Senior Staff Backend Engineer - Python, Scale & Security (Equity)

Venmo; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 179,000 - 265,000; Full time

Job summary

Venmo is seeking a seasoned backend lead to own the CFS platform's backend features, reliability, and security at scale. You will set technical direction, influence multiple teams, and collaborate with product management to shape solutions.

You'll work across PayPal's platform and security teams, mentor engineers, and drive architectural standards while maintaining a strong focus on regulatory compliance, threat models, and system performance.

Qualifications

• 8+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor's degree.

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, reusable infrastructure, and cross-org initiatives.
• Lead architectural reviews and define engineering standards for how the CFS team builds, scales, and secures its systems.
• Mentor and develop senior engineers.
• Collaborate with Product, Legal, Compliance, and Security to translate regulatory and risk requirements (KYC, AML, GDPR, PCI) into sound technical solutions.
• Identify and proactively address risks before they become incidents.
• Own the performance and availability of the services, and participate in on-call rotations.
• Have an appetite for learning and contributing to complex projects alongside your colleagues.

Skills

Python

API management

OAuth 2.0

OIDC

SAML

FIDO2/WebAuthn

AWS

distributed systems

backend services

Terraform

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science

Master's in computer science

Tools

Terraform

Job description

Venmo is seeking a seasoned backend lead to own the CFS platform's backend features, reliability, and security at scale. You will set technical direction, influence multiple teams, and collaborate with product management to shape solutions.

You'll work across PayPal's platform and security teams, mentor engineers, and drive architectural standards while maintaining a strong focus on regulatory compliance, threat models, and system performance.