights include:
- Medical, dental & vision coverage (some plans 100% employer-paid)
- 12 weeks paid parental leave
- Unlimited PTO + Work-From-Anywhere August
- Career development with clear advancement paths
- Equity for all employees
- Hybrid work model & daily team lunch
- Health & wellness stipend + cell phone reimbursement
- 401(k) with employer match
- Parking (CA & WA offices) & pre-tax commuter benefits
- Employee Assistance Program
- Comprehensive onboarding (Cognitiv University)
- …and more!
What You’ll Find at Cognitiv
- Festiv – We make work fun with cross-team games, events, and creative team bonding.
- Responsiv – You’ll be close to clients and leadership, influencing real outcomes.
- Inclusiv – Diversity and individuality are celebrated across all levels.
- Inventiv – We reward curiosity and embrace bold ideas.
- Transformativ – We support your growth with training, mentorship, and flexibility.
- Collaborativ – We operate across coasts, connected by purpose and teamwork.
Cognitiv is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for all.
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