Lead Software Engineer

Nubank; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 230,000 - 276,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical Insurance

Dental & Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

401K

Relocation Assistance

Work-from-home Allowance

Job summary

Nubank in Palo Alto, CA, is seeking a Software Engineer to help shape core backend platforms. You will design, build, and operate distributed services and APIs used by multiple product teams globally, owning end-to-end delivery from architecture to production.

The role emphasizes 0→1 development, long‑term impact, and collaboration with data, ML, and infra groups. Base salary ranges from $230,000 to $276,000 plus equity, with a hybrid work model and US benefits.

Qualifications

• Solid experience as a backend or platform engineer, owning production systems end‑to‑end.
• Proven track record working with distributed systems at scale and building APIs or microservices on modern cloud infrastructure.
• Experience building or supporting platform‑level services used by many teams.
• Comfort operating in ambiguous, fast‑changing contexts and driving 0→1 technical decisions with a long‑term mindset.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills, including working effectively with engineers across disciplines and locations.

Responsibilities

• Designing, building, and operating distributed backend services and APIs that support core platforms used by multiple product teams worldwide.
• Owning services end‑to‑end — from architecture and implementation to observability, reliability, and continuous improvement in production.
• Defining clear contracts, SLOs, and guardrails so internal teams can safely build on top of the platforms you own.
• Collaborating closely with data, ML, and infrastructure engineers to turn models, datasets, and lower‑level components into robust, easy‑to‑use internal products.
• Leading 0→1 and modernization initiatives, making pragmatic trade‑offs and setting technical standards for high‑leverage systems.

Skills

Backend engineering

Distributed systems

APIs & Microservices

Cloud infrastructure

Collaboration

Job description

About Nu

Nu is the leading digital bank in Latin America, serving 135 million customers across Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. The company has been leading an industry transformation by leveraging data and proprietary technology to develop innovative products and services.
Guided by its mission to fight complexity and empower people, Nu caters to customers’ complete financial journey, promoting financial access and advancement with responsible lending and transparency. The company is powered by an efficient and scalable business model that combines low cost to serve with growing returns.
Nu’s impact has been recognized in multiple awards, including Time 100 Most Influential Companies, Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, and Forbes World’s Best Banks.
Visit our Institutional Page

About the Role

As a Software Engineer, you will join a small, senior group shaping the core technology that powers Nubank globally — from data and experimentation platforms to shared services that support products across multiple business units and geographies.

The work is highly 0→1, with a strong emphasis on long‑term impact, technical quality, and global scale rather than one‑off features.

You'll be responsible for

• Designing, building, and operating distributed backend services and APIs that support core platforms used by multiple product teams worldwide.

• Owning services end‑to‑end — from architecture and implementation to observability, reliability, and continuous improvement in production.

• Defining clear contracts, SLOs, and guardrails so internal teams can safely build on top of the platforms you own.

• Collaborating closely with data, ML, and infrastructure engineers to turn models, datasets, and lower‑level components into robust, easy‑to‑use internal products.

• Leading 0→1 and modernization initiatives, making pragmatic trade‑offs and setting technical standards for high‑leverage systems.

We are looking for a person who has

Required

• Solid experience as a backend or platform engineer, owning production systems end‑to‑end (design, implementation, operations, and ongoing evolution).

• Proven track record working with distributed systems at scale and building APIs or microservices on modern cloud infrastructure.

• Experience building or supporting platform‑level services where many teams depend on your systems for their day‑to‑day work.

• Comfort operating in ambiguous, fast‑changing contexts and driving 0→1 technical decisions with a long‑term mindset.

• Strong collaboration and communication skills, including working effectively with engineers across disciplines and locations.

Nice to have

• Experience with data, ML, or AI‑related infrastructure (e.g., experimentation, model serving, or ML platforms) used by multiple product teams.

• Exposure to highly regulated or safety‑critical domains (such as financial infrastructure or crypto) where reliability, compliance, and auditability are essential.

• Background in fast‑growing global tech companies, designing systems that work across products, markets, and regulatory environments.

• Experience mentoring other engineers and contributing to raising the engineering bar through reviews, discussions, and hiring.

Location & Work Model

• Location: Palo Alto, United States.

• Work model: Hybrid 2–3 times/week – our hybrid work model brings us to the office at least twice a week, on strategic days designed to maximize team connection and collaboration. For more details, visit https://building.nubank.com/nu-hybrid-work-model/.

Our Benefits

Our benefits program is designed to support your well‑being and performance while you enjoy life and work. For roles based in the United States, our current benefits include:

• Opportunity of earning equity at Nu

• Total compensation includes base salary, RSUs and benefits. Base salary range: $230,000 - $276,000

• Medical Insurance

• Dental and Vision Insurance

• Life Insurance and AD&D

• Extended maternity and paternity leaves

• Nucleo – our learning platform of courses

• NuLanguage – our language learning program

• NuCare – our mental health and wellness assistance program

• 401K

• Saving Plans – Health Saving Account and Flexible Spending Account

• Work‑from‑home Allowance

• Relocation Assistance Package, if applicable

Explore how we build technology at Nubank: building.nubank.com.br, youtube.com/@building.nubank, and our podcast on Spotify.

Our recruitment process may involve the use of artificial intelligence–enabled tools, such as automated interview transcription and analysis, to support the evaluation process. Artificial intelligence is not used to make final hiring decisions; all decisions are made by human reviewers.