Principal AI (Search) Engineer

Who We AreYieldmo is an adtech company that utilizes AI-driven search technologies to help brands invent creative experiences by using custom ad formats, proprietary attention signals, predictive format selection, and privacy-safe premium inventory curation. Yieldmo believes all ads should be human-centered, tailored, and provoke users' emotions and actions. Yieldmo helps brands deliver the best ad for every impression opportunity, merging creative and media for proven results.

What We NeedWe’re seeking an exceptional Search Engineer to architect and build Yieldmo’s next-generation, AI-powered search platform—redefining how users discover and engage with content across the open web. This is a rare opportunity to shape an entirely new search product from inception, working at the intersection of AI, large-scale data, and user experience. You’ll bring deep technical expertise, creative problem-solving, and a builder’s mindset to create a system that sets new standards for relevance, intelligence, and performance.

What You Can Expect In This Role

• Architect, design, and build Yieldmo’s AI-driven search engine from the ground up, launching first with a major publisher partner before scaling across multiple partners.
• Write high-quality, production-ready code while iterating quickly to validate ideas and refine search performance.
• Collaborate closely with Product and Engineering teams to integrate cutting-edge retrieval, ranking, and recommendation technologies.
• Define the long-term technical vision and roadmap for Yieldmo’s search capabilities.
• Build and mentor a small, high-performing team of engineers to evolve and scale the platform.
• Establish best practices for search quality, experimentation, and performance monitoring.
• Drive innovation by exploring emerging AI and search technologies to enhance discovery and personalization.
• Partner with leadership to align the search strategy with Yieldmo’s broader product and revenue goals.
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, curiosity, and ownership across the engineering organization.

Requirements

• You have designed and built scalable, general-purpose search or retrieval systems end-to-end.
• You bring deep expertise in AI-powered search methodologies, including LLMs, embeddings, vector databases, and retrieval-augmented generation.
• You have a strong understanding of indexing, query processing, and ranking architectures.
• You’re a hands-on engineer with experience leading or scaling systems and teams in fast-moving environments.
• You’ve worked within or closely alongside world-class AI/search organizations (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, Perplexity, xAI, Google DeepMind, etc.).
• You’re proficient in Python, SQL, Docker, and microservices, with familiarity in function/tool calling from an LLM.
• You communicate with clarity and thrive in a highly collaborative, cross-functional setting.

Nice to Haves

• Experience building retrieval or ranking systems specifically for publisher or adtech ecosystems.
• Familiarity with distributed vector search systems or hybrid retrieval frameworks.
• Prior startup or early-stage product experience—comfortable building with ambiguity and speed.
• Background in reinforcement learning, personalization, or recommendation systems.

Hiring ProcessSelect candidates will be invited to schedule a 30 minute screening call with a member of our Talent Acquisition team. We will discuss the Hiring Process details at that time. The hiring process typically includes, but is not limited to:

• A 45 minute video interview with the Hiring Manager.
• Candidates will be invited to join a remote on-site interview round, consisting of video interviews with various team members and leadership.
• Successful candidates will subsequently be made an offer.

Our Values

INNOVATION: We encourage curiosity, embrace new ideas, and believe no idea is too bold.
AGILITY: We embrace change, act quickly, and adapt with a focus on getting things done.
INTELLIGENCE: We make decisions guided by data, always aiming to deliver maximum value to our customers.
AUTONOMY: We empower individuals to create their own paths with flexibility and independence.
TOGETHERNESS: We foster an environment where teamwork thrives, support is mutual, and every voice matters.

What We Offer

We believe that diverse people and perspectives lead to breakthrough ideas, therefore we provide comprehensive benefits and an inclusive culture to support our valued team members.

• Remote Work: Our team is fully distributed, though we love an opportunity to get together at our annual offsites, holiday parties, and more.
• 100% Company Paid Health Coverage: Choose the medical, dental, and vision plan that’s best for you and your family – all with options for 100% company paid coverage.
• 401(k) Plan: Invest in yourself by participating in our 401(k) plan with a company match.
• Equity: Share in Yieldmo’s success through our employee stock option program.
• Flexible Time Off, Company Slowdowns, and Summer Fridays: Take time off to relax and rejuvenate on your own terms with flexible time off, multiple company slowdowns, and Summer Fridays.
• Home Office Setup and Stipend: Set up your home office for success with our premium technology packages and an additional stipend for any extra needs.
• Professional Development: Grow your hard and soft skills with our annual professional development stipend.

US Jobs: The base salary range for this role is: $200,000-$275,000 per year. The range listed is just one component of Yieldmo's total compensation package for employees. Individual compensation decisions are based on a number of factors, including experience, level, skillset, and balancing internal equity relative to peers at the company. We recognize that the person we hire may be less experienced (or more senior) than this job description as posted. In these situations, the updated salary range will be communicated with you as a candidate. For all other countries, we have competitive pay bands based on market standards.