Senior Staff Python Backend Engineer: Scale & Security

PayPal Inc.; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 197,000 - 292,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Healthcare coverage

Job summary

PayPal is seeking a senior engineer to lead the Venmo Consumer Financial Services backend platform, driving authentication, authorization, CFS verification, and fraud risk systems. You will own cross-cutting problems, define engineering standards, and collaborate with platform and security teams to align on shared Venmo standards.

The role requires designing scalable distributed services, shipping large-scale systems, and mentoring senior engineers.

Qualifications

• 8+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor's degree OR Any equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 12+ years of software engineering experience, with significant time spent on backend platforms, authentication, or security-critical systems at scale.
• Deep expertise in Python and API management - including protocols like OAuth 2.0, OIDC, SAML, FIDO2/WebAuthn.
• Proven track record of defining and shipping large-scale distributed systems, with experience leading technical strategy across multiple teams or organizations.
• Hands-on comfort with backend systems at scale (Python, Java, Go, or similar) and Cloud (AWS), along with security engineering fundamentals.
• Experience with regulatory requirements (KYC, AML, GDPR) and translating compliance into engineering decisions.
• Strong communication skills for design docs and executive reviews.
• Expert with distributed services and backend systems.
• Experience in building services on public cloud - AWS.
• Terraform experience for IaC.

Responsibilities

• Makes technical decisions affecting multiple teams, crossing organizational boundaries.
• Establishes conventions & processes followed by other employees.
• Manages resources and prioritizes initiatives across teams.
• Handles multiple, multi-team initiatives with judicious prioritization.
• Applies up-to-date industry practices for optimal results.
• Communicates technical issues effectively to non-technical audiences.
• Mentors engineers and promotes best practices.
• Partners with product management to ideate solutions to business problems and goals.

Skills

Python

API management

Distributed systems

Backend development

Security engineering

Cloud security

Communication skills

Technical leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS

Master's in CS

Tools

Terraform

AWS

Job description

PayPal is seeking a senior engineer to lead the Venmo Consumer Financial Services backend platform, driving authentication, authorization, CFS verification, and fraud risk systems. You will own cross-cutting problems, define engineering standards, and collaborate with platform and security teams to align on shared Venmo standards.

The role requires designing scalable distributed services, shipping large-scale systems, and mentoring senior engineers.