Staff / Lead Backend Engineer, Payments Platform

Apply; San Mateo (CA); Hybrid; USD 206,600 - 258,200; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Performance incentives

Medical benefits

PTO 21 days

Wellbeing leave

Xtra Leave

Volunteer day

Paid holidays

Parental leave

Job summary

Xero is seeking a senior backend engineer to shape the technical foundation for money movement and global product lines. You will design reliable, scalable, and secure services for the Payments Platform and contribute to production code and proofs‑of‑concepts.

You will collaborate with product, security, risk, and operations, mentor engineers, and champion AI tooling to accelerate development. The role offers hybrid work, strong compensation, equity, and world‑class benefits.

Qualifications

• Proven track record delivering highly available, distributed backend systems.
• Strong understanding of system architecture and API design.
• Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases.
• Hands-on contribution to production code and proofs-of-concepts.
• Leadership in mentoring engineers and fostering inclusive culture.
• Ability to break down complex problems and drive agile execution.
• Collaborates with Product, Design and cross-functional teams.
• Champions advanced AI tooling to accelerate development workflows.

Responsibilities

• Design and build payment platform capabilities (orchestration, risks & fraud, multi-provider) to accelerate product development.
• Develop a global bill payment product to streamline small business cash flow.
• Build core high-throughput platform services.
• Integrate and champion AI capabilities to improve engineering productivity.

Skills

Distributed backend systems

API design

SQL & NoSQL databases

Hands-on production code

Technical leadership

Agile execution

AI tooling adoption

Tools

AWS

Job description

The role / impact

In this role, you will help shape the technical foundation for money movement capabilities while unlocking new product lines globally. You will guide the design and development of reliable, scalable, performant, and secure services for the platform, ensuring operational excellence and direct business outcomes.

This is a rare chance to join an early‑stage initiative, make foundational architectural decisions, and have a visible impact on the future of small businesses. By contributing directly to production code and proof‑of‑concepts, you will solve complex financial technology challenges at a massive scale.

The team / how they connect

The Payments Platform team is the engine powering money movement across the entire ecosystem, collaborating closely with product, security, risk, and operations. We are a highly collaborative collective that values technical excellence, inclusion, and continuous innovation. Together, we work cross‑functionally to translate complex business needs into resilient engineering solutions that support millions of subscribers.

The team is currently working on / Initially, you will focus on

• Designing and building out payment platform capabilities, such as orchestration, risks & fraud, multi‑providers, to accelerate various payment products development and improve operational posture
• Building out a global bill payment product to streamline how small businesses manage their cash flow
• Developing core high‑throughput platform services
• Integrating and championing artificial intelligence capabilities to accelerate engineering productivity and enhance developer workflows

Where and how you can work

We support a hybrid working model that blends the flexibility of working from home with the collaboration of being in the office. You will spend time connecting with your team in our modern office spaces on designated boost days, balancing focused independent work with in‑person connection.

Here are some of the things we are looking for

• You bring a proven track record of delivering highly available, distributed backend systems and designing high‑throughput services under real‑world constraints
• A deep understanding of system architecture, API design, and both SQL and NoSQL databases is essential
• Your background includes proficiency in modern backend stacks such as C#, Java, Golang, or C++, alongside cloud‑native platforms like AWS
• You are passionate about staying hands‑on contributing directly to production code, proof‑of‑concepts, and technical deep dives.
• You possess strong leadership capabilities, with a passion for setting technical direction, mentoring engineers, and fostering an inclusive culture
• You demonstrate strong ability in breaking down complex problems into clear, actionable solutions while driving agile execution to deliver results.
• You are a strong partner to Product, Design, and other cross‑functional teams to translate complex business needs into resilient engineering solutions.
• You are a champion of advanced usage in AI tools and practices across the team to accelerate development workflows.

Apply even if your experience isn't a perfect match! At Xero, we hire based on your skills, passion, and the unique perspective you can bring to enhance our culture and team.

Compensation & Total Rewards

At Xero, we value the impact and skills you bring to the team. We don’t just hire for a role; we invest in people. We believe in a Total Package philosophy - which means your value isn't just a single number on a paycheck. While base salary is a core component, we look at your compensation through a holistic lens that includes equity, performance incentives, and world‑class benefits.

The expected base salary range for this role in:

• California: $206,600 - $258,200 USD

Individual pay is determined by various factors, including geography, level of experience, and the specific skills you bring to the role.

In addition to base pay, Xero’s roles are eligible for the following forms of variable compensation:

• Variable Pay: Permanent employees are eligible to participate in our annual bonus and equity (RSU) programs. You may also be eligible for performance‑based cash or equity (RSUs) incentives depending on your role level, and company performance.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401(k) match, and 21 days PTO, 10 days of Wellbeing leave, 5 days of Xtra Leave, 1 volunteer day, 12 paid holidays, paid parental leave. Further information included on our Xero Perks page.

Xero uses AI to help screen applications based on job‑related qualifications. These tools assist our recruiters but do not make automated hiring decisions. A human recruiter reviews all candidates before any hiring action is taken.