Sr Software Engineer - Backend (Java)

PayPal Inc.; Scottsdale (AZ); Hybrid; USD 124,000 - 184,000; Full time

Job summary

PayPal Inc. is seeking a senior software engineer to design and build backend services powering its credit products. You will work across product, risk, compliance, and engineering to translate complex requirements into robust, scalable technical solutions.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in Java, microservices, and event-driven systems using Kafka or Pulsar, with cloud experience. Hybrid work model in Scottsdale, AZ, combines in-office collaboration with remote work options.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in CS, Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• 5+ years in Java and building RESTful APIs using Spring Boot or similar frameworks.
• Experience designing microservice architectures and high-concurrency production systems.
• Experience with relational and NoSQL databases.
• Experience with event-driven architectures using Kafka or Pulsar.
• Cloud experience (GCP or AWS).

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and evolve large-scale backend services powering PayPal's credit products.
• Partner with product, risk, compliance, and engineering teams to translate complex requirements into robust technical solutions.
• Develop event-driven, asynchronous services using messaging technologies such as Kafka or Pulsar.
• Improve system scalability, performance, reliability, and observability as usage grows globally.
• Contribute to technical direction through design reviews and mentoring.

Skills

Software engineering

Mentoring

Communication

System design

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Tools

Kafka

Pulsar

Spring Boot

Oracle

MySQL

DynamoDB

BigQuery

Job description

Job Summary

The Credit Platform team builds the core foundation behind PayPal's global credit ecosystem, powering PayPal's credit products like Credit Cards, Buy Now Pay Later, Working Capital, and Merchant Term Loans for millions of customers and businesses worldwide.

Our team supports credit products across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Australia, with plans to expand into additional markets in 2026.

Job Description

Essential Responsibilities

• Delivers complete solutions spanning all phases of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) (design, implementation, testing, delivery and operations), based on definitions from more senior roles.
• Advises immediate management on project-level issues
• Guides junior engineers
• Operates with little day-to-day supervision, making technical decisions based on knowledge of internal conventions and industry best practices
• Applies knowledge of technical best practices in making decisions

Minimum Qualifications

• 3+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor's degree OR Any equivalent combination of education and experience.

Additional Responsibilities & Preferred Qualifications

• Design, build, and evolve large-scale backend services that power PayPal's credit products.
• Partner with product, risk, compliance, and engineering teams to translate complex business and regulatory requirements into robust technical solutions.
• Build reusable, configuration-driven systems that support rapid product launches and market expansion.
• Develop event-driven, asynchronous services using messaging and streaming technologies such as Kafka and Pulsar.
• Improve system scalability, performance, reliability, and observability as platform usage grows globally.
• Contribute to technical direction through design reviews, mentorship, and shared engineering standards.

What You Bring

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
• 5+ years of professional experience in software engineering
• 5+ years in Java, with experience building RESTful APIs using Spring Boot or similar frameworks
• Proven experience designing microservice architectures and operating high-concurrency production systems
• Experience with relational databases (Oracle, MySQL), NoSQL databases (DynamoDB), and analytical data warehouses (BigQuery)
• Strong understanding of data modeling, SQL optimization, and database fundamentals beyond basic CRUD usage
• Hands-on experience building event-driven systems, including messaging or streaming platforms such as Kafka or Pulsar
• Experience with asynchronous programming patterns for decoupled, resilient services
• Demonstrated ability to write reliable, scalable, maintainable, secure, and performant code
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence technical decisions and mentor other engineers
• Nice to have
• Experience building and operating services on cloud platforms such as GCP, or AWS
• Background in payments, credit, or financial services
• Strong foundation in large-scale distributed system architecture, including fault tolerance, observability, and cost optimization

Compensation

Subsidiary:PayPalTravel Percent:0-The base pay for this role will depend on where you work and the relevant experience and expertise you bring.

The expected range of pay for this role by location is:Primary Location | Pay Range:Scottsdale, Arizona: ($123,500.00 - $183,700.00 Annually)Additional Location(s) | Pay Range:No other locations are assigned to this requisition currently.

Additional compensation for this role may include an annual performance bonus, equity, or other incentive compensation, as applicable.

PayPal does not charge candidates any fees for courses, applications, resume reviews, interviews, background checks, or onboarding. When making an application directly, we will never ask you to share passwords, one-time passcodes (OTP), or verification codes. Any such request is a red flag and likely part of a scam.

Work Location & Hybrid Model

For the majority of employees, PayPal's balanced hybrid work model offers 3 days in the office for effective in-person collaboration and 2 days at your choice of either the PayPal office or your home workspace, ensuring that you equally have the benefits and conveniences of both locations.

Benefits

At PayPal, we're committed to building an equitable and inclusive global economy. And we can't do this without our most important asset-you. That's why we offer comprehensive, choice-based programs, to support all aspects of personal wellbeing-physical, emotional, and financial-delivering meaningful value where it matters most.

We strive to create a flexible, balanced work culture with a holistic approach to benefits, including generous paid time off, healthcare coverage for you and your family, and resources to create financial security and support your mental health.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

PayPal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. In addition, PayPal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at [e-mail].

Belonging at PayPal

Our employees are central to advancing our mission, and we strive to create an environment where everyone can do their best work with a sense of purpose and belonging. Belonging at PayPal means creating a workplace with a sense of acceptance and security where all employees feel included and valued. We are proud to have a diverse workforce reflective of the merchants, consumers, and communities that we serve, and we continue to take tangible actions to cultivate inclusivity and belonging at PayPal.