Staff Software Engineer, Backend – Onboarding

Airwallex; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Airwallex is seeking an experienced backend engineer to design and build scalable microservices in Java/Kotlin, and to develop data pipelines supporting growth and onboarding initiatives.

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate requirements into robust backend solutions, defining SLOs and ensuring security and regulatory compliance across global platforms.

Qualifications

• Strong backend development experience with Java or Kotlin.
• Ability to design scalable microservices and data pipelines.
• Knowledge of security/compliance practices for fintech.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Design and build scalable microservices in Java/Kotlin.
• Create data pipelines and analytics platforms.
• Collaborate with frontend, product, design, and marketing.
• Define measurable SLOs and improve reliability.
• Promote secure coding and regulatory compliance.

Skills

Java

Kotlin

Microservices

Data pipelines

Security mindset

Tools

Java/Kotlin frameworks

Data processing

KYC integrations

Job description

About Airwallex

Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 150,000 businesses worldwide – including Brex, Rippling, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more – with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale.

Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 1,800 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 26 offices around the globe. Valued at US$6.2 billion and backed by world-leading investors including Visa, Airtree, Blackbird, Sequoia, DST Global, Greenoaks, Salesforce Ventures, Lone Pine, and Square Peg, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If you’re ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us.

Attributes We Value

We hire successful builders with founder-like energy who want real impact, accelerated learning, and true ownership. You bring strong role-related expertise and sharp thinking, and you’re motivated by our mission and operating principles. You move fast with good judgment, dig deep with curiosity, and make decisions from first principles, balancing speed and rigor.

You’re humble and collaborative; turn zero-to-one ideas into real products, and you “get stuff done” end-to-end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here, you’ll tackle complex, high-visibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking. If that sounds like you, let’s build what’s next.

The Opportunity: Be Part of Our Onboarding Team

Onboarding team plays a pivotal role in Airwallex’s mission by facilitating the rapid integration of businesses into our platform. As a data-driven team, we utilize extensive analytics to refine our processes and ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations. Our primary mission involves performing Know Your Customer (KYC) and risk-based operations to maintain the highest standards of compliance and security as we handle sensitive financial data, and empower business customers through robust, secure, and intuitive user and account management solutions.

This team is instrumental in our regional expansion, helping to onboard a growing number of customers into new and existing markets. By supporting global expansion, we are also tasked with increasing the coverage of our product offerings, ensuring that businesses worldwide can benefit from our innovative financial solutions. Through our efforts, we aim to streamline the onboarding process, reduce barriers to entry, and foster a secure and compliant environment that empowers businesses to thrive in the digital economy.

What You’ll Do

• Design and Build Scalable Systems

  • Architect, develop, and maintain microservices in Java/Kotlin (or similar languages), ensuring our high-traffic, high-availability systems meet global user demands. Implement best practices for service-to-service communication, orchestration, and fault tolerance.

  • Design scalable, reliable, and extensible systems for integrating with KYC verifications such as document verification, liveness verification, ID verification to support Global Expansions and maximize efficiency for automations

• Enable Data-Driven Decisions

  • Collaborate with data scientists and product managers to design data pipelines, analytics platforms, and event-driven architectures.

  • Ensure the data powering our Growth and Onboarding initiatives is accurate, reliable, and easily accessible.

• Collaborate and Innovate

  • Work closely with cross-functional teams—Frontend, Product, Design, and Marketing—to translate business requirements into scalable backend solutions.

  • Participate in architectural reviews, code reviews, and strategy sessions to continually elevate the quality and performance of our backend services.

  • Define a measurable SLO for service performance. Improving operations involve optimizing processes, monitoring metrics, and ensuring alignment with SLOs to enhance reliability, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

• Promote Security & Compliance

  • Integrate secure coding practices and frameworks to protect user data and maintain global regulatory compliance.

  • Identify potential vulnerabilities, ensure robust authentication and authorization mechanisms, and proactively address security risks.

Who You Are

• Experienced and Technically Proficient: You possess a wealth of experience in software development, underpinned by a robust expertise in Java/Kotlin. Your approach goes beyond mere coding; you are a craftsman of comprehensive solutions. As a technical bar raiser, you set high standards and lead by example, elevating the capabilities of those around you.

• Empathetic and Insightful: Your deep empathy for customer needs drives your development process, allowing you to create intuitive and impactful products. This understanding is not just about meeting requirements, but about enriching user experiences.

• Data-Driven and Analytical: You view data as a narrative element of development, a critical tool that informs your decision-making process. Your ability to interpret data enhances product performance and elevates user satisfaction, making you a pivotal member of our team.

• Collaborative and Knowledge-Sharing: True collaboration is second nature to you. You thrive in team settings and are committed to sharing knowledge and ideas, which you see as vital to fostering innovation. Your role as a coach involves mentoring peers and promoting a learning culture within the team.

• Adaptable and Continuously Learning: In the fast-paced world of fintech, you stand out for your agility and eagerness to adopt new skills and technologies. Challenges are opportunities for growth, and you are always prepared to expand your horizons.

• Proactive and Ownership-Driven: You are self-motivated and take initiative, demonstrating a strong sense of ownership in your projects. Your proactive approach ensures that you are always ahead of the curve, ready to take on responsibilities and lead projects to successful outcomes.

• Efficient and Prioritization-Savvy: You excel at prioritizing tasks, which enables you to manage your workload effectively while maintaining high standards of quality. This skill ensures that critical project components receive the attention they need without sacrificing overall progress.

Why Join Us

• Be Part of Something Big: Join a team that’s redefining the future of finance. Contribute directly to the core engine of user growth in a company that is reshaping global financial services.

• Grow With Us: At Airwallex, we’re committed to your professional development. You’ll have opportunities to learn, grow, and shape your career path in a fast-paced, innovative environment.

• Collaborate With the Best: Work with a team of talented and passionate individuals who are driven by the desire to create something extraordinary.

Equal opportunity

Airwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don’t regard color, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

Airwallex does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms/recruiters. Airwallex will not pay any fees to search firms/recruiters if a candidate is submitted by a search firm/recruiter unless an agreement has been entered into with respect to specific open position(s). Search firms/recruiters submitting resumes to Airwallex on an unsolicited basis shall be deemed to accept this condition, regardless of any other provision to the contrary.