Lead Software Engineer (C++) - Ad Tech & Distributed Systems - FreeWheel

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
We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer (C++) to join a team responsible for building and enhancing a large-scale, real-time advertising platform that operates at massive scale. This role focuses on developing high-performance backend services that process millions of concurrent requests, optimize ad delivery decisions, and maintain ultra-low latency response times across a distributed cloud infrastructure. The ideal candidate has deep expertise in C++ development, distributed systems, concurrency, and high-throughput application design. You'll work on mission-critical services that sit at the core of the advertising ecosystem, handling complex decisioning logic and real-time integrations with external demand partners and marketplaces.
Job Description
Core Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and optimize high-performance C++ applications that power a large-scale ad serving platform.
• Build and maintain backend systems capable of processing millions of concurrent requests with low latency and high availability.
• Develop new platform capabilities while ensuring system stability, scalability, and performance under heavy workloads.
• Enhance systems that process ad requests, communicate with external bidding partners, evaluate responses, and return optimized decisions in real time.
• Design and implement resilient distributed services across multi-region cloud environments.
• Optimize application performance for high Query Per Second (QPS) workloads and high-concurrency traffic patterns.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to architect failover, disaster recovery, and high-availability solutions.
• Create efficient database queries and data access layers utilizing MySQL and Aerospike.
• Troubleshoot performance bottlenecks across application, database, and infrastructure layers.
• Participate in architecture discussions, code reviews, and technical design initiatives.
• Monitor and continuously improve system reliability, scalability, and operational efficiency.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of professional software development experience using C++.
• Experience building and supporting high-volume, high-concurrency distributed systems.
• Strong understanding of multithreading, concurrency, memory management, and performance optimization.
• Experience designing and operating low-latency, real-time applications.
• Knowledge of cloud platforms including AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Experience working with relational databases, particularly MySQL.
• Familiarity with distributed data stores such as Aerospike, Kafka, Snowflake, etc.
• Strong understanding of scalable microservices and service-oriented architectures.
• Experience with monitoring, troubleshooting, and performance tuning large-scale production systems.

Comcast is an EOE/Veterans/Disabled/LGBT employer.
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:
Illinois 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