Senior Staff Software Engineer, Backend (Discovery / Search)

Affirm; San Diego (CA); Remote; USD 260,000 - 310,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative and forward-thinking company is looking for a Senior Staff Software Engineer to shape the technical direction of the Discovery Domain. This role focuses on building scalable, reliable solutions that enhance user engagement and product value. Collaborating with cross-functional teams, you'll influence architectural decisions and lead the development of critical initiatives. With a commitment to delivering honest financial products, this opportunity offers a chance to make a significant impact in a remote-first environment, where your expertise in Python and distributed systems will thrive.

Benefits

Health coverage paid in full for employees and dependents

Flexible stipends for technology, food, lifestyle, and family expenses

Generous vacation and holiday policies

Employee stock purchase plan at a discount

Qualifications

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

Responsibilities

• Develop a multi-year technical strategy for the Discovery domain.
• Design, implement, and extend core platform services and APIs.
• Analyze and debug performance issues across distributed services.

Skills

Python

Distributed Systems

API Development

Cross-team Collaboration

Data Processing Pipelines

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

Job description

Senior Staff Software Engineer, Backend (Discovery / Search)

Join to apply for the Senior Staff Software Engineer, Backend (Discovery / Search) role at Affirm.

Affirm is reinventing credit to make it more honest and friendly, giving consumers the flexibility to buy now and pay later without any hidden fees or compounding interest.

We are seeking a Senior Staff Software Engineer to define the technical direction 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 role includes shaping best practices, guiding architectural decisions, and leading the delivery of critical initiatives. This position requires strong technical skills, leadership, cross-functional communication, and creativity. You will be responsible for building large-scale distributed systems and developing the overall technology strategy for the Discovery domain.

The Discovery domain focuses on features that attract new users, engage existing ones, encourage repeat use, and deliver value within the app and marketplace. We own systems like search, data management, marketing, and marketplace tooling that enable personalized discovery and activation of Affirm's products.

What You'll Do

• Develop a multi-year technical strategy for the Discovery domain, focusing on product roadmap, availability, and scalability.
• Partner with the architecture team to guide architectural decisions within the domain.
• Influence product decisions, scope, and make technical trade-offs to deliver customer value quickly.
• 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 APIs and tools for third-party developers.
• Analyze and debug performance issues across distributed services.
• Plan, design, and build scalable core platform software to support increasing users, features, and business growth.

What We Look For

• 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 self-awareness to navigate the unknown.
• Detail-oriented and user-focused.
• Experience building real-time distributed web services, systems in web frameworks, and highly available data storage.
• Equivalent practical experience or a related Bachelor's degree.

Compensation and Benefits

Base Pay Grade: R

Equity Grade: 15

USA base salary ranges: $260,000 - $310,000 (CA, WA, NY, NJ, CT); $232,000 - $282,000 (other states).

Affirm is a remote-first company, with flexibility to work almost anywhere within the country. Some roles may require occasional office presence.

Benefits

• Health coverage paid in full for employees and dependents.
• Flexible stipends for technology, food, lifestyle, and family expenses.
• Generous vacation and holiday policies.
• Employee stock purchase plan at a discount.

We are committed to an inclusive interview process and provide accommodations for candidates with disabilities. Affirm considers qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with local ordinances.

By submitting your application, you agree to Affirm's privacy policy and give consent to the collection and processing of your data.