Staff Software Engineer - Digital Platform

The Western Union Company; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Tuition Assistance Program

Parental Leave

401K plan

Employee discounts

Job summary

The Western Union Company in Austin, TX is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to lead design and delivery of scalable microservices powering our digital platform. This hands-on role acts as a service owner, partnering with distributed teams to ensure reliability, performance, and architectural excellence.

You will coach junior engineers, drive API and cloud-native developments (AWS), and champion modern design patterns, TDD/CI/CD, and open collaboration across geographies.

Qualifications

• BS in Computer Science or related field with 5+ years experience or MS with 5+ years experience.
• Proficient in Java Spring Boot, DynamoDB/Postgres, Kafka, Redis, Apache Camel.
• 2+ years hands-on technical lead for large-scale microservices.
• 2+ years Agile with TDD and CI/CD.
• 1+ years cloud architecture concepts; AWS experience required.
• 6 months AI coding agents experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver new software; maintain and improve existing software.
• Lead service with distributed teams and ensure reliability and performance.
• Review designs and code; enforce service level standards.
• Provide coaching to junior engineers and work on complex projects.
• Design and build enterprise APIs and microservices at scale.
• Champion architecture concepts and cloud-native patterns.

Skills

Java Spring Boot

DynamoDB

Postgres

Kafka

Redis

Apache Camel

Microservices

API Design

AWS

AI coding agents

Education

BS in Computer Science or related field

MS in Computer Science

Tools

CI/CD

Job description

Position location: Austin, TX

The Staff Software Engineer will lead the design and delivery of scalable, cloud-native microservices powering Western Union’s digital platform. This role serves as a hands‑on technical expert and service owner, partnering with distributed engineering teams to ensure reliability, performance, and architectural excellence.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full‑time basis. Western Union will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.

Role Responsibilities

• Develop and implement new software, maintain and improve existing software
• Ensure that software functionality is implemented with a focus on code optimization and organization.
• Build applications, workflow automation’s, internal tools, and basic agents using AI coding agents within Western Union’s product and platform areas.
• Recommend improvements to existing software programs.
• Troubleshoot application issues and coordinate issue resolution with operations, functional, and technical teams.
• Work as service lead with development team across geographically distributed structure
• Review design and code from different scrum teams and ensure service level standards are enforced.
• Responsible for maintaining quality and engineering metrics of specific microservices as a services owner.
• Provide coaching to Junior engineers on the team.
• Works independently on complex projects.
• Assess business needs while providing creative and effective solutions in conformance to emerging technology standards.
• Perform strong decision‑making, communication, and collaboration skills.
• Perform computer science fundamentals, data structures, algorithms, OOPs, and OOA/D.

Role Requirements

• BS in Computer Science or related fields with 5+ years of professional experience or MS with 5+ years of experience; Equivalent work experience in lieu of a degree.
• 2+ Demonstrated experience in modern programming languages and frameworks (Java Spring boot, DynamoDB/Postgres, Kafka, Redis, Apache Camel) and standard design patterns for implementing microservices.
• 2+ years of hands‑on technical lead with demonstrated experience in designing and implementing large scale microservices.
• 2+ years of experience with agile development methodologies with Test Driven Development (TDD) and CI (Continuous Integration)/CD (Continuous Delivery).
• 1+ years of experience with architecture design concepts and techniques and the ability to communicate and evangelize those concepts to a broad‑based team.
• 1+ years hands‑on experience in building microservices based architecture and platform developed and deployed at scale.
• 1+ years hands‑on experience building enterprise scale APIs used by web and mobile applications.
• 1+ years of experience in Cloud (AWS) based architecture designs and implementations.
• 6 months hands‑on experience using AI coding agents to build or accelerate end‑to‑end software delivery.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in FinTech industry.
• Experience in building external customer‑facing applications with open‑source.
• technologies and understanding of front‑end tech stack

Workplace Option

HYBRID - Western Union values in‑person collaboration, problem solving, and ideation whenever possible. We believe this fosters common ways of working and supports how we execute initiatives for our customers. The expectation is to work from the office a minimum of three days a week.

Benefits

You will also have access to short‑term incentives, multiple health insurance options, accident and life insurance, and access to best‑in‑class development platforms, to name a few (https://careers.westernunion.com/global-benefits/).

Please see the location‑specific benefits below and note that your Recruiter may share additional role‑specific benefits during your interview process or in an offer of employment.

• Paid Time Off
• Medical, Dental and Life Insurance
• Tuition Assistance Program
• Student Loan Repayment (below manager level only)
• Parental Leave
• One day volunteer time off
• $0 Money Transfer Fee Discount Code
• Quarterly Recognition Program “Game Changers”
• Employee Discount Program
• Global Adoption Assistance
• Global Scholarship Awards Program
• 401K plan

For residents of Colorado, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania:

Please do not respond to any questions on this initial application that may seek age‑identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You may also redact this information from any materials you submit during the application process. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Salary

Annual base salary range is $135,000 – 160,000 USD per year. Total on‑target compensation includes a base salary and short‑term that align with individual and company performance. Actual salaries will vary based on candidates’ qualifications, skills, and competencies.

As part of the application process, all applicants are required to take assessments. Western Union has partnered with a 3rd party provider to administer these tests. Applicants will need to provide their name and email address in order to process the assessments. If you have any questions, you may reach out to [e-mail].

EEO / DEI

We are passionate about honoring our employee's identity and fostering a feeling of belonging. Our commitment is to provide an inclusive culture that celebrates the unique backgrounds and perspectives of our global teams while reflecting the communities we serve. We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, political affiliation, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, or veteran status. The company will provide accommodation to applicants, including those with disabilities, during the recruitment process, following applicable laws.

#LI-HD1 Estimated Job Posting End Date: 12-31-2026 This application window is a good‑faith estimate of the time that this posting will remain open. This posting will be promptly updated if the deadline is extended or the role is filled.

At Western Union, we’re more than a trusted name in global payments. We’re moving beyond remittances, beyond cash, and beyond the expectations of our customers. Our talented teams enable us to transform into a digital‑first company, built on the strength of our retail foundation and powered by next‑generation payments. All this with the goal of helping people prosper. Our customers inspire us to push boundaries and create services that make life easier and communities stronger. Wherever you are in the world, we’re committed to shaping the next generation of financial experiences. Join us as we go beyond and be part of a team that’s redefining what’s possible.