Senior Backend Software Engineer (Card Loan Platform)

Affirm; New York (NY); Remote; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-first compensation

Remote work

Generous time off

Health benefits

Mental healthcare

Parental leave

Learning & Development

Job summary

Affirm is building the financial brain behind our flagship card products, delivering high-availability services and robust APIs for card issuance and lending workflows. You will shape system design, lead cross-functional collaboration, and drive the technical strategy across product and engineering teams.

In this role you will mentor engineers, own critical paths on the distributed architecture, and contribute to a remote-first, performance-driven culture.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in software development or engineering
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience in a related field
• Strong communicator capable of sharing complex ideas with diverse audiences

Responsibilities

• Lead the planning, prioritization, and execution of projects aligned with product and business goals
• Own end-to-end system design and development of large-scale, high-availability services with robust APIs
• Collaborate with Product, Analytics, Design, Legal, and Accounting to define requirements and lifecycle strategy for card loan attribution
• Ensure system health and performance by diagnosing complex issues and driving scalable solutions
• Mentor engineers and champion best practices through reviews and technical discussions

Skills

Python

Kotlin

RESTful API design

System design

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

Azure

Google Cloud

Job description

• As Affi… experiences explosive growth, our team’s contributions are a key enabler
• This isn’t just another backend role; you’ll be building the “financial brain” for our flagship card products, with your work on the critical path for every single swipe
• We’re tackling a unique, high-stakes distributed systems challenge that demands exceptional correctness and massive scale
• You will partner closely with product, data science, and engineering teams to design and build the future of our industry-leading money movement platform
• If you are passionate about making foundational design decisions and building a beloved, lasting financial brand—come join us
• It’s going to be an amazing ride!
• Drive technical strategy by leading the planning, prioritization, and execution of projects, ensuring alignment with product, technical, and business goals
• Lead the end-to-end system design and development of large-scale, high-availability services. This includes building robust APIs and data models for our micro-service and event-driven architectures
• Collaborate across functions with partners in Product, Analytics, Design, Legal, and Accounting and to define requirements and execute our card loan attribution and lifecycle strategy
• Ensure system health and performance by analyzing and troubleshooting complex technical issues, optimizing existing code, and driving solutions that focus on long-term robustness and scalability
• Mentor and grow the team by guiding junior engineers, leading technical discussions and design reviews, and championing best practices through code review

Benefits

• Compensation: We have a simple, flexible, and transparent remote-first compensation structure so you can make the best decisions for yourself and your family
• Spending Wallets: Access tech, food, lifestyle, and family planning wallets for your expenses
• Supportive Communities: Get involved with our employee resource groups and community groups
• Remote-first Workforce: If your role is remote, you can set up shop anywhere in your home country
• Generous Time Off: Take the time you need when life happens
• Health Benefits: Get a plan that fits your needs
• Mental Healthcare: Take care of your mind with great mental health programs
• Parental Leave: Birth and non-birth parents get 18 weeks’ paid leave. Plus, a 4-week return-to-work transition program, at full base pay
• Away Days: We offer 20 company-wide paid days off—which help our teams collectively pause to recharge
• Learning & Development: Engage in exciting learning programs to level up your growth

Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)This position requires either equivalent practical experience or a Bachelor’s degree in a related field5+ years of experience in software development or engineering, with a deep understanding of system design and architectureMotivated leader, inspiring team growth and fostering a culture of continuous learningStrong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a creative and solution-oriented mindsetKnowledge of database systems (SQL, NoSQL), web frameworks, and RESTful API developmentProficiency in modern programming languages such as Python, Kotlin, or similarExcellent communicator, adept at sharing complex ideas with diverse audiences