GOC | Principal Engineer

About WPP Media 

WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients and communities. For more information, visit wpp.com. 

WPP Media is WPP’s global media collective. In a world where media is everywhere and in everything, we bring the best platform, people, and partners together to create limitless opportunities for growth. For more information, visit wppmedia.com 

At WPP Media, we believe in the power of our culture and our people. It’s what elevates us to deliver exceptional experiences for both our clients and each other. In this role it will be critical to embrace WPP & WPP Media’s shared core values: 

• Be Extraordinary by Leading Collectively to Inspire transformational Creativity.
• Create an Open environment by Balancing People and Client Experiences by Cultivating Trust.
• Lead Optimistically by Championing Growth and Development to Mobilize the Enterprise. 

 

Role Summary and Impact 

As part of the Global Operations Centre (GOC), you will work closely with teams across the United States, Europe, and Asia to deliver high-impact solutions in a collaborative, multicultural environment. We are seeking an exceptional and visionary Principal Engineer to join our Data & Technology Solutions leadership team. This is a critical role for an individual who embodies deep technical expertise, strategic architectural thinking, and impactful leadership. You will be responsible for defining the technical vision and direction for core components of our data products and AI platforms, including WPP Open, ensuring their scalability, reliability, and innovation within the demanding AdTech landscape. You will mentor senior engineers, drive best practices, and play a pivotal role in shaping our engineering culture and future. 

You are: 

• A distinguished technical leader with a proven track record of architecting, building, and delivering large-scale, complex distributed systems. 
• A strategic thinker capable of translating business goals into long-term technical roadmaps and influencing organizational strategy. 
• An inspiring mentor who elevates the technical capabilities and careers of those around them, fostering a culture of engineering excellence. 
• A master problem-solver who thrives on tackling the most challenging technical hurdles and making high-impact decisions. 
• An influential communicator, adept at articulating complex technical concepts to diverse audiences, from junior engineers to executive leadership. 

What You will do:

Drive Technical Vision and Architectural Strategy 

• Define and champion the technical vision and long-term architectural strategy for critical data products, AI platforms, and core services within WPP Open. 
• Lead the design and implementation of highly scalable, resilient, and performant distributed systems, ensuring they meet current and future business needs. 
• Evaluate and select new technologies, frameworks, and tools, establishing best practices and engineering standards across multiple teams. 
• Anticipate technical challenges and opportunities, proactively proposing innovative solutions that align with WPP's strategic objectives. 

Provide Technical Leadership and Mentorship 

• Act as a technical leader and role model, providing expert guidance, mentorship, and coaching to senior engineers and engineering managers across multiple teams. 
• Drive continuous improvement in engineering practices, code quality, testing methodologies, and operational excellence. 
• Lead complex technical discussions, design reviews, and architectural decision-making processes, ensuring robust and well-reasoned outcomes. 
• Foster a culture of technical innovation, continuous learning, and accountability within the engineering organization. 

Solve Complex Problems and Deliver Impact 

• Take ownership of the most challenging technical problems, providing hands-on expertise and leading cross-functional efforts to find elegant and efficient solutions. 
• Ensure that technical solutions align with product requirements and deliver maximum business value, balancing short-term delivery with long-term architectural health. 
• Drive the resolution of critical production issues, contributing to incident response and post-mortem analysis to prevent recurrence. 
• Influence the overall product roadmap and engineering strategy through deep technical insight and understanding of market dynamics in AdTech. 

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Influence 

• Collaborate closely with Product Leadership, Data Science, and other Engineering teams to align technical strategy with product vision and business goals. 
• Communicate complex technical concepts and architectural decisions effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including executive leadership. 
• Represent WPP's technical capabilities internally and externally, contributing to our reputation as a leader in marketing technology. 

Skills and Experience 

If this opportunity looks right for you, we are looking for candidates who have:  

• 10+ years of progressive experience in software engineering, with at least 3 years in a Principal Engineer, Staff Engineer, or equivalent senior technical leadership role. 
• Demonstrated expertise in architecting, developing, and operating large-scale distributed systems in a cloud-native environment (AWS and/or GCP preferred). 
• Deep proficiency in multiple programming languages (e.g.,  Python, Java, Scala), and a strong understanding of their ecosystems, performance characteristics, and best practices. 
• English fluency B2/C1 
• Extensive experience with various database technologies (relational, NoSQL, graph, data warehouses) and data processing frameworks (e.g., Spark, Kafka). 
• Expert-level understanding of cloud infrastructure components (e.g., Kubernetes, serverless, networking, security, observability). 
• Proven track record of defining and implementing technical strategies that resulted in significant business impact and improved engineering velocity. 
• Exceptional leadership, mentoring, and coaching skills, with a passion for developing engineering talent. 
• Outstanding problem-solving abilities and the capacity to make critical technical decisions under pressure. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex technical concepts to diverse audiences. 
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent extensive practical experience. 

Life at WPP Media & Benefits 

Our passion for shaping the next era of media includes investing in our employees to help them do their best work, and we’re just as committed to employee growth as we are to responsible media investment. WPP Media employees can tap into the global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, grow their networks, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising. We have a variety of employee resource groups and host frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our benefits include access to internal learning platforms, certifications, and training sessions, life insurance, medical care & sports card in Medicover, funding for English language learning, employee mental health awareness day, and more.  

WPP Media is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers. We are committed to offering equal opportunities to all employees, which is why we only establish collaborations based on employment contracts. 

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office two days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process. 

 

Following a detailed review of all applications, we will contact those candidates whose qualifications and stated terms of cooperation most closely align the objectives of our recruitment process.

 

The controller of your personal data is the WPP Media Poland sp. z o.o.The personal data you provide will be processed for the purpose of the recruitment process.  By providing us with personal data beyond the scope required by the Labour Code, you consent to the processing of such data for the purposes of the recruitment process.  Consent may be withdrawn at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of the processing carried out prior to its withdrawal. For evidence purposes, please withdraw your consent in writing or by email to [email protected].