Senior Staff Software Engineer, Backend (Discovery / Search)

Affirm; Dallas (TX); Remote; USD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative company is seeking a Senior Staff Software Engineer to shape the technical strategy within the Discovery domain. This exciting role involves building scalable and reliable solutions that enhance user engagement and product discovery. You will lead architectural decisions, develop data-processing pipelines, and create APIs that empower third-party developers. Join a forward-thinking team dedicated to delivering honest financial products that improve lives, while enjoying comprehensive benefits and the flexibility of remote work.

Benefits

Health Coverage

Stock Purchase Plans

Flexible Time Off

Stipends

Qualifications

• Strong CS fundamentals and fluency in a dynamically typed language, primarily Python.
• Experience building real-time distributed web services and scalable systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop a multi-year technical strategy for the Discovery domain.
• Collaborate with architecture team to guide architectural decisions.
• Design and implement core platform services and APIs.

Skills

Python

Distributed Systems

API Development

Data Processing Pipelines

Cross-team Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

Job description

Senior Staff Software Engineer, Backend (Discovery / Search)

Join us as a Senior Staff Software Engineer, Backend (Discovery / Search) at Affirm.

About the Role

Affirm is reinventing credit to make it more honest and friendly, giving consumers the flexibility to buy now and pay later without hidden fees or interest. We are seeking a Senior Staff Software Engineer to define technical strategy and foster innovation within the Discovery Domain engineering organization. You will collaborate with engineering leaders, cross-functional teams, and stakeholders to build scalable, reliable, and high-performing solutions. Your responsibilities include shaping best practices, guiding architectural decisions, and leading critical initiatives. This role demands high technical ability, leadership, strong communication skills, and creativity. You will build large-scale distributed systems and develop the overall technology strategy for the Discovery domain.

Domain Focus

The Discovery domain focuses on features that attract new users, engage existing ones, promote repeat use, and provide value through personalized discovery and activation of Affirm products. Systems include search, merchant and consumer data, marketing, and marketplace tooling.

Responsibilities

• Develop a multi-year technical strategy for the Discovery domain, focusing on product roadmap, availability, and scalability.
• Collaborate with Affirm's architecture team to guide architectural decisions.
• Influence product scope and make technical trade-offs to deliver customer value efficiently.
• Design, implement, and extend core platform services and APIs for new products and features.
• Architect and develop the next version of data-processing pipelines.
• Create third-party developer APIs and tools.
• Analyze and debug performance issues across distributed services.
• Plan, design, and build scalable core platform systems to support increasing users, features, and business needs.

Qualifications

• Passionate about Affirm's mission: "Deliver Honest Financial Products that improve lives".
• Strong CS fundamentals and fluency in a dynamically typed language (primarily Python).
• Enjoys cross-team collaboration, especially with product managers and designers.
• Humble with the ability to navigate the unknown.
• Detail-oriented with a user-focused mindset.
• Experience building real-time distributed web services, scalable systems, and highly available data storage.
• Equivalent practical experience or a related Bachelor's degree required.

Compensation and Benefits

Base pay grade: R; Equity grade: 15.
US-based salary ranges vary by location, with comprehensive benefits including health coverage, stipends, time off, and stock purchase plans. Affirm supports remote work within the US and provides inclusive hiring practices.