Director, Engineering, YouTube Ads Surfaces and Experiences

Mountain View, CA, US Until 8/21/2026 First posted April 3, 2026 Last posted April 3, 2026
Job description

About the Job

The YouTube Ads' mission is to power the YouTube ecosystem by keeping it free and engaging for users, responsibility rewarding creators and connecting businesses to their unique audiences.


The YouTube Ads Surfaces and Experiences (S&E) team drives the mission to define and build the ad experience framework across all of YouTube's surfaces, including Shorts, Feeds, Search, and Watch. As Director of Engineering, you will be responsible for the user journey and format optimization, defining the ad experience and implementing new experiences through the use of Generative AI.
The US base salary range for this full-time position is $307,000-$427,000 + bonus + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include bonus, equity, or benefits. Learn more about benefits at Google.

Responsibilities

  • Partner closely with Product Management leadership to define the outlook and opportunities for how Ads are presented across different formats on YouTube.
  • Own the end-to-end user journey and format optimization for YouTube Ads, building distinct, effective user experiences across all key surfaces.
  • Take responsibility for the overall planning, execution, and success of complex technical projects.

Qualifications

Minimum qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
  • 15 years of experience in engineering.
  • Experience leading full stack engineering, distributed systems teams, or quality teams.
  • Experience with technical innovation.
  • Experience working within Ads.

Preferred qualifications:

  • Experience leading complex projects with multiple partners and stakeholders.
  • Experience establishing "big picture" strategy and providing detailed technical recommendations.
  • Ability to inspire and motivate engineering teams to work together as a cohesive and highly productive unit, demonstrating excellent emotional intelligence.
  • Passion for technology and technical depth to uncover root causes of complex technical problems and provide guidance on solving them.
About this role

Summary

Lead engineering teams to design and optimize YouTube Ads experiences using AI and innovative tech.

Job title

Director, Engineering, YouTube Ads Surfaces and Experiences

Experience level

15+ years

Industry

technology

Location requirements

Mountain View, CA, USA; remote not specified.

Salary

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $307,000-$427,000 + bonus + equity + benefits.

Management role

Yes

Skills & keywords

Required skills

bachelor's degree in computer scienceengineeringfull stack engineeringdistributed systemsads

Preferred skills

complex project leadershiptechnical strategyteam motivationproblem-solving

Specializations

ad experiencegenerative AIuser journeyfull stack engineeringdistributed systems
Locations

Structured locations inferred from the posting.

Mountain View, CA, USA

Work arrangement unknown City