Software Engineer Ad Platform (all genders)

Role: Zalando Marketing Services (ZMS) is building e‑commerce marketing solutions. The Ad Marketplace domain connects ~50 million customers with brands across 25 European markets. As a Software Engineer on the Ad Platform team you will design, build and maintain the core infrastructure of the ad marketplace, handling high‑throughput, low‑latency requests and processing large volumes of event data. Responsibilities: - Develop high‑performance, scalable services that handle up to 4 k requests per second with strict latency (p99 25 ms). - Deliver features end‑to‑end: break down epics, refine requirements, implement, deploy and operate in production. - Maintain engineering excellence: write readable, testable, maintainable code; create automated tests and clear acceptance criteria. - Collaborate and share knowledge with product managers, analysts, ML‑Ops and peers; mentor team members. - Operate the platform: implement metrics, alerting, tracing and support root‑cause analysis during incidents. Qualifications: - Passion for clean code, readability, comprehensive testing and engineering excellence. - Strong collaborative mindset; enjoys knowledge sharing and helping the team grow. - Deep experience with Java (17+), Spring Framework and distributed systems; familiarity with Kubernetes, AWS, Kafka, PostgreSQL, Airflow, Databricks, Spark is a plus. - Ability to decompose complex requirements into safe, incremental deployments. - Product‑aware: works closely with product teams to understand user needs and business KPIs. What We Offer: - 27 days holiday (plus additional days per year) and 2 paid volunteering days. - Hybrid working model with up to 60 % remote; up to 30 days per year to work from abroad. - Employee share program and 40 % discount on Zalando fashion & beauty products. - Relocation assistance, family services, health & wellbeing options, mental‑health support and coaching. - Continuous development through training platform and bi‑annual peer‑to‑peer review.