Day in the Life: Reshmi Nair, Vice President, Engineering

Reshmi, our vice president of engineering, describes a typical day in her life working in Magnite’s Los Angeles office. 

Magnite’s Day in the Life series dives into the various people and teams that make up the world’s largest independent sell-side ad company.

How would you explain what you do to someone outside the industry?

I usually describe my role as building and leading teams that create the technology behind digital ads. Imagine you’re browsing a website or using an app, and you see an ad pop up. There’s a complex system behind the scenes that decides which ad to show you in a fraction of a second. My team develops and maintains that system, ensuring it runs smoothly, delivers relevant ads, and generates revenue for businesses.

Beyond the technical side, I focus on ensuring my teams work efficiently, stay motivated, and have the tools they need to innovate. I also collaborate with other teams—like product, marketing, and sales—to align our technology with business goals. So, in short, I make sure both the technology and the people behind it are set up for success!

How does your team support Magnite? Who are your closest collaborators in other departments? 

My team plays a critical role in ensuring that Magnite’s DV+ Ad Exchange Platform runs efficiently, scales seamlessly, and continues to innovate. We build and maintain the technology that powers real-time ad transactions, optimizing performance, reliability, and revenue outcomes for our clients.

Our closest collaborators span multiple departments. We work closely with product management to align on features and roadmap priorities, sales and account management to understand customer needs and pain points, and operations and support to ensure platform stability. We also partner with data science and analytics to leverage insights that drive better decision-making, and infrastructure and DevOps to enhance system performance and scalability.

It’s a deeply cross-functional effort, and collaboration is key to delivering the best results for Magnite and our customers.

What does a typical day at Magnite look like for you?

A typical day at Magnite is a mix of strategy, problem-solving, and collaboration. Mornings often start with team check-ins, where we review ongoing projects, tackle any blockers, and align on priorities.

From there, my day can involve strategic planning—whether it’s refining our engineering roadmap, evaluating system performance, or discussing innovation opportunities with product. I spend time collaborating with cross-functional teams, engaging with product, sales, and support to ensure our technology aligns with business needs and customer expectations.

Another key part of my role is mentoring and team development—whether it’s coaching engineers, helping leaders grow, or fostering a culture of innovation and excellence. There are also plenty of problem-solving moments, where I help teams navigate technical challenges or make data-driven decisions to improve our platform.

No two days are exactly alike, but that’s what makes them exciting—there’s always a mix of big-picture thinking and hands-on execution to keep things dynamic.

Talk about a recent project that you’re proud of yourself and your team for accomplishing.

One recent project I’m particularly proud of was the overhaul of our curation tools. The original system lacked controls to manage the number of marketplaces per publisher and didn’t account for traffic volume. This led to inconsistent impacts on exchange capacity, which affected both performance and revenue outcomes.

My team worked to design and implement a config-driven solution that addressed these issues head-on. While the configurations are manual for now, we plan to transition to a data-driven approach for real-time optimizations in the future.

The release of this solution has already improved system stability and performance. It’s a perfect example of how we can drive meaningful changes through collaboration, innovation, and data-driven insights. I’m incredibly proud of how the team came together to address a complex challenge and deliver a solution that will have long-term positive impacts.

You’re part of Magnite’s recently launched women’s employee resource group. How do you hope it will make a positive impact at Magnite?

I see Magnite’s women’s employee resource group as a powerful platform for fostering mentorship, community, and professional growth. My hope is that it creates a space where women across different teams and career levels can connect, share experiences, and support one another.

Beyond networking, I’d love to see it drive meaningful change—whether it’s advocating for policies that support work-life balance, providing leadership development opportunities, or amplifying diverse voices in decision-making. Ultimately, I want it to be a place where women feel empowered to grow, take on new challenges, and shape the future of Magnite.

What’s your go-to hobby to unwind and recharge outside of the office?

Dancing is my go-to way to unwind and recharge, especially Bharatanatyam, an Indian classical dance form, which I practice as part of a dance school. It’s a beautiful blend of movement, rhythm, and storytelling that helps me stay grounded and energized. We have annual performances, and I’m currently preparing for one, which is both exciting and intense. It’s a great way to challenge myself creatively while also staying connected to my cultural roots.