Software Engineer, Senior

Check; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Check is building embedded payroll infrastructure and enabling partners to pay people simply. As a Senior Software Engineer, you will contribute to platforms powering money movement, tax calculations, and compliance workflows for thousands of businesses.

You will turn complex systems into reliable, scalable software that helps teams operate payroll confidently. You will work in a collaborative, ownership-driven culture with opportunities to influence architecture, tooling, and product direction.

Qualifications

• Experience building complex systems at scale.
• Ability to work autonomously on impactful, cross-functional projects.
• Proven track record of delivering high-quality software.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end problem solving from conception to implementation.
• Build prototypes for creative solutions to complex problems.
• Provide candid feedback to improve the team and processes.
• Improve the team's quality through code reviews and operations.
• Simplify domain complexity by identifying patterns and driving improvements.
• Document critical thinking to inform design decisions.

Skills

Senior-level experience

Scaling complex systems

Autonomous work

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem-solving mindset

Tools

Python/Django

React

Typescript

AWS

Terraform

Postgres

Temporal

GitHub

Job description

About Check

Payroll is broken. It's still running on decades-old infrastructure. We're rebuilding it.
We don't run payroll ourselves - we power the businesses that do. As the inventors of embedded payroll, we're redefining how people get paid and making it easier for those businesses to launch, grow, and thrive.

On our team, you'll use creative problem-solving, critical thinking, and grit to simplify the complexity of payroll for thousands of employers of every size, across all industries. We ignore conventional role boundaries in favor of the unique strengths and values each builder brings to our mission: make paying people simple. Check out our origin story! See how it works for our partners.

Check is far more than just API infrastructure. We're a springboard for building and scaling payroll businesses. See how it works for our partners.

Engineering Culture at Check

At Check, engineering operates as one team. Engineers are staffed based on business priorities, not tied to fixed domains. Engineers stay close to the work and to each other’s decisions. The team is small and operates with a high level of ownership. Work does not sit waiting on ownership boundaries, and people step in to move things forward when something is stuck.

About this role

As a Senior Software Engineer at Check, you'll use your technical knowledge and product sense to build features that make a real impact. You'll contribute to the platform that powers money movement, tax calculations, and compliance workflows for thousands of businesses. By turning complex infrastructure into clear, reliable systems for our partners, you'll allow teams to run payroll confidently and help thousands of people get paid.

What You'll Do

• Lead end-to-end problem-solving, from conception to implementation, often stepping out of your lane and partnering with new perspectives to land innovative solutions.

• Build prototypes for creative solutions to the problems you're solving.

• Share hot takes and candid, constructive feedback to improve your team

• Improve your team’s quality bar through contributions, reviews, and team operations

• Simplify the team's domain by spotting patterns, building expertise within your team’s domain, and questioning the status quo.

• Make decisions and hone your judgment by documenting clear, critical thinking and evaluating options.

• Grow your team by building genuine connections, embracing vulnerability, and working transparently.

What We're Looking For

• Senior-level experience building complex systems or working within regulated industries, with a focus on scaling.

• Ability to work autonomously on team-wide projects that deliver impact for the business.

• Experience working in a cross-functional, collaborative environment while managing multiple internal stakeholders and end customers.

• Track record of high quality, quick decision-making influenced by learned experience.

• Curiosity and tenacity to debug complex problems in intricate systems.

• While we don't have requirements for programming languages, a desire to learn our current stack is required: Python/Django, React, Typescript, AWS, Terraform, Postgres, Temporal, Github.

Travel & Office Policy

The Check team is distributed across the US. Roles can be remote, hybrid, or based in one of our offices in New York City or San Francisco. We offer ample opportunities and encourage employees to attend team offsites, events, and hackathons throughout year. All Checketeers gather in the spring for our annual 3-day company retreat.

For our in-office and hybrid employees, our offices are open all week. We provide meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays and there are regular happy hours, game nights, and other in-person events.

Remote work at Check requires the ability to perform all responsibilities without distraction or disruption, while maintaining quality, effective communication, and productivity.

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Check is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, provided they are consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Check is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process.

Check participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with Form I-9 information from all new employees to confirm that they are authorized to work in the U.S. Check does not use E-Verify to pre-screen applicants.