Vice President, Application Engineering

OverviewOur engineering team is at the forefront of the creator economy, building the infrastructure that powers how brands and influencers discover, collaborate, and transact at scale. We are seeking a VP of Application Engineering to own and evolve the full-stack application layer behind our influencer marketing and creator affiliate products.This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for shipping the consumer-facing and partner-facing products that define our creator and brand experience. You will lead engineering teams across our influencer discovery, campaign management, and creator affiliate workflows—driving technical excellence, product velocity, and platform scalability.You will partner closely with Product, Data, and Customer Success to translate strategic priorities into reliable, high-quality engineering execution.ResponsibilitiesEngineering Leadership & StrategyDefine and own the engineering roadmap for application and platform capabilities supporting influencer marketing and creator affiliate productsLead, grow, and mentor a high-performing team of engineers across frontend, backend, and API domainsEstablish and champion engineering best practices, code quality standards, and architectural decision-making processesDrive cross-functional alignment with Product, Design, Data, and Customer Success to ensure clear priorities and delivery accountabilityPartner with executive leadership to translate long-term product vision into phased engineering execution plansInfluencer & Creator Affiliate ProductsOwn and evolve the core influencer discovery, vetting, and relationship management application layerLead engineering for creator affiliate product capabilities including tracking, link management, commission workflows, and payout integrationsDrive development of campaign management tooling including brief creation, content review workflows, and approval pipelinesScale creator-facing and brand-facing application experiences to support growing platform usage and geographic expansionCollaborate with Data Engineering to integrate creator scoring, audience insights, and AI-generated recommendations into product surfacesPlatform, Integrations & APIsOversee architecture and maintenance of third-party platform integrations, including social APIs (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest) and affiliate network connectorsLead development and governance of internal APIs and developer-facing integration surfaces used by brand and agency partnersEnsure system reliability, uptime, and incident response practices across all application servicesDrive adoption of modern tooling and cloud-native architecture on AWS to support scalability and developer productivityMaintain strong security and compliance posture across all application layers, including SOC 2 and data privacy requirements (GDPR, CCPA)QualificationsRequired12+ years of experience in software engineering, with 5+ years in engineering leadership roles (Director or VP level)Proven track record building and scaling B2B SaaS or marketplace products in high-growth environmentsDeep expertise in full-stack application architecture: API design, microservices, and modern frontend frameworksStrong hands-on background in cloud infrastructure and DevOps on AWS (ECS, Lambda, RDS, S3, CloudFront)Experience leading engineering teams through significant product buildouts, platform migrations, or scaling eventsDemonstrated ability to manage and develop senior ICs and engineering managersExperience building and operating API integrations with large-scale third-party platforms (social media, affiliate networks, or ad tech)Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence at the executive and board levelProficiency in defining engineering KPIs and using data to drive decisions on team performance, system health, and product qualityPreferredExperience in influencer marketing, creator economy platforms, affiliate marketing, or ad techFamiliarity with creator affiliate tracking mechanics, attribution models, and commission payout workflowsExperience integrating LLM or AI capabilities into end-user product surfacesBackground working with high-velocity content pipelines, UGC platforms, or social commerce applicationsKnowledge of identity resolution, fraud detection, or audience verification in the context of creator platformsAdditional informationOur Publicis Groupe motto “Viva La Différence” means we’re better together, and we believe that our differences make us stronger. It means we honor and celebrate all identities, across all facets of intersectionality, and it underpins all that we do as an organization. We are focused on fostering belonging and creating equitable & inclusive experiences for all talent.Publicis Groupe provides robust and inclusive benefit programs and policies to support the evolving and diverse needs of our talent and enable every person to grow and thrive. Our benefits package includes medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401K, as well as parental and family care leave, family forming assistance, tuition reimbursement, and flexible time off.If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact USMSTACompliance@publicis.com.All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.Compensation Range: $200,000 - $250,000. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third-party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. Temporary roles may also qualify for participation in our 401(k) plan after eligibility criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 5/11/2026.