Senior Software Engineer, Payments Platform

airbnb, Inc.; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 196,000 - 227,000; Full time

Job summary

Airbnb is seeking a Senior Software Engineer for the Payments Platform in the United States. You will design and build scalable, observable backend services that handle large transaction volumes and connect guest payments to host payouts across Airbnb's global marketplace.

You will collaborate with product managers, data scientists, and operations to translate evolving business needs into robust features, from ideation through testing and rollout, while driving code quality, testing, and

Qualifications

• 5+ years of backend software engineering experience, ideally in Payments or Fintech.
• Experience with architectural patterns of large, high‑scale web applications, such as well‑designed APIs, high‑volume data pipelines, and efficient algorithms.
• Commitment to code quality, automated testing, and engineering best practices.
• Strong communication skills and attention to detail, with experience collaborating in cross‑functional teams.
• Ability to make data‑driven decisions and clearly articulate technical tradeoffs.
• Bachelor's and/or Master's degree, preferably in CS, or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Design and build service‑oriented, modular, observable backend systems with well‑defined APIs.
• Partner with product managers, data scientists, and operations to turn evolving business needs into product features.
• Take features from ideation through planning, scoping, implementation, and experimental A/B testing.
• Set up and tune monitoring and alerting to raise the quality and reliability of our systems.
• Write high‑quality, well‑tested code and review others' code to uphold engineering best practices.
• Work with other engineering teams across Airbnb to improve our engineering process and technical foundation.

Skills

Backend engineering

Payments/Fintech

APIs

Automated testing

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decisions

Education

CS degree

Job description

Senior Software Engineer, Payments Platform

United States

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.

The Community You Will Join:

You’ll join the Payments Platform Engineering team, which owns everything involved in settling money in Airbnb's global marketplace, from collecting guest payments to paying out hosts. The team builds the platform behind all of Airbnb's lines of business, across infrastructure, core payment services, and user-facing payment experiences. You’ll work closely with product managers, data scientists, designers, and operations, as well as engineering teams across Airbnb.

The Difference You Will Make:

You’ll design and build the next generation of Airbnb's Payments Platform: scalable, highly available systems that process massive daily transaction volume. Success means shipping reliable, well‑instrumented services and product features end‑to‑end, with strong code quality and observability, while making Airbnb the safest and easiest‑to‑use payments platform.

A Typical Day:

• Design and build service‑oriented, modular, observable backend systems with well‑defined APIs.
  
• Partner with product managers, data scientists, and operations to turn evolving business needs into product features.
  
• Take features from ideation through planning, scoping, implementation, and experimental A/B testing.
  
• Set up and tune monitoring and alerting to raise the quality and reliability of our systems.
  
• Write high‑quality, well‑tested code and review others' code to uphold engineering best practices.
  
• Work with other engineering teams across Airbnb to improve our engineering process and technical foundation.
  

Your Expertise:

• 5+ years of backend software engineering experience, ideally in Payments or Fintech.
• Experience with architectural patterns of large, high‑scale web applications, such as well‑designed APIs, high‑volume data pipelines, and efficient algorithms.
• Commitment to code quality, automated testing, and engineering best practices.
• Strong communication skills and attention to detail, with experience collaborating in cross‑functional teams.
• Ability to make data‑driven decisions and clearly articulate technical tradeoffs.
• Bachelor's and/or Master's degree, preferably in CS, or equivalent experience.

Our Commitment To Inclusion & Belonging:

Airbnb is committed to working with the broadest talent pool possible. We believe diverse ideas foster innovation and engagement, and allow us to attract creatively‑led people, and to develop the best products, services and solutions. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.

We strive to also provide a disability inclusive application and interview process. If you are a candidate with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in order to submit an application, please contact us at: [e-mail] . Please include your full name, the role you’re applying for and the accommodation necessary to assist you with the recruiting process.

We ask that you only reach out to us if you are a candidate whose disability prevents you from being able to complete our online application.

Airbnb values diversity & belonging and is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All individuals seeking employment at Airbnb are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected characteristic.

How We'll Take Care of You:

Our job titles may span more than one career level. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs and market demands. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. This role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits.

Pay Range

$196,000 — $227,000 USD

Reasonable Accommodations: We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process for applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance, or an accommodation, please let your recruiter know once you are contacted about a role.