Senior Staff Backend Architect (Python) – Hybrid

Venmo; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 197,000 - 292,000; Full time

Job summary

Venmo is seeking a senior backend engineer to lead the CFS platform, owning backend features, architecture, and cross-team initiatives. You will partner with product and security teams to design scalable, compliant solutions and mentor engineers across multiple teams.

You will drive architectural decisions, ensure security postures, and align with PayPal standards while delivering robust, high-availability services in a hybrid work model.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of relevant experience with a Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
• 12+ years of software engineering experience with backend platforms, authentication, or security-critical systems.
• Deep expertise in Python and API management (OAuth 2.0, OIDC, SAML, FIDO2/WebAuthn).
• Proven track record shipping large-scale distributed systems and leading technical strategy across teams.
• Hands-on with backend systems (Python/Java/Go) and AWS, with security fundamentals.
• Experience with regulatory requirements (KYC, AML, GDPR).
• Strong communication; ability to write design docs and present to executives.
• Expert with distributed services and backend systems; AWS experience; Terraform.

Responsibilities

• Set the technical direction for Venmo's CFS platform, including authentication, authorization, CFS verification, and fraud risk systems.
• Partner with PayPal's platform and security teams to align on shared Venmo standards and reusable infra.
• Lead architectural reviews and define engineering standards for how the CFS team builds, scales, and secures its systems.
• Mentor and develop senior engineers through design docs, code reviews, and technical debates.
• Collaborate with Product, Legal, Compliance, and Security to translate regulatory and risk requirements into technical solutions.
• Identify and address risks before incidents, from authentication flows to scalability bottlenecks.
• Own performance and availability of services and participate in on-call rotations.
• Contribute to complex projects and learn continuously with colleagues.

Skills

Python

Distributed systems

AWS

Security engineering

OAuth / SAML / WebAuthn

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS or related field

Master's degree in CS (preferred)

Tools

Terraform

API management

Job description

Venmo is seeking a senior backend engineer to lead the CFS platform, owning backend features, architecture, and cross-team initiatives. You will partner with product and security teams to design scalable, compliant solutions and mentor engineers across multiple teams.

You will drive architectural decisions, ensure security postures, and align with PayPal standards while delivering robust, high-availability services in a hybrid work model.