Senior Staff Software Engineer, Backend (Discovery / Search)

Affirm; St. Louis (MO); Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative firm is seeking a Senior Staff Software Engineer to shape the technical direction within the Discovery domain. This pivotal role involves collaborating with cross-functional teams to build scalable, high-performing solutions while guiding architectural decisions and fostering best practices. The position promises a dynamic work environment where your contributions will directly impact user engagement and product value. If you are passionate about crafting honest financial products and enjoy leading technical initiatives, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

Health coverage

Flexible spending accounts

Time off

Stock purchase plans

Qualifications

• Strong CS fundamentals and fluency in a dynamic language like Python.
• Experience building real-time distributed web services and implementing data storage.

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

Cross-team collaboration

Distributed web services

Data storage solutions

Architectural design

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Job description

Senior Staff Software Engineer, Backend (Discovery / Search)

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

About 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 involves shaping best practices, guiding architectural decisions, and leading the delivery of critical initiatives. This position requires high technical ability, leadership skills, strong cross-functional communication, and a creative mindset. You will be responsible for building large-scale distributed systems and developing the overall technology strategy for the Discovery domain.

Domain Focus

The Discovery domain focuses on features that attract new users, engage existing ones, encourage repeat use of Affirm products, and provide value within our app and marketplace. We manage systems like search, data optimization for merchants and consumers, marketing, and marketplace tooling, enabling personalized discovery and activation of Affirm products.

Responsibilities

• Develop a multi-year technical strategy for the Discovery domain, focusing on product roadmap, availability, and scalability.
• Partner with Affirm's architecture team to guide architectural choices within the domain.
• Influence product decisions, scope, and technical tradeoffs 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 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 requirements.

Qualifications

• Passionate about Affirm's mission: "Deliver Honest Financial Products that improve lives".
• Strong CS fundamentals and fluency in a dynamic language like Python.
• Enjoys cross-team collaboration with product managers and designers.
• Humble with self-awareness to navigate the unknown.
• Detail-oriented with a user-focused approach.
• Experience building real-time distributed web services, developing web application systems, and implementing highly available data storage.
• Equivalent practical experience or a related Bachelor’s degree is required.

Compensation and Benefits

Base Pay Grade: R, Equity Grade: 15. Affirm offers a transparent pay structure, including base salary, equity, stipends for health and tech needs, and benefits such as health coverage, flexible spending accounts, time off, and stock purchase plans.

Remote work is supported across the U.S., with some roles requiring occasional office visits. Affirm is committed to inclusive hiring and providing accommodations for candidates with disabilities.

Additional Details

Position level: Mid-Senior, Full-time, in Engineering and IT.