Backend Software Engineer; Python or PHP; Chicago - ONSITE - FreeWheel

Job Summary

Free Wheel’s mission is to build great advertising software. We offer the most extensible and transparent advertising buying platform in the world, operating at a massive global scale. We don’t just operate a Demand Side Platform (DSP) – we are the platform that powers hundreds of DSPs! As a result, we process trillions of transactions to satisfy millions of dollars’ worth of advertising campaigns every month.

Our employees enjoy a culture of transparency and one with many challenging problems to solve. We value moving fast, building high-quality reliable software, and supporting each other in the service of driving success for our customers’ businesses. Buyer Cloud (formerly Beeswax) is responsible for building and maintaining the services necessary to set up, configure, manage, monitor, and execute DSP digital real-time bidding campaigns.

The App team focuses on APIs, support tools, and ad serving systems, supporting Free Wheel Engineering by enabling efficient and scalable programmatic advertising operations. We are seeking a Backend Python Developer to join our team. You will design, develop, and integrate scalable solutions that meet business needs and address complex, ambiguous challenges. As a key contributor throughout the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), you will participate in requirements analysis, development, testing, deployment, and application integration.

You will champion code quality, operational excellence, and system reliability while mentoring and supporting other engineers. The role requires active participation in code reviews, providing meaningful feedback, and driving engineering best practices across the team.

• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to design, develop, and integrate innovative software solutions that align with business needs
• Conducting analysis of system requirements and the customization of applications to ensure optimal functionality
• Assisting with the software update process for existing applications and roll-outs of software releases
• Mentoring junior engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and shared knowledge within the team
• Engaging with Quality Assurance to verify that software meets technical specifications and delivering high-quality, reliable applications
• Troubleshooting and resolving complex technical issues in software applications and systems
• Synthesizing market research and industry trends to inform project strategies and enhance product offerings
• Conducting training sessions for operational staff to ensure effective use of internally developed applications
• Consistent exercise of independent judgment and discretion in matters of significance.
• Regular, consistent and punctual attendance. Must be able to work nights and weekends, variable schedule(s) as necessary.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

• 2+ Years of experience working with Python and Django.
• Experience creating/developing RESTful API's using Django.
• Experience with PHP
• Experience with Kubernetes/EKS, AWS, owning production deployments at scale for critical backend services.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or relatable technical field or experience equivalent

• Understand our Operating Principles; make them the guidelines for how you do your job.
• Own the customer experience think and act in ways that put our customers first, give them seamless digital options at every touchpoint, and make them promoters of our products and services.
• Know your stuff be enthusiastic learners, users and advocates of our game-changing technology, products and services, especially our digital tools and experiences.
• Win as a team make big things happen by working together and being open to new ideas.
• Be an active part of the Net Promoter System a way of working that brings more employee and customer feedback into the company by joining huddles, making call backs and helping us elevate opportunities to do better for our customers.
• Drive results and growth.
• Support a culture of inclusion in how you work and lead.
• Do what's right for each other, our customers, investors and our…