ROLE: SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER
TEAM: SALT MEDIA
LOCATION: TORONTO (HYBRID)
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Ready to shape the future of AI-driven advertising and build products that transform how brands connect with audiences? We’re looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join our team at Nectar First and be a part of the evolution.
Every day at Salt Media, we’re facilitating more informed, valuable conversations between companies and the people they serve. We’re driven by our mission to “Bring Audiences Home”—helping brands cut through irrelevant noise and connect with people who truly care.
As an AI-driven media agency powered by our own proprietary products, we help clients make smarter, more impactful ad buying decisions while delivering a better experience for brands and consumers alike. Our product suite and unique in-house service models blend the best of data science and marketing, empowering clients to take ownership of their digital media, social buying, and first-party data strategies.
Our current product suite includes:
- Podium, our next-gen media mix modelling and measurement platform
- Frontrunnr, our automated social boosting and ad optimization platform
- Media Mob, our creator discovery platform
…and this is just the beginning. We're constantly ideating and building. As one of our Senior Software Engineers, you'll play a pivotal role not only in shaping and refining these products but also in envisioning and creating the next wave of transformative products that will define our future.
ABOUT YOU
If you’re an engineer who loves building product, has an ownership mentality and is someone who constantly wants to learn and evolve, here are a few reasons why you might be excited to join Salt Media:
- Work with Cutting-Edge AI
- AI isn’t just a buzzword for us — it’s in our DNA. As an Intermediate Data Scientist, you’ll engage directly with generative models, ML-driven decision-making tools, and advanced data pipelines. You’ll use licensed AI tools internally to enhance your daily workflows and collaborate with colleagues, and will be given regular opportunities to explore and learn new tooling to help us all stay ahead of the curve and work smarter.
- High-Impact, Varied Environment
- You won’t be pigeonholed into a narrow engineering role. Instead, you’ll tackle a variety of challenges, on a variety of products, from improving backend architectures and optimizing models to experimenting with new tools and frameworks. Your work will make an immediate, visible difference to clients and the company’s trajectory.
- Autonomy and Ownership
- Rather than waiting for permission, you’ll propose solutions, influence product direction, and shape development processes. Our flat org structure eliminates red tape and encourages direct communication. If you see an opportunity to build something better, you run with it.
- Exposure to the Entire Business
- At Salt Media, you won’t be isolated in your own technical corner. You’ll collaborate closely with product leaders, data scientists, client-facing teams, and even the CEO. This cross-functional exposure expands your understanding of the product and customers, helping you hone both technical and business skills.
- Fast-Paced Growth and Learning
- Ad tech is evolving quickly, and we move with it. That means constant learning, continuous improvement, and never feeling stuck in outdated tech stacks or stale processes. As the company grows, so do your opportunities—new responsibilities, new projects, and a larger platform to showcase your talents.
- A Culture of Curiosity and Transparency
- Expect open communication, direct feedback, and a culture that values curiosity and problem solving over rigid hierarchies. You’ll join a team that encourages questions, celebrates breakthroughs, and is genuinely excited about building product to shake up a traditional industry.
ROLE OVERVIEW:
As a Senior Software Engineer at Salt Media, you’re not just another developer adding incremental features—you’re a key contributor helping redefine how an entire industry operates. If you’ve ever wanted to make an impact somewhere where your code directly influences market-shaping decisions, read on.
Reporting directly to the Chief Product Officer, you will partner with Internal and Client Business Teams to develop novel products, new systems and achieve client business goals.
You'll work with a modern tech stack that includes:
- Python: The backbone of our codebase, powering most of our development work.
- Cloud Platforms: A robust infrastructure built on GCP to support scalability and reliability.
- Generative AI: At the heart of our innovation. We’re integrating large language models and developing bespoke AI solutions to redefine our products and services.
Your core responsibilities will include:
- Building actionable KPIs, production-quality dashboards, informative deep dives, and scalable data products
- Leading product delivery and own execution of novel technology projects
- Applying and developing specialized programming and software system skills to solve complex business objectives
- Contributing to fostering a culture of product excellence and creativity
- Influencing business-stakeholders to drive innovation and technology development
Within the first 30 days of the role you will:
- Progress through our structured onboarding program
- Set up your development environment, familiarize yourself with our tech stack, and understand our core products
- Meet our CEO
- Get to know your fellow Product Team members
- Have regular 1:1s with the Chief Product Officer
- Attend weekly company-wide update meeting
- Complete a series of guided tasks (e.g., minor bug fixes, small feature enhancements) to learn our codebase and deployment processes
- Meet with cross-functional team member to understand roles, org structure, and workflows
Within the first 60 days you will:
- Begin independently contributing to feature development and propose improvements to existing code.
- Take on ownership of a small feature or service area, ensuring its performance, reliability, and scalability
Within the first 90 days you will:
- Lead the development of a moderately complex feature or system improvement from concept through release
- Offer input on tooling, architecture, or best practices to improve productivity and code quality across the Product team
- Act as a trusted technical contributor, regularly sharing insights, advocating for best practices, and helping shape our long-term technical roadmap
EXPERIENCE & SKILLS
While checking all of these boxes certainly isn’t required for you to apply, here is an overview of the kind of experience we’d love to see in your work history:
- 5+ years building products
- Experience with JavaScript frameworks such as React, Tailwind, and NodeJS
- Experience with untyped languages such as Python for backend development and relevant data management libraries
- Experience with SQL and no-SQL based systems
- Familiarity with microservices and/or serverless applications
- Familiarity with data orchestration and pipeline management, incl AI pipelines
- Familiarity with production application deployment and maintenance in cloud environments, esp. GCP
- A proven track record of owning and delivering projects
- BSc or higher in Computer Science, Statistics, Software Engineering or related field, or equivalent experience
- Additional consideration for candidates with
- Marketing and advertising measurement experience
- ‘Big Tech’ experience
OUR CULTURE
At Salt Media, you’ll be working in a startup-like atmosphere within a larger agency group. Rapid learning, continuous experimentation, and room to shape your own role are key, but unlike other startups, here you'll reap the benefits of stability, scale and long-term vision. You’ll join a team of ambitious builders and problem solvers who move fast, are masters of their craft, and share an obsession with exploring cutting-edge technologies. There’s no red tape holding you back, so you’ll feel empowered to take bold risks and drive meaningful change.
We value transparency, curiosity, ownership, consistency, commitment and tech agility. We celebrate wins, encourage one another’s professional development, and foster an inclusive culture where everyone’s diverse perspective matters.
We embrace a hybrid approach to work at Salt Media, with 2 days per week spent collaborating with teammates and leadership in person at our Toronto office (located in Liberty Village). It’s a buzzing and productive environment where you’ll have the opportunity to not only get to know your colleagues, but an extensive network of industry peers. We spend the other 3 days working remotely from, and stay connected via Slack.
INTERVIEW PROCESS
Our interview process shouldn’t take more than about 4 hours of your time total. Here’s what’s involved for the Senior Software Engineer role:
- Introductory call with our recruiter to assess experience and fit (30-60 mins)
- Introductory call with our Chief Product Officer, to learn about the products you’ve built previously and to ensure your ways of working align with ours (30-60 mins)
- Technical Assessment, which will involve a debugging challenge and other questions in CoderPad (60 mins)
- Final call with our other Senior Software Engineer to answer any outstanding questions that you or we might have (30 mins)
If you’re ready to build products that transform the future of advertising, thrive in a transparent and collaborative environment, and see the tangible impact of your work, Nectar First is the place to bring your ambition to life. Apply now and join us on our mission to “Bring Audiences Home”.
Salt Media embraces diversity and equal opportunity. We’re committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, or family status.
If you require any accommodations or support during the application or interview process, please let our recruiter know and we’ll work with you to ensure you have a positive experience.