Experienced Software Engineer - Key Access

Plaid Inc; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 202,000 - 330,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative company is seeking an experienced Software Engineer to join their Key Access team. This role involves designing and implementing AI-powered data pipelines and backend services that connect users to financial institutions globally. You will lead projects, mentor fellow engineers, and drive technical excellence. With a focus on community and collaboration, your work will directly impact millions of users and shape the future of financial technology. Join a forward-thinking team dedicated to unlocking financial freedom for everyone, and be part of a mission that values diversity and innovation.

Benefits

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) Plan

Equity Compensation

Flexible Work Environment

Outdoor Deck

Climbing Wall

Qualifications

• Experience designing and implementing large scale backend systems end-to-end.
• Experience building and managing AI/ML-powered tools in production.

Responsibilities

• Build products with real impact for millions of end-users.
• Drive innovation in how AI can be used at scale.

Skills

Coding and Testing

Backend Systems Design

AI/ML Tools Management

Project Leadership

Communication Skills

Tools

Golang

Node.js

Python

SQL

AWS

Job description

Experienced Software Engineer - Key Access

We build simple yet innovative consumer products and developer APIs that shape how everybody interacts with money and the financial system.

We believe that the way people interact with their finances will drastically improve in the next few years. We’re dedicated to empowering this transformation by building the tools and experiences that thousands of developers use to create their own products. Plaid powers the tools millions of people rely on to live a healthier financial life. We work with thousands of companies like Venmo, SoFi, several of the Fortune 500, and many of the largest banks to make it easy for people to connect their financial accounts to the apps and services they want to use. Plaid’s network covers 12,000 financial institutions across the US, Canada, UK and Europe. Founded in 2013, the company is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in New York, Washington D.C., London and Amsterdam.

The Key Access team ensures that every institution in the world is available on the Plaid network. We build and scale AI-powered infrastructure that connects millions of users to thousands of institutions globally, transforming how financial data is accessed and processed at scale. We build tools which fundamentally alter the cost structure of our operations thereby enabling the ecosystem of financial applications relying on Plaid every day and delivering on Plaid’s mission of providing financial freedom for everyone. We are customer centric in our design and transparent in our operations. This builds trust with our clients and partners in equal measure.

As an engineer on the Key Access team, you will spearhead the design and implementation of AI-powered data pipelines and real-time backend services that extend Plaid’s reach to every financial institution worldwide. You will own the full product lifecycle—framing ambiguous problems with product, data-science, and data-engineering partners, rapidly validating hypotheses, and hardening production systems that deliver reliable, low-latency access at scale. Alongside building the next generation of tooling, you’ll chart the team’s technical roadmap, mentor fellow engineers, and cultivate a culture of rigorous engineering excellence, setting a high bar and holding the team to it.

Responsibilities

• Build products with real impact: your work will touch tens of millions of end-users, the best applications in FinTech, and major financial institutions.
• Drive innovation in how AI can be used at scale. Be a leader at Plaid in how to build AI tools. Work closely with other teams and cross-functionally with product, and data engineering
• Work across multiple teams to tackle ambiguous and ambitious problems.
• Building a strong sense of community within your team.
• Work on both the 0 to 1 stage and the 1 to n stage of problems.
• Own and lead projects, step up as a trusted member of the team’s on call rotation, advocate for technical and process changes, and follow best practices to increase overall system reliability

Qualifications

• Excellent coding and testing skills
• Experience designing and implementing large scale backend systems end-to-end
• Experience building and managing AI / ML-powered tools in production
• Experience as project-lead, leading multiple engineers and/or workstreams on multi-quarter long projects.
• [Nice-to-have] Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• [Nice-to-have] A record of mentorship; helping engineers grow
• [Nice-to-have] Experience with Golang, Node, Python, SQL, and/or AWS

$202,800.00 - $330,000.00 per year

The target base salary for this position ranges from $202,800/year to $330,000/year in Zone 1. The target base salary will vary based on the job's location.

Our geographic zones are as follows:

Zone 1 - New York City and San Francisco Bay Area

Zone 3 - Austin, Boston, Denver, Houston, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego

Zone 4 - Raleigh-Durham and all other US cities

Additional compensation in the form(s) of equity and/or commission are dependent on the position offered. Plaid provides a comprehensive benefit plan, including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k). Pay is based on factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience and skillset, and location. Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation or benefit plans.

Our mission at Plaid is to unlock financial freedom for everyone. To support that mission, we seek to build a diverse team of driven individuals who care deeply about making the financial ecosystem more equitable. We recognize that strong qualifications can come from both prior work experiences and lived experiences. We encourage you to apply to a role even if your experience doesn't fully match the job description. We are always looking for team members that will bring something unique to Plaid!

Plaid is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion or religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, military or veteran status, disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Plaid is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance with your application or interviews due to a disability, please let us know at [e-mail].

Please review our Candidate Privacy Notice here .

Our headquarters is in sunny SOMA and includes a beautiful sun-filled atrium, a private outdoor deck and even a (semi-hidden) climbing wall.

Software engineer Jennifer Wu is one of a growing set of remote team members empowered to develop their careers from wherever they choose to live.