Sr. Principal Machine Learning Engineer

Universal Ads, a part of Comcast, enables any brand, of any size, to seamlessly make and buy commercials across premium video reaching new qualified audiences at scale. Universal Ads combines premium and brand-safe video content directly from the most influential media companies with the ease and familiarity of social ad buying. It is your one-stop shop for high-quality video ads delivering performance and unmatched scale.
Job Summary
Universal Ads is looking for a Sr. Principal Machine Learning Engineer to lead the design, implementation, and evolution of our ML stack. You'll architect the systems that power our marketplace, including expected value models for performance advertising, pacing optimization, and real-time prediction services that determine how every impression is valued and delivered. This is a highly technical and strategic leadership role. You'll collaborate on the long-term vision for our machine learning roadmap, guide the development of robust and scalable infrastructure, and collaborate across product, data science, and engineering to ensure Universal Ads becomes the industry benchmark for efficient, intelligent ad delivery across CTV inventory
Job Description
Core Responsibilities

• Set vision and technical direction for the long-term ML strategy and roadmap for ad ranking at Universal Ads, including model architecture, infrastructure, and deployment frameworks.
• Architect and scale distributed ML systems capable of real-time decisioning across high-throughput ad environments.
• Partner with product and marketplace teams to align model performance with user and advertiser outcomes.
• Drive technical direction for cross-functional initiatives involving bidding algorithms, pacing, and system optimization.
• Shape technical culture, and ensure high standards for research rigor, reproducibility, and code quality.
• Establish strong experimentation and evaluation frameworks (A/B testing, counterfactual analysis, etc.) for model validation and pacing control.
• Represent Universal Ads externally in technical forums, publications, or conferences to shape the broader conversation around ML in advertising.
• Design and own ML data pipelines end-to-end, ensuring data cleanliness and freshness, and establishing the standards and infrastructure for reliable model inputs across ranking and pacing systems.

Employees at all levels are expected to:

• 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 communities.

Disclaimer:

• This information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees in this role. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications.

Comcast is an equal opportunity workplace. We will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law. Comcast will consider for employment applicants with arrest or conviction records in accordance with the requirements of applicable law, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Please note that federal state, or local laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit Comcast from hiring individuals convicted of certain crimes. Additionally, an applicant's criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship on the job duties of this position, which may result in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment.
Skills:
Machine Learning (ML); Collaborating; Advertising Technologies
Salary:
National Pay Range: $192,396.16 USD-$450,928.49 USD Illinois Pay Range: $204,420.92 USD - $396,817.07 USD Colorado Pay Range: $216,445.68 USD - $414,854.21 USD Hawaii Pay Range: $252,519.96 USD - $378,779.93 USD Washington DC Pay Range: $276,569.48 USD - $414,854.21 USD Maryland Pay Range: $228,470.44 USD - $414,854.21 USD Minnesota Pay Range: $216,445.68 USD - $378,779.93 USD New York Pay Range: $228,470.44 USD - $450,928.49 USD Washington Pay Range: $216,445.68 USD - $432,891.35 USD New Jersey Pay Range: $240,495.20 USD - $432,891.35 USD Vermont Pay Range: $228,470.44 USD - $360,742.79 USD Massachusetts Pay Range: $240,495.20 USD - $432,891.35 USD California Pay Range: $216,445.68 USD - $400,825.32
Comcast intends to offer the selected candidate base pay within this range, dependent on job-related, non-discriminatory factors such as experience. The application window is 30 days from the date job is posted, unless the number of applicants requires it to close sooner or later.
The application window is 30 days from the date job is posted, unless the number of applicants requires it to close sooner or later.
Base pay is one part of the Total Rewards that Comcast provides to compensate and recognize employees for their work. Most sales positions are eligible for a Commission under the terms of an applicable plan, while most non-sales positions are eligible for a Bonus. Additionally, Comcast provides best-in-class Benefits to eligible employees. We believe that benefits should connect you to the support you need when it matters most, and should help you care for those who matter most. That?s why we provide an array of options, expert guidance and always-on tools, that are personalized to meet the needs of your reality ? to help support you physically, financially and emotionally through the big milestones and in your everyday life. Please visit the compensation and benefits summary on our careers site for more details.
Education
Bachelor's Degree
While possessing the stated degree is preferred, Comcast also may consider applicants who hold some combination of coursework and experience, or who have extensive related professional experience.
Relevant Work Experience
15 Years +