Staff Software Engineer - Cloud Infrastructure and Devops

PayPal; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 161,000 - 239,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Healthcare coverage

Paid time off

Job summary

PayPal's Venmo team seeks a Staff Software Engineer to lead cloud networking efforts, defining routing, CDN, and edge security across global services. You will architect scalable ingress and security controls, mentor engineers, and drive IaC for reliable platforms.

You will collaborate with SRE, security, and product teams to ensure fast, secure, and cost-effective networking at scale in a hybrid PayPal environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years' experience in software development or a related field.
• 5+ years operating distributed cloud network, routing, or edge infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Lead major initiatives end-to-end across cloud networking, routing, CDN, and infra security.
• Architect and evolve CDN and edge delivery strategy (AWS CloudFront).
• Set direction for WAF and edge security controls, protecting Venmo's services from threats.
• Own the architecture of Envoy/Contour-based ingress and nginx-based reverse proxy and load-balancing services.
• Coach and mentor engineers across the Cloud Platform & Infrastructure org.
• Develop infrastructure-as-code and automation to manage networking and routing configuration.
• Troubleshoot complex network incidents and identify root causes.

Skills

Cloud networking

CDN edge delivery

WAF/edge security

Envoy/Contour

NGINX proxy

Docker/Kubernetes

Python/Go/Bash

Networking fundamentals

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

AWS

AWS CloudFront

CDK

Terraform

GitHub Enterprise

GitHub Actions

Datadog

Envoy

Contour

NGINX

EKS

Job description

The Company PayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. We operate a global, two-sided network at scale that connects hundreds of millions of merchants and consumers. We help merchants and consumers connect, transact, and complete payments, whether they are online or in person. PayPal is more than a connection to third-party payment networks. We provide proprietary payment solutions accepted by merchants that enable the completion of payments on our platform on behalf of our customers. We offer our customers the flexibility to use their accounts to purchase and receive payments for goods and services, as well as the ability to transfer and withdraw funds. We enable consumers to exchange funds more safely with merchants using a variety of funding sources, which may include a bank account, a PayPal or Venmo account balance, PayPal and Venmo branded credit products, a credit card, a debit card, certain cryptocurrencies, or other stored value products such as gift cards, and eligible credit card rewards. Our PayPal, Venmo, and Xoom products also make it safer and simpler for friends and family to transfer funds to each other. We offer merchants an end-to-end payments solution that provides authorization and settlement capabilities, as well as instant access to funds and payouts. We also help merchants connect with their customers, process exchanges and returns, and manage risk. We enable consumers to engage in cross-border shopping and merchants to extend their global reach while reducing the complexity and friction involved in enabling cross-border trade. Our beliefs are the foundation for how we conduct business every day. We live each day guided by our core values of Inclusion, Innovation, Collaboration, and Wellness. Together, our values ensure that we work together as one global team with our customers at the center of everything we do - and they push us to ensure we take care of ourselves, each other, and our communities.

Job Summary

This job acts as a project leader, coordinating the activities of other engineers, determining technical tasks, and improving existing structures and processes. It involves making technical decisions, collaborating with management to set standards, and representing the company to external partners.

Job Description

Essential Responsibilities: Acts as a project or system leader, coordinating the activities of other engineers on the project or within the system Determines the technical tasks that other engineers will follow Actions result in the achievement of customer, operational, program or service objectives Proactively improves existing structures & processes Exercises judgement in reconciling diverse and competing priorities (time, quality, complexity risk) to identify optimal solutions to problems Notices patterns and condenses repetition into densely meaningful generalized solutions Collaborates with management to set/improve standards for engineering rigor Trusted to represent PayPal, Inc to the outside world via interactions with partners, customers, or industry organizations.

Expected Qualifications

5+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor’s degree OR Any equivalent combination of education and experience.

Additional Responsibilities & Preferred Qualifications

Engineering at Venmo Engineering in Cloud Platform & Infrastructure Our Cloud Platform & Infrastructure organization builds and operates the foundational services that power Venmo's platform: compute, networking, routing, observability, and developer platform capabilities used by every product team at Venmo. We believe great infrastructure should be invisible to the teams who rely on it; fast, secure, and reliable by default. We partner closely with SRE, security, and product engineering teams to build automated, self-service systems at scale, and we hold ourselves to a high bar for engineering rigor and operational excellence.

Job Description

Cloud Network & Routing Engineer Our Cloud Network & Routing team owns the network & routing layers that connect Venmo’s applications to the internet and to each other: CDN, proxy, web application firewall and security, ingress and routing, and internal traffic management across our AWS environment. We work hand-in-hand with the rest of the Cloud Platform & Infrastructure org, including compute, storage, SRE, and security teams, to make sure traffic is fast, secure, and reliable at every hop. As a Staff Software Engineer, you will support this critical domain, leading major initiatives across networking, routing, CDN, and infra security. You will be part of what defines the future of the company’s networking and routing strategy. You are a hands-on contributor who teaches by example and mentors other engineers and product teams, driving best practices across the broader Cloud Platform & Infrastructure org. We have a lot of independence in our decisions, but we are kept accountable for the results. Our technical stack: AWS, AWS CloudFront, CDN, WAF, Envoy, Contour, NGINX, EKS, Docker, CDK, Terraform, GitHub Enterprise, GitHub Actions, Datadog, Bash, Python, Go.

• Contribute to and help drive the strategic direction of our cloud network, and routing, leading initiatives across CDN, WAF, proxy, and ingress
• Act as a hands-on contributor, while leading by example
• Mentor senior and junior engineers
• Enjoy a high degree of independence in decision-making while being accountable for results of yourself and your team
• Be part of a team dedicated to driving the scalability, security, and reliability of Venmo's cloud network and edge infrastructure
• Provide guidance, thought leadership, and mentorship to teams across the Cloud Platform & Infrastructure org to build and strengthen their networking and edge competencies

What You'll Do

• Lead major initiatives end-to-end across cloud networking, routing, CDN, and infra security: define the design, identify stakeholders, navigate risks and changes, coordinate colleagues' work, implement solutions, and be accountable for timely, quality delivery
• Architect and evolve our CDN and edge delivery strategy (AWS CloudFront) for performance, availability, and cost efficiency at scale
• Set direction for WAF and edge security controls, protecting Venmo's services from DDoS, bot, and application-layer threats
• Own the architecture of our Envoy-and Contour-based ingress, and our nginx-based reverse proxy and load-balancing services
• Continually raise the bar by helping fellow engineers develop and deliver networking and edge solutions more efficiently and securely
• Troubleshoot complex network incidents, identify root causes, and implement preventive measures
• Coach and mentor engineers across the Cloud Platform & Infrastructure org on networking design principles and best practices
• Recognize, validate, and evangelize emerging networking and edge technologies and architectures that align with business objectives
• Develop and improve infrastructure-as-code and automation to manage networking and routing configuration
• Enhance the quality, reliability, and security of our network and edge infrastructure and operations

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's and/or master's in computer science or related field of study
• 7+ years' experience in software development or a related field
• 5+ years' experience operating distributed cloud network, routing, or edge infrastructure
• 24x7x365, as part of a Cloud Engineering, Network Engineering, DevOps, and/or SRE team
• 2+ years technical leadership experience
• Deep hands-on experience designing, implementing, and supporting cloud networking and edge infrastructure (AWS preferred) at global scale
• Deep expertise with CDN and edge delivery (AWS CloudFront or similar), WAF, and edge security
• Deep hands-on experience with Envoy, Contour, or similar service mesh / ingress controller technologies
• Deep hands-on experience with nginx or similar reverse proxy and load-balancing technologies
• Expert understanding of networking fundamentals: TCP/IP, DNS, TLS/SSL, BGP/routing protocols, and load balancing algorithms
• Hands-on programming and scripting (Python, Go, Bash)
• Hands-on experience with containers and container orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Strong communication skills with the ability to understand and explain technical issues to a non-technical audience

Compensation

Subsidiary: Venmo Travel 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: San Jose, California: ($176,500.00 - $262,350.00 Annually) Additional Location(s) | Pay Range: Chicago, Illinois: ($160,500.00 - $238,700.00 Annually) Austin, Texas: ($160,500.00 - $238,700.00 Annually) Scottsdale, Arizona: ($152,500.00 - $226,600.00 Annually) 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. All communication regarding your application will come from official PayPal email domains. If you suspect fraudulent activity, please report it immediately. To learn more about how to identify and avoid recruitment fraud please visit https://careers.pypl.com/contact-us. 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. If you would like your profile to be deleted from our system, please let us know. Please note that this site has updated features that can’t run on older versions of Internet Explorer. Please use IE11 or MS Edge for an optimal experience.

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.